The soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is set in 1992 in the West Coast state of San Andreas, is made up of in-game radio stations which play a variety of music from various genres. In addition to contemporary 1990s music, it also includes music from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. For the first time in the Grand Theft Auto series, all the songs are licensed, in complete contrast to the original Grand Theft Auto game.
Although most vehicles in the game can tune in the radio, some, such as emergency vehicles, play a police radio track instead, and others, such as bicycles and tractors, are not equipped with radios.
In previous games, radio stations consisted of a single, looped audio file which repeated songs, DJ commentary and commercials in the same order. In GTA San Andreas, the game itself randomizes the playlist, DJ commentary during and between songs, and other aspects such as weather reports. Some stations, most notably West Coast Talk Radio, changes its programming as the game progresses, sometimes reflecting events within the game or subplots occurring within the radio programming. Even the police radio track changes towards the latter part of the game, when the riots occur.
An extensive 8-CD Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Official Soundtrack Box Set was released containing music from the game's radio stations, while a smaller 2-CD compilation set was also released.
On October 26, 2014, GTA San Andreas was re-released as a download for the Xbox 360 to celebrate the game's 10th anniversary. However, over the years, the licenses for some of the songs had expired, and thus some of the songs were excluded from future re-releases as a PS2 Classic on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, as well as The Definitive Edition. K-Rose, SF-UR and CSR 103.9 are the only stations to retain their original playlists.
There are twelve in-game radio stations, with one custom station modified by the player. The songs are listed in the same order as they appear in the game manual. Please select a station to jump to its section.
- Italicized songs with * are missing from all game releases which came after October 2014
- Italicized songs with † are only missing from The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.
Radio Stations[]
Playback FM[]
Playback FM is hosted by Forth Right MC and plays classic east coast hip hop.
- Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – "Road to the Riches" (1989)
- Big Daddy Kane – "Warm It Up, Kane" (1989)
- Spoonie Gee – "The Godfather" (1987)
- Masta Ace – "Me and the Biz" (1990)
- Slick Rick – "Children's Story" (1988)
- Public Enemy – "Rebel Without a Pause" (1987)
- Eric B. & Rakim – "I Know You Got Soul" (1987)
- Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock – "It Takes Two" (1988)
- Gang Starr – "B.Y.S." (1992)
- Biz Markie – "The Vapors" (1988)
- Brand Nubian – "Brand Nubian" (1989)
- Ultramagnetic MCs – "Critical Beatdown" (1988) *
K-Rose[]
K-Rose is a classic country station, hosted by Mary-Beth Maybell, and broadcasting from Bone County.
- Jerry Reed – "Amos Moses" (1970)
- Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn – "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (1973)
- Hank Williams – "Hey Good Lookin'" (1951)
- Juice Newton – "Queen of Hearts" (1981)
- Statler Brothers – "New York City" (1970)
- Asleep At The Wheel – "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" (1975)
- The Desert Rose Band – "One Step Forward" (1987) †
- Willie Nelson – "Crazy (1961 Demo)" (1961)
- Patsy Cline – "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" (1957)
- Statler Brothers – "Bed of Rose's" (1970)
- Mickey Gilley – "Make the World Go Away" (1997)
- Ed Bruce – "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (1975)
- Merle Haggard – "Always Wanting You" (1975)
- Whitey Shafer – "All My Ex's Live in Texas" (1987)
- Eddie Rabbitt – "I Love a Rainy Night" (1980)[1]
K-DST[]
K-DST ("The Dust") is a classic rock radio station, hosted by Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith, and broadcasting from Los Santos.
- Foghat – "Slow Ride" (1975)
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – "Green River" (1969)
- Heart – "Barracuda" (1977)
- Kiss – "Strutter" (1974)
- Toto – "Hold the Line" (1978)
- Rod Stewart – "Young Turks" (1981)
- Tom Petty – "Runnin' Down a Dream" (1989) *
- Joe Cocker – "Woman to Woman" (1972) *
- Humble Pie – "Get Down to It" (1973)
- Grand Funk Railroad – "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1974)
- Lynyrd Skynyrd – "Free Bird" (1973)
- America – "A Horse with No Name" (1971)
- The Who – "Eminence Front" (1982)
- Boston – "Smokin'" (1976)
- David Bowie – "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1975)
- Eddie Money – "Two Tickets to Paradise" (1977)
- Billy Idol – "White Wedding" (1982)
Bounce FM[]
Bounce FM is hosted by The Funktipus and plays funk, disco, soul and R&B.
