Over just 90 seconds, the theme song to season two of hit TV show the White Lotus manages to cram in a chaotic list of sounds: a beatific harp intro, haunting strains of opera, a chorus of yodels – and that famous EDM breakdown.
It has spawned thousands of TikToks, many impassioned arguments against the “skip intro” button, and at least one house remix.
And now, it has become a dancefloor staple.
For weeks, users on social media have been sharing footage of the Emmy award-winning show’s theme song playing in festivals and clubs, often to ecstatic effect.
They played The White Lotus theme song at the musical festival I was at this weekend. pic.twitter.com/SUF1u3XTgg
— Elliot Roberts (@ElliotRoberts5) December 11, 2022
The anthology series – about the super-rich doing super-bad things in idyllic locations – wrapped up its second season, set in Sicily, this week. Days before its finale, the track played at Meredith music festival in Victoria, Australia to a packed afternoon audience, many of whom sang along – or tried to – with its lilting notes.
A large effigy of Jennifer Coolidge, who stars in the series, was also spotted in the throng later that night.
Spoiler alert: Jennifer Coolidge spotted at Meredith for the season finale. #WhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/jFsbEGRFok
— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) December 10, 2022
“It was such a joyous moment,” says Paul Kearney, who was in the crowd when the theme song played. “There was a collective lighting up of the eyes from pleasant surprise, and the energy was palpable.
“Streams of people came rushing down to join in once they heard it … [we] danced with our hands in the air.”
The almost entirely instrumental track also blasted from the stage at the Killers’ Melbourne show this week as the band entered.
The Killers coming out to the White Lotus theme song was a whole ass mooooooood pic.twitter.com/8eLpeKNjo9
— rosey posey (@roseysoho) December 14, 2022
Concert-goer Callum Twomey says the choice was a surprise. “I had gone to their concert the night before and it had been a more standard walk-on. But when The White Lotus came blaring through it was quite funny. The crowd was into it.
“Maybe [creator] Mike White can repay the compliment and have some Mr Brightside playing through the hotel lobby in season three?”
American rapper Dominic Fike also closed one of his New York sets earlier this month with the distinctively ominous melody.
Dominic Fike played the White Lotus theme at the end of his show… what does this mean pic.twitter.com/3hYx0zZATx
— insufferable isabel (@shartyswiftie) December 2, 2022
And the track has, of course, become ubiquitous at parties and clubs – including an inspired lip-sync by Brisbane drag queen Henny Spaghetti.
Brisbane queen Henny Spaghetti performing the White Lotus theme song 🥲 pic.twitter.com/wzg9gPOWWR
— Samuel Leighton-Dore (@SamLeightonDore) December 9, 2022
White Lotus theme is a hit at parties pic.twitter.com/gaLTapBOLG
— jawk (@jawk) December 12, 2022
Achievement unlocked: got the club to throw ass to the White Lotus theme pic.twitter.com/NOwuzBMPlb
— childish thembino (@AlexRemnick) December 11, 2022
White Lotus theme was the closing vibe that night 😌 pic.twitter.com/W7xnW1xc2H
— Adrian (@DiscoSangre) December 13, 2022
Titled Renaissance (Main Title Theme), the song was composed by Chilean-Canadian artist Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who also wrote the first season’s theme.
“It’s really unexpected,” he told Buzzfeed recently about the theme’s viral success. “Unlike producing the stuff for a band or my own record, this is never the intent for a show. It’s always about serving the show and not thinking really about a stand-alone hit or single or anything like that. So it’s kind of the cherry on top.”
He did, however, understand the song’s dancefloor potential. “It feels like it’s club-friendly already,” he said. “It feels like a party and just an all-out celebration.”
The White Lotus has been renewed for a third season, though its resort setting is yet to be revealed.
