Top Gear Theme Mp3 Download

November 29, 2021

Jessica is the name of the instrumental piece which is opening theme of Top Gear. On this page you will find a list of the versions of Jessica used on Top Gear, as well as a video gallery with all of them.

1 Allman Brothers Band version
2 Hansen Bass version
3 Christian Henson version
4 Other versions
- 4.1 UK Horizons version
- 4.2 Keyboard version
- 4.3 Exhaust notes version
- 4.4 Cancelled version
- 4.5 Chinese version
- 4.6 Slash version
5 Videos

Allman Brothers Band version

The Allman Brothers Band version of the song was originally used as the intro from the very beginning of Old Top Gear in 1977 until the end of Series 39 in early 1998. The outro was Elton John's Out of the Blue, by Graham Smith, the son of Derek Smith, Top Gear's original producer, which later got replaced by other songs which were unique every episode.

Hansen Bass version

From Series 40 of Old Top Gear in 1998, a new introduction sequence, complete with a new electronic-sounding opening theme was commissioned and produced by Hansen Bass, who was otherwise mostly known for his work on the River Cottage series starring Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. This version also had a 'tonight' riff, which was also used as the outro.

Christian Henson version

For the relaunched series in 2002, a new version of Jessica was commissioned and composed by Christian Henson. This was still faster and upbeat compared to the original Allman Brothers version, but wasn't as processed as Hansen Bass' version from four years earlier. At first, a slightly different arrangement (without the 'tonight' section) was used for the outro, which sounds more similar to Bass' version. For Top Gear Xtra re-runs of Series 1-3 on BBC Prime, a slightly different, lower-pitch theme was used. In Series 2, the special outro theme was replaced with the regular intro theme, just with a longer ending part and shorter fade-out. It ultimately also became the intro theme starting with Series 9. For some re-runs of Series 3, Episode 1, the theme was switched out to a special sad version, which can also be heard in the intro to Richard Hammond's Interactive Challenge.

Other versions

UK Horizons version

For syndicated 45-minute re-airings of Episodes 3 and 4 of Series 1 on UK Horizons, a bizarre and unique intro, alongside a slightly different arrangement of Allman Brothers' Jessica was played. This intro was very similar to the one of Old Top Gear. The short idents with this theme were continued to be used before and after commercial breaks on UK Horizons, even though the intro was switched back to the regular version.

Keyboard version

For Series 3, Episode 9, to drum home the fact that the show had run out of money, a cheap keyboard was used to play Jessica instead of the usual Christian Henson version. This was played live on stage by host James May.

Exhaust notes version

In 2005, James May put together a homage to the show's theme using car exhaust notes. This was used for the outro of just one episode.

Cancelled version

In 2006, an alternate theme was created by Ian Morris, intended to replace Henson's third version of theme from Series 8 onwards, alongside the larger studio and new introduction sequence. However, following unanimous disapproval from Jeremy Clarkson himself, claiming that the theme would make the trio seem like "idiots", it was never used and Henson's theme remained throughout their tenure of the show.

Chinese version

On Series 18, Episode 2 the Chinese took over Top Gear, resulting in a Chinese remix of the theme being played during the outro.

Slash version

For the Series 18 finale, Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash performed the song in Top Gear's studio whilst using The Smashed Hilux as a makeshift stage, and concluded his version with a short solo.