- Dazz Band – "Let It Whip" (1982)
- Fatback Band – "Yum Yum (Gimme Some)" (1975) *
- Gap Band – "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (1982) *
- Kool & the Gang – "Hollywood Swinging" (1973)
- Cameo – "Candy" (1986)
- MFSB feat. The Three Degrees – "Love Is The Message (Love Groove Bonus)" (1973)
- Johnny Harris – "Odyssey (7" Single)" (1980)
- Roy Ayers – "Running Away" (1977) *
- Ohio Players – "Love Rollercoaster" (1975)
- The Isley Brothers – ""Between The Sheets" (1983)
- Zapp – "I Can Make You Dance" (1983)
- Rick James – "Cold Blooded" (1983)
- Ronnie Hudson and The Street People – "West Coast Poplock" (1982)
- George Clinton – "Loopzilla" (1982)
- Ohio Players – "Funky Worm" (1972)
- Maze – "Twilight" (1985)
- Lakeside – "Fantastic Voyage" (1980)
SF-UR[]
San Fierro Underground Radio (SF-UR) is a San Fierro-based house music station hosted by Hans Oberlander.
- Joe Smooth feat. Anthony Thomas – "Promised Land" (1988)
- 808 State – "Pacific 202" (1989)
- A Guy Called Gerald – "Voodoo Ray" (1988) †
- Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle – "Your Love" (1986)
- Raze – "Break 4 Love" (1988)
- Cultural Vibe – "Ma Foom Bey (Love Chant Version)" (1986)
- Jomanda – "Make My Body Rock" (1988)
- CeCe Rogers – "Someday" (1987)
- The Night Writers – "Let The Music Use You" (1987)
- Mr. Fingers – Can You Feel It? (Chuck D. Mix) (1988)
- Marshall Jefferson – "Move Your Body" (1986)
- Maurice – "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze) (K & T Mix)" (1988)[2]
- The Todd Terry Project – "Weekend" (1988)
- Fallout – "The Morning After (Sunrise Mix)" (1987)
- Robert Owens – "I'll Be Your Friend (Original DEF Mix)" (1991)
- The 28th Street Crew – "I Need A Rhythm" (1989)
Radio Los Santos[]
Radio Los Santos is hosted by Julio G, broadcasts from Los Santos, and plays contemporary west coast hip hop and gangsta rap.
- 2Pac (feat. Pogo) – "I Don't Give a Fuck" (1991) *
- Compton's Most Wanted – "Hood Took Me Under" (1992)
- Dr.Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang" (1992)
- Too $hort – "The Ghetto" (1990)
- N.W.A. – "Alwayz into Somethin'" (1991)
- Ice Cube (feat. Das EFX) – "Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)" (1992)
- Kid Frost – "La Raza" (1990)
- Cypress Hill – "How I Could Just Kill a Man" (1991)
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" (1992)
- The D.O.C. – "It's Funky Enough" (1989)
- N.W.A. – "Express Yourself" (1988) *
- Ice Cube – "It Was a Good Day" (1992)
- Eazy-E – "Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn" (1988)
- Above the Law – "Murder Rap" (1990)
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Deep Cover" (1992)
- Da Lench Mob (feat. Ice Cube) – "Guerillas in tha Mist" (1992)
Radio X[]
Radio X is hosted by Sage and plays alternative rock, heavy metal, and grunge.
