Blame Canada

Last updated
"Blame Canada"
Promotional single by Mary Kay Bergman and Trey Parker
from the album South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
ReleasedJune 15, 1999;25 years ago (1999-06-15)
Recorded1999
Genre Satire [1]
Length1:35
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman
Producer(s) Darren Higman
Audio sample

"Blame Canada" is a satirical song from the 1999 animated film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut , written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman. The song satirizes scapegoating and parents who fail to control "their children's consumption of popular culture", with the fictional South Park parents, led by Sheila Broflovski (Mary Kay Bergman), blaming the nation for children imitating the Terrance and Phillip film Asses of Fire.

Contents

"Blame Canada" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 72nd Academy Awards. Parker and Matt Stone arrived at the ceremony in dresses previously worn by Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow, and later claimed to be under the influence of LSD while on the red carpet. [2]

An 8-bit remix of the song appears in the 2014 game South Park: The Stick of Truth , included as one of the overworld themes for the Canada level. The song appears again in the game's 2017 sequel, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, near the Canadian wall. [3]

Shaiman wrote new lyrics for the song in 2023 reflecting conspiracy theories about the Canadian wildfires that year. [4] [5]

Reception

The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 72nd Academy Awards (1999). This created controversy because all nominated songs are traditionally performed during the Oscar broadcast, but the song contained the word fuck , which the FCC prohibits using in prime time broadcasts. At the awards ceremony, comedian Robin Williams performed the song with a chorus that gasped when the word was to be sung (Williams turned around at the crucial moment and did not actually sing it). He included digs at Margaret Trudeau and Bryan Adams, partially taken from lyrics of Sheila Broflovski's reprise of the song in "La Resistance". He referenced Celine Dion as well. Mary Kay Bergman, the voice actress who sang the female parts in the song, died months before the performance, forcing the organizers to search for a replacement for her and Trey Parker, who did the male voices. Williams introduced the song by speaking with duct tape over his mouth so that his speech resembled that of Kenny McCormick, then tearing it off and finally saying Stan Marsh's trademark line, "Oh my god! They killed Kenny!"

There was also some concern about the fact the song referred to well-known Canadian singer Anne Murray as a "bitch", but Murray indicated that she was not offended by the tongue-in-cheek lyric (Murray was invited to sing the song herself on the Oscar telecast but had to decline due to a prior commitment). When asked, the Canadian Consul General (and former prime minister) Kim Campbell said that she was not offended by the song since it was clearly a silly satirical piece and not intended to insult her country. This is made clear in the final line of the song:

We must blame them and cause a fuss.
Before somebody thinks of blaming us!

Coincidentally, the Canadian Oscar telecast in which Williams sang the song included the premiere of the Molson Canadian "I Am Canadian" rant advertisement, which counters many perceived Canadian stereotypes.

The song lost to Phil Collins' song "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan , which was parodied on an episode of South Park released the following year, "Timmy 2000", as "You'll Be in Me".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Original Score</span> Motion picture award for music

The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. Some pre-existing music is allowed, though, but a contending film must include a minimum of original music. This minimum since 2021 is established as 35% of the music, which is raised to 80% for sequels and franchise films. Fifteen scores are shortlisted before nominations are announced.

<i>South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut</i> 1999 adult animated film directed by Trey Parker

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 American adult animated musical comedy film based on the animated sitcom South Park. The film was directed by series creator Trey Parker from a screenplay co-written with series co-creator Matt Stone and Pam Brady; and stars Parker, Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, and Isaac Hayes, all of whom reprise their roles from the series, with George Clooney, Eric Idle, and Mike Judge in supporting roles. The plot follows Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick as they sneak into an R-rated film starring the Canadian comedy duo Terrance and Phillip, after which they begin swearing. When the consequent moral panic culminates in the United States declaring war on Canada, Stan, Kyle and Cartman take it upon themselves to save Terrance and Phillip from execution, while Kenny tries to prevent a prophecy involving Satan and Saddam Hussein's intent to conquer the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Parker</span> American actor, animator, and filmmaker (born 1969)

Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is best known for co-creating South Park and The Book of Mormon (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. Parker was interested in film and music as a child and at high school and attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Stone. The two collaborated on various short films and co-starred in Parker’s feature-length musical Cannibal! The Musical (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Kay Bergman</span> American voice actress (1961–1999)

