This is the story behind the ‘step on the gas’ TikTok audio

You hear the stabby piano riff. The voice is telling you to step on the gas. It’s the TikTok audio that’s everywhere – step on the gas.

It’s less dread-inducing than “oh no no no”, and less aggro than “I’m getting ripped tonight”, but best of all incredibly catchy. It fits all manner of situations.

But where does it come from?

The step on the gas TikTok audio comes from a…90s PlayStation game

The step on the gas TikTok audio comes from a level of 1996 rhythm game PaRappa the Rapper, which was released on the original PlayStation. The game got a rerelease on PlayStation 4 in 2017.

In the game, you play as Parappa, journeying through six stages – all of which feature a rapping challenge – to try and impress a girl called Sunny Funny. To pass the challenge, you must press the PlayStation’s buttons in time.

One level features Parappa trying to get a driving license, with the help of Inspector Mooselini. The joke here is that he’s named after an Italian dictator.

As driving instructor – a fan of crisp uniforms and ordered transport – tells Parappa: “Alright, we’re here, just sittin’ in the car, I want you to show me if you can get far”, fans of the meme will be in familiar territory.

The actual gameplay involves having to press buttons to the beat. You can see someone absolutely flopping at it here.

Beyond what’s in the meme, the rap actually gets even wilder, with Mooselini instructing Parappa: “When I say boom boom boom! you say bam bam bam!”

The full song, frankly, is an absolute jam.

Here’s how people are actually using the ‘step on the gas’ TikTok audio

They all start the same way: the piano stabs, the “alright, we’re here, just sittin’ in the car, I want you to show me if you can get far!”

And yet, there are two variations on the meme. You have people doing step on the gas, and playing it straight.

@saltyyssamhe told me I didn’t know what I was doing🤣 ##ouidtoc ##parentsbelike ##highschool ##grown ##fyp ##steponthegas ##steponthebrakes ##storytime ##SpotlightAPI

♬ Instructor Mooselinis Car Rap – mooselini in the flesh

But the remix version jumps to “step on the brakes” – usually involving a pretty dark revelation. This is one that doesn’t involve anything NSFW.

@eddhingecollege was a strange time ##fyp ##foryoupage ##xyzcba ##xyzbca ##steponthegas ##steponthebrakes ##tall♬ Instructor Mooselinis Car Rap – mooselini in the flesh

A meme with versatility, really. Thanks Mooselini.

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