Perry the Platypus is a background theme song played as Agent P embarks on a mission to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz. It was mostly run in small fragments until "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" when it was run in the form of a full song with a montage. It was heavily voted for as a favorite to be showcased in "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown" but did not make the final cut.
Lyrics
Note: The song was extended in the episode "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", which originally appeared on the first DVD, to include the full lyrics)
Major Monogram: Anyway, on your way, Agent P.
Backing scat: (Dooby dooby doo-bah) X4
Female Singers: Perry!
Male Singer: He's a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal of action!
Backing scat: (Dooby dooby doo-bah) X2
Male Singer: He's a furry little flatfoot, who'll never flinch from a fray-ee-ay-ee-ay!
He's got more than just mad skill,
Female Singer: (Wah-ah-ah)
Male Singer: He's got a beaver tail and a bill,
Female Singer: (ah-ah)
Male Singer: And the women swoon whenever they hear him sa-a-a-ay:
(pause; Perry chatters and women swoon)
Male Singer: He's Perry, Perry the Platypus!
(Extension)
Major Monogram: But you can call him Agent P.
Male Singer: Perry!
Major Monogram: I said you can call him Agent P.
All Singers: A-gent-P!
Extended version
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah (5x)
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah (Yeah!)
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah (C'mon!)
Perry!
He's a semi-aquatic egg-layin' mammal of action.
(Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah, doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah)
He's a furry little flatfoot who'll never flinch from a fra-ee-ay-ee-ay.
He's got more than just mad skill,
He's got a beaver tail and a bill.
And the women swoon whenever they hear him say...
(pause; Perry chatters and women swoon)
He's Perry, Perry the Platypus.
Perry, Perry the Platypus.
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah (8x)
Well he's lookin' real sharp in his 1940s fedora.
(Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah, doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah)
He's got an iron will, nerves of steel, and several other metal-themed attributes.
His fur is watertight.
And he's always up for a fight.
So when evil hears this sound it shakes in its boots.
(Perry chatters)
He's Perry! Perry the Platypus!
Perry! Perry the Platypus!
He's got more than just mad skill.
He's got a beaver tail and a bill.
And the women swoon whenever they hear him say...
(Perry chatters and women swoon)
He's Perry! (Perry!) Perry the Platypus!
Yeah, Perry! (Perry!) Perry the Platypus!
Talkin' 'bout Perry!
Agent P!
Ferb
See Ferb (song)
Doof's cover
Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Egg-laying, mammal of action... Doo doo doo doo...
Background Information
- "Gitchee Gitchee Goo", the show's theme song, and "Perry the Platypus" were the first songs written for the series.[1]
- The song may have been inspired or may be a parody of "Secret Agent Man", a song sung by Johnny Rivers as the theme song to the 1960s British television series "Danger Man". The singing style is very similar to Tom Jones' theme song for the James Bond film, Thunderball.
- Some parts of the extended version sound vaguely like the transitions in the movie series "Austin Powers"
- The line "furry little flatfoot" has a double meaning. The first is slang for a police officer. The second traces back to the common name for the platypus: a Latin combination of Greek words πλατύς ("platys", flat, broad) and πους ("pous", foot), meaning "flat foot".[2]
- Perry the Platypus was sung by Laura Dickinson and Randy Crenshaw.[3]
- Perry the Teenage Girl was sung by Sheena Easton in the style of Shirley Bassey (who sang the themes to three James Bond films.) Easton (who also sang a James Bond Theme, 'For Your Eyes Only') also sings "When Will He Call Me?" in "Backyard Aquarium" and plays Heinz Doofenshmirtz's date and sings Happy Evil Love Song in the episode "Chez Platypus".[4]
- While the original theme song is in the key of G minor, the Candace version transposes it to B minor.
- An instrumental version is also performed in most episodes.
- This was one of the votable songs in "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown".
- The schmoozer girl with the blue dress appeared in the episode "Chez Platypus" sitting at a table near the woman who says the line about the badger restaurant.
- The fainting Perry girl who looks Asian wearing the purple pants and halter top also appears in the episode "Chez Platypus" sitting with the guy who says "I love badgers". She also appears in You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart where Lawrence Fletcher puts his hand on her shoulder while calling for Linda and can be seen dancing in the crowd during the concert and in the end credits. She is also one of the Danville chorus singers in the Mix and Mingle Machine.
- The scene where Perry runs past a robot foot is from the episode "Flop Starz". The only difference is that the image is flipped.
- The plane Perry is seen flying at the end of the song appears to be a C-17 Globemaster III, used by the United States Air Force as its primary heavy transport aircraft.
- This is the first song about a character besides the theme song played in the beginning of the episode.
- This song has background chorus by Danny Jacob [5]
- Vegas fixture Wayne Newton once covered this song in one of his concerts. [6]
Errors
- When Perry is beating Doofenshmirtz with his own robot, the second time he doesn't even hit the button, but Doofenshmirtz is hit anyway.