- Helmet – "Unsung" (1991)
- Depeche Mode – "Personal Jesus" (1989)
- Faith No More – "Midlife Crisis" (1992)
- Danzig – "Mother" (1988)
- Living Colour – "Cult of Personality" (1988)
- Primal Scream – "Movin' on Up" (1991)
- Guns N' Roses – "Welcome to the Jungle" (1987)
- L7 – "Pretend We're Dead" (1992)
- Ozzy Osbourne – "Hellraiser" (1991) *
- Soundgarden – "Rusty Cage" (1991)
- Rage Against the Machine – "Killing in the Name" (1992) *
- Jane's Addiction – "Been Caught Stealing" (1990)
- The Stone Roses – "Fools Gold" (1989)
- Alice in Chains – "Them Bones" (1992)
- Stone Temple Pilots – "Plush" (1992)
CSR 103.9[]
Contemporary Soul Radio 103.9 (CSR) is hosted by Phillip "PM" Michaels, broadcasts from San Fierro, and plays new jack swing, contemporary soul and pop music.
- SWV – "I'm So Into You" (1992)
- Soul II Soul – "Keep On Movin'" (1989)
- Samuelle – "So You Like What You See" (1990)
- Johnny Gill – "Rub You the Right Way" (1990)
- Ralph Tresvant – "Sensitivity" (1990)
- Guy – "Groove Me" (1988)
- Aaron Hall – "Don't Be Afraid" (1992)
- Boyz II Men – "Motownphilly" (1991)
- Bell Biv DeVoe – "Poison" (1990)
- Today – "I Got the Feeling" (1990)
- Wreckx-n-Effect – "New Jack Swing" (1988)
- Bobby Brown – "Don't Be Cruel" (1988)
- En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (1992)
K-JAH West[]
K-JAH West is hosted by Marshall Peters & Johnny Lawton and plays reggae, dub and dancehall music.
- Black Harmony – "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" (1979) *
- Blood Sisters – "Ring My Bell" (1979) *
- Shabba Ranks – "Wicked Inna Bed" (1990)
- Buju Banton – "Batty Rider" (1992)
- Augustus Pablo – "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown" (1975)
- Dennis Brown – "Revolution" (1983)
- Willi Williams – "Armagideon Time" (1979)
- I-Roy – "Sidewalk Killer" (1972)
- Toots & The Maytals – "Funky Kingston" (1973)
- Dillinger – "Cokane in My Brain" (1976)
- Toots & The Maytals – "Pressure Drop" (1969)
- Pliers – "Bam Bam" (1992)
- Barrington Levy – "Here I Come" (1984)
- Reggie Stepper – "Drum Pan Sound" (1990)
- Black Uhuru – "Great Train Robbery" (1986)
- Max Romeo & The Upsetters – "Chase The Devil" (1976)
Master Sounds 98.3[]
Master Sounds 98.3 is hosted by Johnny "The Love Giant" Parkinson and plays rare groove, classic funk and classic soul music.
- Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – "Express Yourself" (1970) *
- Maceo & The Macks – "Cross The Tracks (We Better Go Back)" (1974)
- Harlem Underground Band – "Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba" (1976)
- The Chakachas – "Jungle Fever" (1970)
- Bob James – "Nautilus" (1974)
- Booker T. & the MG's – "Green Onions" (1962)
- The Blackbyrds – "Rock Creek Park" (1975) *
- Bobby Byrd – "Hot Pants – I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming" (1971)
- James Brown – "Funky President" (1974) *
- Lyn Collins – "Rock Me Again And Again" (1974)
- Maceo & The Macks – "Soul Power '74" (1973) *
- Bobby Byrd – "I Know You Got Soul" (1971)
- James Brown – "The Payback" (1973) *
- Lyn Collins – "Think (About It)" (1972)
- The JB's – "The Grunt" (1970) *
- War – "Low Rider" (1975)
- Gloria Jones – "Tainted Love" (1965)
- Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul – "(I Got) So Much Trouble In My Mind" (1972)
WCTR[]
West Coast Talk Radio, abbreviated as WCTR, is a talk radio station broadcasting from Los Santos.
- WCTR News: Hosted by Lianne Forget with Richard Burns, which features up-to-date news in the San Andreas state.
- The Tight End Zone: Sports program hosted by Derrick Thackery.
- The Wild Traveler: Travel program hosted by James Pedeaston.
- Entertaining America: Entertainment program featuring various guests, hosted by Billy Dexter and, after his on-air death, by Lazlow.
- Gardening with Maurice: Gardening show hosted by Maurice.
- I Say/You Say: Political debate show hosted by a husband-and-wife liberal-and-conservative team of Peyton Phillips and Mary Phillips.
