Thought I'd bump this topic with an ode to the BOMP.

I am beside myself with glee that soon the "BOMP" will return to television sets throughout the land. Seriously, I think TAR has one of the coolest theme songs out there...totally sets the tone for the whole thing.

When I watched the preview video on cbs.com, I knew fairly quickly 2 things.
a) That's going to be the first couple minutes of the show.
b) It wasn't quite right...and it was the lack of any music. There was no score to that clip, and it needed it. Hopefully when a) comes to pass, there will be an appropriate TAR score.

You will NOT be disappointed on that score. Heh.

This is going to sound weird, but one thing I always think about is that if I were ever on the race, it would be really weird because there would be no background music.

I think I'd just make up my own theme music in my head, like Kronk.

Last season they put in some new music, most notably the electric guitar stuff and a piece that sounded quite a bit like the music from the climax of Death to Smoochy. I hope they keep down this road.

I would think that some of the music is going to vary so it can be a "theme" for that season, or a team for that season.

Different music is OK, just as long as the opening credits theme is left alone. Totally unchanged.

And as long as they continue using the "Horns of Perserverance" for the previouslies.

Watching the early show preview and Playing the TAR4 premiere against the TAR5 thing on the insider...it sounds like the first 5 minutes of TAR5 should be similiar to TAR4...TAR3 music was completely different than TAR4 so i doubt that will occur

The music hasn't seemed different to me across the four seasons. I watch various episodes out of sequence, and I'm always struck when I hear a piece of music and think to myself, "Oh, that's the rat temple music." And then I hear that piece of music again. I haven't noticed major changes.

From an article in today's Orlando Sentinel (linked to in the "TAR in the Media" thread), this bodes well for the music:

The music during the first season was already top notch, but the music editors have improved over the seasons even more. Second season, I could have sworn the music for Chas shopping spree was lighthearted music similar to what Letterman woudl use for an antics skit. Third season, during the Cambridge punting, we had "Bassoons of Hijinks" (or something along those lines) as Bald Snark got wet. Fourth season, the use of classical music during the Beethoven and Mozart Detour was extremely well placed (and we got the Bassoons of Hijinks" again for the manure pile).

But even outside these, the music is tense when we are feeling the push of the race, and strongly help to push the tension, and relaxed when the competitors are at ease, all helping to emphasize how the viewer should be feeling about the show. Compare this to Survivor, where the only tense music is usually during the Tribal Council, and now that that's jumped the shark (during ASS's clip show), it'll no longer have any meaning.

(Heck, when I watched the first episode of Survivor from the 1st season DVD, there was almost NO music, compared to Survivor or other reality TV today where there is always a constant run of some sort of BG music, even if canned.)

I think that without the music , or even the same music directives that have been used on TAR, TAR would not be as great a show as it is, from the viewers perspective. I also think a lot of the music talent is relayed from JB and his successful films, which many have very invigorating soundtracks as well, and is the same sort of musical themes that you want with an intense race such as this.

Sigh... and to think.... the first season of Survivor actually got a CD Soundtrack release....

I live in the Orlando area and the Sentinel is a sorry excuse for a newspaper but I love the TV critic and he's usually spot on.

What's great about TAR music is it fits nicely into the background and enhances the scene, and doesn't overwhelm.

How exciting! They've gone back to an earlier (second-season, I think) version of the theme music, and restored the missing beat 3 beats before the [BOMP] so that we no longer end with a 7/4 measure.

I noticed that, too. It's the old music, which means all the old lyrics fit again. No one else cares, but it bothers me when the music doesn't fit so that latecomers think I don't know what I'm doing.

So it wasn't me being hopeless with fitting in the words eh? I found TAR during Season 3, and when I was going through the recaps I couldn't work out why I had to rush the end of the lyrics. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't do it. And at no time did I think you didn't know what you were doing Miss Alli, I thought I was just an inadequate singer. Damn, music people messing with our fragile little minds.

Lyrics?

Check the recaps for Season 2. Miss Alli wrote some brilliant and highly amusing lyrics to the theme music.

I assume they only went back to the old music because they have 11 teams instead of 12 this time around, not for any nostalgic reason. I even find it a bit jarring, because now I'm expecting that fourth measure, so my rhythm gets thrown off. Oh well.

Ha! I knew I wouldn't be the only one to recognize the old music. I, too, think it's because there's 11 teams again, but whatever the reason, I don't care. I like the old music better!

Yeah, "highly amusing" like Charla is "kinda short." Seriously funny stuff...I re-ran my tape of last night's opening 9 times to sing all the different versions, while my cats hid.

What are you waiting for? GO!

I never saw the first two seasons, so I never knew the themes were a little different. No wonder I could never get the lyrics to fit when I read the recaps!

I think that must be it. I've been endlessly rewatching the old episodes, and I always thought there were slight differences in theme songs, because when I hum along, I sometimes get caught up. I think the season 1,2,5 theme songs are one team shorter, if that makes any sense.

It's the middle part of the song, or the "bridge" as music people would call it I think. In seasons with 12 teams, the bridge is extended by a measure or so (so that all the teams are introduced before the reprise of the chorus), and to compensate, the editors removed that beat at the end of the song (Just before "Phil's! Hand! some! [BOMP.]").