- In Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon, when the song is sung, Isabella is seen trapped in a cage with Phineas, Ferb and Candace, despite the fact that she had been let out of the cage before the song by Doofenshmirtz, before being pushed into a pit. Moreover, as the song comes to an end, she is seen in the pit, with her mother.
Variations
Since its introduction, the short version of the theme song ("Dooby, dooby, doo-ba") has had many different versions:
- Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?: The theme music stalls multiple times as Perry in Candace's body repeatedly gets stuck going down a tube. In addition, a parody of Perry's normal theme song, Perry the Teenage Girl, is also featured.
- Ready for the Bettys: When Phineas and Ferb accidentally find Perry's lair and temporarily become secret agents, the theme song is changed to repetitions of "Phineas and Ferb", sung in the same style.
- The Best Lazy Day Ever: When Agent P is struck by the Slow-Motion-inator, his theme song slows down as well.
- Got Game?: After Agent P walks down a very long flight of stairs and sits down in the chair, the people singing his theme song also sound like they are worn out.
- Bowl-R-Ama Drama: The "Perry the Platypus" part is changed to "Herman the Hedgehog" after the character pops out of the pipe.
- Hail Doofania!: When Perry cannot enter his lair due to the protective collar he is wearing, the song keeps repeating every time Perry tried to fit himself in the secret passage.
- Put That Putter Away and Hide and Seek: Due to Perry being tired, both his entrance and the singers sound sleepy.
- Oh, There You Are, Perry: Perry's theme song is used as a musical access code, played out when Perry steps on the stones in the yard.
- The Chronicles of Meap: Perry's theme begins playing as he approaches a lair entrance, but when he comes across Meap, he hides his hat and the music stops. Meap and Perry have a "conversation" ("Meap!" "chatter" "Meap!" "chatter" "Meap!"), then Meap walks away. Perry puts his hat back on and the music continues from where it stopped.
- Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo: The song is played very slowly and has a big gasp between it, as if sung by old men, because Perry is very old.
- Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown: The song is sung by the studio audience.
- Isabella and the Temple of Sap: Perry does not have a B-plot, but it is revealed that Pinky the Chihuahua's theme song, even as an agent, is mariachi band music.
- Atlantis: Perry goes to the deck and there's a man playing a guitar and singing "Dooby Dooby Doo-Wah" .
- Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!: The "Dooby Dooby Doo-Ba" is replaced with a more festive "Fa-La-La-La-La-La", as taken from the Christmas carol Deck the Halls.
- Suddenly Suzy: Carl plays the tune with his single facial hair. Major Monogram found it disgusting and fascinating at the same time.
- Phineas' Birthday Clip-O-Rama!: The song is parodied a little with the word "Ferb".
- Moon Farm: After Perry was zapped by the Moisturesuck-inator, his theme sounded as if it were "dried out" like him.
- Phineas and Ferb Interrupted: Heinz Doofenshmirtz sang the first line of the song in his bathroom.
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension: Perry the Platyborg's theme is heard every time he is seen when he's an evil cyborg just like Perry when he is a secret agent but in a lower scale. The ordinary version of the song is heard during the final fight sequence between Perry the Platyborg and Agent P.
- Skiddley Whiffers: Perry plays the tune with a bass guitar to enter his lair.
- Doof Dynasty: A version of the theme was played as Perry leaps away from the mechanical dragon and the kids eject from the giant terracotta warrior.
- Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon: Showgirls accompany Perry in his entrance, and sing "in a fez" in the background.
- Doofapus: When Perry gets on the tricycle, the first part of the extended version's second verse can be heard. In the Spanish version this part was instrumental, the same as the French and Italian version.
- Road to Danville: After Doofenshmirtz finds the jetpack, he sings 'Doofy Doofy Doofy Doofenshmirtz' to Perry's tune.
Songwriters
- Dan Povenmire
- Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
- Danny Jacob (extended version)
- Jim Bernstein (extended version)
(BMI Works)
- BMI Work #9365560 (Main version)
- BMI Work #11347047 (One Good Scare version)
- BMI Work #13200376 (extended version)
- BMI Work #14922006 (Perry in a Fez; "Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon" version)
References
See also
Previous: "Our Song" |
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Songs ("One Good Scare") | Next: "It's Candace" |
Previous: "Meatloaf" |
Songs ("Phineas and Ferb Interrupted") | Next: "Blueprints" |
Previous: "Busted" (#4) |
Phineas and Ferb (soundtrack) | Next: "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)" (#6) |
Previous: "Summer (Where Do We Begin?)" (#7) |
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 1st and 2nd Dimensions | Next: "Takin' Care of Things" (#9) |
Previous: "Busted" (#8) |
Phineas and Ferb-ulous: The Ultimate Album | Next: "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)" (#10) |