- Lonely Hearts: Relationship advice program hosted by Christy MacIntyre and, after he hijacks her show, by Fernando Martinez.
- Area 53: A "Coast to Coast AM" spoof hosted by Marvin Trill.
Various intros, outros and comments are delivered by Barbara Fox.
User Track Player/Mixtape[]
GTA San Andreas allows players to play their songs in the PC, Xbox and iOS ports of the game. This custom radio station is named "User Track Player" in the PC and Xbox ports, and "Mixtape" in the iOS port.
"User Track Player" only supports .ogg and .mp3 music formats (as well as shortcuts to those types of files). Contrary to previous custom stations in the series, "User Track Player" offers various options of playing the music files: in sequential order, on random, or within a rudimentary radio station that only plays commercials between music tracks. Players are also allowed to immediately skip to the next track if the station is not set as a radio station. Inserting custom music into "User Track Player" consists of placing music files in a "User Tracks" folder, located in its GTA "User Files" folders within My Documents. To ensure recently inserted tracks are sure to be played, GTA San Andreas requires the players "scan" the music folder using the audio options for new music tracks.
"Mixtape" requires the player to create an iTunes playlist on their iOS device named "GTASA" and add songs to that playlist. After that has been done, they must start up the game, be in any normal vehicle, and keep changing the radio station until they reach "Tape Deck", which is between WCTR and "Radio Off".
Other Songs[]
The following song was not included in the game, but is featured as a bonus track in the 2-CD soundtrack compilation :
- AFI – "Head Like a Hole" (2004)
Commercials[]
Main article: Commercials in GTA San Andreas
Commercials in GTA San Andreas are a gigantic expansion from the previous game, the huge number of fictional products that are advertised in San Andreas dwarfs anything that Rockstar had made until that point. Running time for San Andreas commercials is just a couple of minutes shorter than that of Grand Theft Auto V. Due to the new randomizing mechanics of the stations in San Andreas, commercials could feature on any radio station and in any order. As San Andreas is set in an earlier era, the commercials follow the model set by the commercials in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and depicts the media trends, relevant topics and general atmosphere of the early 1990s.
Some examples of commercials in GTA San Andreas are: "Grin" (a pill to help cure anxiety, depression, and the lack of confidence that comes with raising a family at the suburbs; consuming it is completely safe, "after all, what could be wrong about a pill that makes you feel better all of the time?"), "Starfish Resort and Casino" (referencing humorously the 1990s obsession with "family friendly" casinos, this is a casino where kids can bet, gain money by making lap dances and selling their organs, "this kind of fun should be illegal!") and "Dreammakers" (referencing the arrival in the 1990s of many immigrants from ex-communist countries, it offers a start of a career in Vinewood; women that "are only attractive but can hardly read or act will have to sleep their way to the top", and men that "are fat, boring, and have no ideas of their own [are] perfect, why not be movie producers!")
Non-Selectable Radio Stations[]
Dopealicious FM is advertized on billboards throughout the state. However, it is not available for selection at any time during the game and has no songs or DJs associated with it. It is unknown whether the station was originally intended to be a real station but dropped during the development of the game, or if was simply designed to sit alongside other fake brands advertised in the game.
Another possible non-selectable station is Hi K69, which is a radio transmitter building located in Fort Carson.
Cut Radio Stations[]
Unnamed Early Rave Station[]
In the PS2 files, there is a list of radio station genres, with "Country" being listed as "Early Rave", indicating that originally, there was a Rave station present in the game. Furthermore, the following song was requested and approved to be in the game; however, due to the station being scrapped, it went unused:
Flash FM[]
In an October 2004 issue of PSM2 magazine, a preview for San Andreas disclosed that Flash FM was considered for the game at some point. It is also possible that the Vice City rendition was used as a placeholder before the radio line-up was finalized.
Hit Radio[]
In the same October 2004 PSM2 preview an unknown station was only known as "Hit Radio". It's unknown what genre it would play; however, judging by the name and the rest of the list, it might have been an early moniker for CSR 103.9.
Trivia[]
- There are 155 songs on the soundtrack; 1992 is the most represented year, with eighteen songs.
