The Toreador Song, also known as the Toreador March or March of the Toreadors, is the popular name for the 1875 aria "" ("I return your toast to you"), from the French opera Carmen, composed by Georges Bizet to a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. It is sung by the bullfighter (French: ') Escamillo as he enters in act 2 and describes various situations in the bullring, the cheering of the crowds and the fame that comes with victory. The refrain, "", forms the middle part of the of Carmen.
<div style="float:right;"></div> The bass-baritone couplet has a vocal range from B<sub>2</sub> to F<sub>4</sub> and a tessitura from C<sub>3</sub> to E<sub>4</sub>. Its time signature is common time (4/4), its key is F minor with the refrain in F major. The tempo indication is allegro molto moderato, =108.
The orchestra introduces the first melodic section, which is jaunty and flashy. Like Carmen's Habanera, it is built on a descending chromatic scale as Escamillo describes his experiences in the bullfighting ring. In the chorus praising the toreador, the music turns celebratory and confident in character.
Frasquita, Mercédès, Carmen, Moralès, Zuniga and the chorus join for the repeat of the refrain.
Usage and renditions of the Toreador Song have appeared in various forms of media, such as when the song was performed by Samuel Ramey on Sesame Street, who rewrote the lyrics to be about the letter L, or in an episode of Doctor Who. It also serves as the theme song in the 1976 film Bad News Bears.
The song is prominently featured in the 2014 video game Five Nights at Freddy's, where the song plays as the theme of the title's main antagonist, Freddy Fazbear, upon the player running out of power in-game. As such, the Toreador Song has occasionally been marketed as the Freddy Fazbear theme.
The 2022 anime series Thermae Romae Novae features an adaptation of the Toreador Song by Italian bass-baritone Paolo Andrea Di Pietro. The adaptation was specifically created for the series to reflect the theme of bathhouses and their practices with Japanese lyrics written by Paolo Andrea Di Pietro himself.
The English language version of the song, Stan (or Stand) up and Fight, written by Oscar Hammerstein II for Carmen Jones, has long been associated with Munster Rugby. An adapted version, Geelong Cats: We Are Geelong, has been used by the Geelong Cats Australian Football League team.
Since the middle of the 1990s the Toreador Song has been used in Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship during the champagne spraying on the podium.
A piece of the Toreador Song's sheet music, with lyrics translated to English by Jerry Castillo, is owned by the Smithsonian Institution and kept in the National Museum of American History.