Mary Kay Bergman, also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the official voice of the Disney character Snow White from 1989 to 1999 and the lead female voice actress on South Park from the show's debut in 1997 until her death. She was also the voice actress of Claudette and Laurette in Beauty and the Beast, Dr. Blight in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Katie in Family Dog, and Daphne Blake from 1997 to 1999. Throughout her career, Bergman performed voice work for every aspect in media, including over 400 television commercials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">72nd Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 1999

The 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1999 and took place on March 26, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by husband-and-wife producing team Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck and was directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the seventh time. He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 70th ceremony held in 1998. Three weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California held on March 4, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Salma Hayek.

"An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 10, 1997. In the episode, the boys of South Park try to force Kyle Broflovski's pet elephant to crossbreed with Eric Cartman's pet pig for a class project on genetic engineering. Meanwhile, Stan Marsh tries to deal with his elder sister Shelley, who keeps beating him up.

"Ike's Wee Wee" is the third episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 16th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on May 20, 1998. In the episode, school counselor Mr. Mackey is fired, and turns to drugs. Meanwhile, the boys misconstrue what circumcision entails, and try to save Kyle's younger brother Ike from his upcoming bris.

"Ginger Kids" is the eleventh episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 136th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 9, 2005. In the episode, Eric Cartman is led to think he has contracted a mysterious and sudden onset of "gingervitus". To stop being ridiculed for his fake red hair, light skin and freckles, he rallies all the ginger kids everywhere to fight against the persecution and rise up to become the master race he believes they are intended to be.

<i>South Park</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the animated television series South Park aired on Comedy Central from August 13, 1997 to February 25, 1998. The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote most of the season's episodes; Dan Sterling, Philip Stark and David Goodman were credited with writing five episodes. The narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick—and their unusual experiences in the titular mountain town.

<i>South Park</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, aired on Comedy Central from April 7, 1999, to January 12, 2000. The season was headed by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also served as executive producers along with Anne Garefino. The season continued to focus on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park.

<i>South Park</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 5, 2000. The fourth season concluded after airing 17 episodes on December 20, 2000.

<i>South Park</i> season 5 2001 television series season

The fifth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001. The 14-episode season length would become a standard for later years of the series, starting from the eighth season up until the sixteenth season.

<i>South Park</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 6, 2002. The sixth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 11, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald and Sheila Broflovski</span> Fictional characters

Gerald "Jerry" Broflovski and Sheila Broflovski are fictional characters in the animated television series South Park. The two are an upper middle-class married Ashkenazi Jewish couple who raise their ten-year-old son Kyle and three-year-old Canadian-born adopted son Ike in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado.

"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.

The Spirit of Christmas is the title given to two adult stop motion animated short films created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The two films were released at different periods—the first in 1992, and the second in 1995—and form the basis for the animated series South Park, the latter short featuring more established depictions of the series' setting and characters. To differentiate between them, the respective films have been retroactively referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty and Jesus vs. Santa. A clip of both films appears on two respective billboards during the opening sequence for South Park's first four seasons.

The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film. The performers of a song are not credited with the Academy Award unless they contributed either to music, lyrics, or both in their own right. The songs that are nominated for this award are typically performed during the ceremony and before this award is presented.

<i>South Park</i> (franchise) American comedy franchise

South Park is an American multimedia adult animated comedy franchise created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It is based on the television series of the same name, developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central.

References

  1. Shehori, Steven. "Video: Robin Williams Sings 'Blame Canada' At The 2000 Oscars". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. Swapnil Dhruv Bose (27 December 2021). "When Trey Parker and Matt Stone went to the Oscars on LSD". FarOutMagazine.co.uk.
  3. Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (11 September 2008). Taking South Park Seriously. SUNY Press. pp. 61–. ISBN   978-0-7914-7566-9.
  4. Shaiman, Marc (June 7, 2023). "BLAME CANADA 2023". Facebook. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  5. Vinay Menon (8 June 2023). "Blame Canada? Why the wildfires are fuelling some … pretty wild conspiracy theories". Toronto Star .

Bibliography