- This is the only game in the entire series where every radio station is dynamic. The radio selections of HD Universe games often make usage of a mixture of looped and dynamic stations.
- Some of the DJs will provide weather forecasts and warnings on air. However, they never mention the sandstorms in Tierra Robada/Bone County/Las Venturas area.
- At the very beginning of the game, CJ's default favorite radio station is Playback FM, while the default least favorite radio station is K-Rose; this can be seen in the menu player stats. This will change if CJ gets in a vehicle that plays another station. CJ's favorite station is ultimately determined by the player, and this station will play inside the wardrobes in safehouses.
- GTA creator Dan Houser can be heard in a commercial, he is the guy with the British accent that advertises his agency of children-spanking nannies.
- Many songs in the game are sampled by other songs, both in this game and other games in the series.
- The only song that is anachronistic given the 1992 setting is Mickey Gilley's "Make the World Go Away" (1997).
- When staying idle for a long time, sometimes Carl may be heard singing or humming some songs that appear on the game's radio stations:
- Big Daddy Kane – "Warm It Up, Kane"
- Dr.Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang"
- Ohio Players – "Love Rollercoaster"
- En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
- Marshall Jefferson – "Move Your Body"
- Gap Band – "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"
- Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – "Express Yourself"
- Rod Stewart – "Young Turks"
- Lyn Collins – "Rock Me Again And Again"
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Deep Cover"
- Joe Cocker – "Woman to Woman"
- Slick Rick – "Children's Story"
- Interestingly, with some of these songs being removed from the mobile and remastered versions of the game, CJ will continue to sing those songs among the ones that remained.
- The audio quality changes based on what vehicle the player is driving. If in a vehicle with a closed interior, all the audio frequencies are active and can be heard, while in other vehicles, the bass frequencies are absent, and only mid-range and treble frequencies can be heard.
See Also[]
- Radio Stations in GTA
- Radio Stations in GTA London
- Radio Stations in GTA 2
- Radio Stations in GTA III
- Radio Stations in GTA Vice City
- Radio Stations in GTA Liberty City Stories
- Radio Stations in GTA Vice City Stories
- Radio Stations in GTA IV
- Radio Stations in GTA Chinatown Wars
- Radio Stations in GTA V
- Radio Stations in GTA Online
Radio Stations in the 3D Universe | |
---|---|
Head Radio • Double Clef FM • K-JAH • Rise FM • Lips 106 • Game FM • MSX FM • Flashback 95.6 • Chatterbox FM • MP3 Player | |
Vice City | Wildstyle • Flash FM • K-Chat • Fever 105 • V-Rock • VCPR • Radio Espantoso • Emotion 98.3 • Wave 103 • MP3 Player |
San Andreas | Playback FM • K-Rose • K-DST • Bounce FM • SF-UR • Radio Los Santos • Radio X • CSR 103.9 • K-JAH West • Master Sounds 98.3 • WCTR • User Track Player |
Advance | Radio Stations |
Liberty City Stories | Head Radio • Double Clef FM • K-JAH • Rise FM • Lips 106 • Radio Del Mundo • MSX 98 • Flashback FM • The Liberty Jam • LCFR |
Vice City Stories | Flash FM • V-Rock • Paradise FM • VCPR • VCFL • The Wave 103 • Fresh 105 FM • Radio Espantoso • Emotion 98.3 |
- ↑ Eddie Rabbitt – "I Love a Rainy Night": The in-game version is not performed by Eddie Rabbitt. The cover was most likely created by Drew's Entertainment for their 2003 compilation album Drew's Famous 30 Greatest Country Songs, Vol. 2, under the pseudonym The Hit Crew. On the Official Soundtrack Box Set, the correct version performed by Rabbitt is included; this error was never corrected in subsequent re-releases of the game, however.
- ↑ Maurice – This Is Acid: The recording is actually taken from 2004's Trax Records: The 20th Anniversary Edition mix and contains two uncredited samples: Farley "Jackmaster" Funk – "Jack The Bass" (1985) at the start of the song, and The Housemaster Boyz – "House Nation" (1986) at the end.
- ↑ The Royality Network Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20081012055343/http://www.roynet.com/archive_current_events/010104.cfm