5 Things A Good Theme Park Theme Song Does (and 5 things to avoid)

​By Jennifer L. Jacobson

​Theme songs are a great way to connect with park guests but creating a good theme song is no easy task. Music itself is highly subjective and creating a successful theme song for any park is a creative challenge to say the least, but it can be worth it for a park to have a song that ties a guest’s experience together and gives it a lasting appeal that will be remembered for decades to come.

So where does one start when creating a custom theme song for a theme park or themed attraction? Here are some of my tips and personal guidelines.

What You Need: A Good Theme Park Theme Song Should

The best theme songs consider the audience, why they’re at a specific theme park, and what they want from their experience. So what does creating a song like that entail?

1. Focus On What Your Park “Gives” Guests
Think about what your park gives guests; what they visit hoping to get. How does it elevate their lives? Make a list of these benefits or ideas. Pick one to focus on.

2. Pull At Heartstrings
A good theme song should make the listener feel something, especially if it is played during a show or parade. This often requires understanding why your specific guests visit the park, as opposed to other parks. What do they care about deep down? What do they miss if it isn’t there?

3. Be Musically Interesting, but Recognizable
As far as music composition goes, you want your song to be recognizable. Just don’t make it so avant garde that a guest couldn’t hum the main tune after hearing it.

4. Align with Core Brand Values
This is where your marketing team will have lots of input. Pick 3 to 5 of your brand’s top values. They don’t all need to be mentioned in the song, but there should be a general alignment. Make sure the song isn’t going in the opposite direction of them.

5. Tell a Story
The best theme songs tell a story and that story supports the overall goal of your park. Is it a park where wishes come true, where adventure is found, where you can have the perfect day? Find a way to incorporate a story, or even the idea of a story, into your song and you’ll make it more feel personal.

What You Don’t Need: A Good Theme Park Theme Song Does NOT Need To

Of course, there are exceptions to all of the rules below, but if you choose to veer off course with any of them, you should have a very good reason and a plan for exactly how you will do it tactfully.

1. Say the Name of the Park
While you can say the name of the park in the theme song, and some songs do this, you have to do it tactfully. Your theme song is not a blatant advertisement for the park. A theme song is generally played once guests are already in the park. They know where they are, so reminding them might feel heavy handed.

2. List Park Attractions or Specific Things to Do
While it may be tempting to fire off a list of attractions your park offers, it isn’t necessary. Again, guests are already in the park, they know what they can do there. They want a song that woos them into an elevated state where they enjoy what the park offers even more. Also, parks sometimes change out their attractions and you don’t want a guest’s core memory of the theme song to be destroyed if their favorite attraction is removed.

3. Hit People Over The Head About the Park or Goal
Goals and platitudes can make a great lyric but use them in moderation, mix them into the song’s story if you use them. A good song should be a dance between story and idea and hope with a good through-line. It isn’t a repeat of brand values set to a click track.

4. Sound Like a Specific Style of Song
Consider your park’s brand and audience when choosing the style of your park’s song. You may love the sound of your favorite band, but will your guests automatically associate the style of your song with your theme park? If your park caters to families, you don’t have to make the theme song sound like a song about a baby shark. Remember a theme song covers a lot of ground. Its style might need to expand into more than one genre to work for your park.

5. Stay Exactly The Same Forever
Instead of focusing on one song style to “rule them all” forever, you can plan on updating your theme song every few years, as music tastes evolve. In order not to confuse your audience with an entirely new song, keep the lyrics and overall tune the same, but make subtle updates to the style. Re-record the song when you have to. Keep it fresh, but keep the vibe in-line with your theme park.

The Bottom Line
Writing a good theme song for a theme park or themed attraction is part dance, and part balancing act. It’s not an exact science, because no two theme parks are exactly the same. Your park theme song has to work for your park, and if you can find a way for that song to meaningfully elevate your guest’s experiences, the song is doing its job.
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About the Author​
Jennifer L. Jacobson has been helping brands improve relationships with their audiences for over two decades. She is a songwriter who creates theme songs for enchanted places and magical moments. She is also the founder of Jacobson Communication where she promotes theme parks, nonprofits, startups, and entertainment brands.



To learn more, visit: https://jennjmusic.com

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