I have each version of the theme in my iTunes library (each of the 4 seasons), as well as a few bits from the shows themselves. I set my iTunes to play random songs all day, and they frequently come up. I was just listening to Rob and Brennan win TAR1 again. I love it every time. :)

I did notice that they spliced three almost totally different songs together in the first episode, when the first bus left Montevideo for Punta del Este and the cattle roamed Uruguay. The first one (guitar strumming) was used in Mexico the 3rd season, the third one is constantly used as Bouncy Travel music, and the second one is completely new! It's interesting that the three, overlapping one another, just fit together.

I knew I wouldn't be alone in noticing this. It's sick how giddy it made me to hear the previously missing 3 beats! Almost as giddy as I was simply to hear the opening strains of the TAR theme. Woo!! I love TAR music!!

I totally, totally loved that goofy circus music they used with the dogs. I actually had to rewind it to hear it again.

I may be wrong, but I think we heard some new music this week, particularly around the time when Charla and Mirna checked in at the Pitstop. It was very orchestral and exciting. I loved it!

Anyone have a high-quality mp3 of the Season 5 (I'd ask for Season 1 as they are the same, but 1 has Phil's speech in it) theme music....? I have the other four seasons......thanks! my e-mail is in my profile.................

diehardTARfan, I was under the assumption that the theme music for seasons one and two were identical, except that there was no voiceover for the season two theme. There's a yahoo group that had mp3 of the themes for the various seasons, but I've not checked it recently to see if anyone had uploaded a copy of the season five theme muisic.

Thanks for your help. didn't realized until i got home that the damn keyboard at work is broke and the period key is all busted. my apologies.

I know nothing about music...I'm impressed anyone could notice this...

Of course, after all if it took LESS than music to mess with our minds then maybe some of us could be on the show!

There's a musical term that can easily help some of you who are not-so inclined. Theme & Variations. This is exactly as a loyal viewer, recent site-finder, have thought the music folks have been doing all along with the intro music. The first theme they wrote was probably much longer than any that we have heard so far and the anomalies (weird stuff) are actually a part of the editing process. What we hear on TV are most likely variations.

For your enjoyment, both Beethoven and Mozart wrote several Theme and Variations. The most famous is Mozart's on the simple child's song we call "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" here in America.

That reminds me that I thought we would definitely get some West Side Story "America" when we were in South America, just because of it's Latin high-paced feel and familiarity to many people around the world.

Everybody together now: (To the tune of "Happy Birthday")

Happy TARSday to us! Happy TARsday to us!
It's only hours 'til Philiminationnnnn (Hold this 'til the cue)
Happy TARsday to us!

Loved the local variations of the main themes! (Learning new vocabulary here.)

Heard the sleigh-bells 'Chimes of Suspense' in Russia and the Arab 'Song of Marvel' this leg. Having a lot more of these since the Hawaiian 'Travelling Melody' near the end of TAR4.

Anyone get what I'm talking about here? :)

Sure do!! I'm actually going through last weeks picking out themes I've heard in the past. The music guys on this show rock!!

I am loving the "Music of Sneaking out of a Gate Area" from the Frankfurt airport. I'm still giggling about that, the next day.

I loved the Charla of Arabia theme this week.

Heh. Yeah, I was laughing about that about 3 seconds before "Charla and Mirna of Arabia" was mentioned. But a figure skating fan will be altogether too familiar with that theme.

I think I finally have learned to identify the Horns of Perseverence! Do they go like this?



And were they interspersing them with the Lawrence of Arabia music, while they cut from Charla and Mirna back to the other teams?

Oh, I feel like Patti Duke in The Miracle Worker!

The Horns of Perseverance almost always kick off the "Last week on The Amazing Race..." narrative at the very beginning. It's a stirring minor-key tune with strings and all, and after a few seconds it builds to the part that Miss Alli used to point out, where the horns go into a 3-beat pattern:

Blatblat Blat BlatBlat Blat BlatBlat Blat BLAT!

going up a step in the minor scale each place where I put a space.

Oh, thank you, thank you, Rinaldo! I just went and listened, and sure enough, it repeated several times over the "Last week on the..." segment! I realized I've heard it a bunch of times, but never knew that was the HofP until now -- I feel so fulfilled!

Man, I need a life if the big thrill of my Saturday night is finally recognizing a musical theme.

if you listen to the music when phil explains the detour in episode three (its used more then that, but i can scepifically remember that time), they have this violin music playing that in honor of ms. alli i like to call violins of intrigue. They use it to describe clues, the use it talking about brandon and nicole getting closer. i dunno, i just think they play that music at the funniest times. you can all call me an idiot now :D

Did anybody catch the Twin musical theme tonight? At least 3 times, when the twins were shown tonight, they were given "bumbling" comedic music. These girls are really getting the Who treatment now.

I think I was totally trying to hear this, as opposed to it actually happening, but if anybody else noticed I'll feel less crazy. When Colin was riding on the donkey, at one point they were on a little hill, and the music sounded a little to me like the Star Wars music (the Darth Vader music, actually, which sort of undermines my theory), which made me wonder if the music guys think, like I do and others have mentioned on the boards, that Col looks like Mark Hamill.

Hee! That would be funny.

I also loved the Electric Guitar Twang of Distress, which they did 3 or 4 times in the last segment, whenever they cut from Phil greeting a team at the mat, to Linda and Karen in the sand, still digging. The ECToD combined with the Overhead Camera circling over Linda's head, really ratcheted up the tension. Awesome stuff.

I did! Hee, and I loved it.

I loved the music tonight! The Amazing Music Guys really know how to set or enhance the mood, and it's all done so subtly it's just a thing of beauty!

I did, too! I dubbed it the "Horns of Idiocy."