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Macarena (song)
Encyclopedia
"Macarena" is a Spanish dance song by Los del Río
about a woman of the same name. Appearing on the 1994 album A mí me gusta
, it was an international hit between 1995 and 1996, and continues to have a cult following. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1
in 2002.
The song uses a type of clave
rhythm. The song ranks at #5 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. It also ranks at #1 on Billboard's All Time Latin Songs. It is also Billboard's #1 dance song and one of five foreign language songs to hit #1 since 1995's modern rock era began.
, they were invited to a private party held by the Venezuelan empresario Gustavo Cisneros
. Many prominent Venezuelans were in attendance that night, including former president Carlos Andrés Pérez
.
Cisneros had arranged for a local flamenco teacher, Diana Patricia Cubillán Herrera, to do a small performance for the guests, and Los Del Rio were pleasantly surprised by Cubillán's dance skills. Spontaneously, Antonio Romero Monge, one half of the Los del Río duo, recited the song's chorus-to-be on the spot, as an accolade to Cubillán, but naming her "Ma'dalena" (Magdalena): "Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Ma'dalena, que tu cuerpo e' pa' darle alegría y cosa' güena'" ("Give your body some joy, Magdalene, 'cause your body is for giving joy and good things too"). In Andalusian culture labeling a woman "Magdalena" is to give her a faint association with Mary Magdalene
's reportedly seedy past, and more accurately describes her as being sassy or sensuous.
rumba pop fusion theme with fully Spanish
lyrics, attained significant success in Spain and Mexico. It also became popular in Puerto Rico
because of its use as an unofficial campaign theme song for then-governor Pedro Rosselló
, who was seeking reelection under the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
's ticket. Being the base for many cruise ships, visitors to the island were constantly exposed to the song during their stay in Puerto Rico. This may explain how the song spread to — and became a hit in — cities with sizable Latino communities in the United States, particularly Miami and New York City
.
After being remixed by the Bayside Boys and having English
lyrics written and added by Grammy nominated producer Carlos de Yarza, it became a worldwide hit in mid-1996. The single spent 14 weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
singles chart, one of the longest runs atop the Hot 100 chart in history. During its heyday, the song was played frequently at professional athletic games, rallies, conventions, and other places. Many believe that a world record for group dancing was set in 1996, when a crowd of 50,000 people danced the Macarena in Yankee Stadium
in New York City
.
"Macarena" remained popular through 1996, but by the end of 1997, its popularity had diminished. The song broke records by remaining in the Hot 100 chart for 60 weeks. The Bayside Boys remix includes a sample from Yazoo
(also known in the United States as Yaz) track Situation
- the laughter of Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet
. In Addition, the chorus utilized female vocal samples utilized by The Farm
in their song "Higher and Higher (Remix)" from their album, Spartacus
. The female singer on the remix was hired by the Bayside Boys, and at her request was uncredited. The Bayside Boys toured the U.S. and the world, and featured singer Carla Vanessa, although she is not the voice on the remix itself.
In 1997, the song had sold 11 million copies. While having only a 25% take in royalties from the song, Romero and Ruiz became immensely wealthy. According to the BBC
News Service, during the year 2003 alone — a full decade after the song's initial release — Romero and Ruiz made USD $250,000 in royalties. Julio Iglesias
is quoted as congratulating the duo personally: "My success singing in English from Miami is nothing compared to yours; coming out of Dos Hermanas with little international exposure elsewhere and selling these many records in Spanish takes two huge sets of cojones
."
In VH1
's 2002 documentary
100 Greatest One-hit Wonders, "Macarena" was ranked as #1. "Macarena" was also ranked #1 on a different VH1 documentary, 40 Awesomely Bad No. 1 Songs. Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
ranked the song at #10 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever while giving out an order: "First: Place your arm straight out in front of you at shoulder height, palm facing down. Then: Punch the DJ."
On America's Best Dance Crew
, it was danced to on the Whack Track Challenge, given to the Ringmasters.
This song is also very popular in Australian Schools, with the dance being taught in the school Physical Education Curriculum.
In the United Kingdom the song was released in June 1996 and peaked at number two on August 17, 1996. It was kept off the number one spot by the Spice Girls
song "Wannabe
".
. When the convention was moving slowly or needed a change of pace the Macarena song was played over the whole convention floor and the delegates were encouraged to do the Macarena dance steps. According to Time Magazine, the song was played at the convention with intention to unify the delegates and get the party excited about the election. Vice President Al Gore
, having a reputation for stiffness, said that when he did the Macarena "there's no visible movement."
) are also seen dancing with the band. This version samples a line from The Graduate
("I am not trying to seduce you!") which was later removed due to possible copyright issues. The other, similar version of the music video was in black and white and was more instructional in that the women and men are clearly shown performing the specific dance moves.
version of the song was created for the 1996 Christmas Season. It involved the original song with short lines from classic Christmas carols (specifically incorporating: "Joy to the World
," "Jingle Bells
," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
," "White Christmas
" and "Auld Lang Syne
") in between the popular verses.
In the music video, the young female dancers wear Christmas colored attire but there are nine of them compared to the ten dancers in the original. For the sequence featuring a new routine (the one being commonly used today), eight of them are shown with one of them being switched with a ninth dancer at times throughout the chorus.
featuring Pedro Castaño. Their version, which was very similar to the original and difficult to distinguish from it, was first released in 1995 and then again at the same time as the original in the United Kingdom
and Australia
. In the UK it only reached #43 in the charts, but remained charted for almost two months; however, the Los del Rio version peaked at number two. In Australia, the Los del Mar version was more successful and peaked at number two whilst the Los del Rio version was still at number one. In Canada, the Los del Mar version was quite popular on MuchMusic
and top 40 radio in 1995, eclipsing the later popularity of the original.
and The Chipettes
covered the song, in both English and Spanish, for their album Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
. The English version remains one of their most popular and recognizable covers.
recorded a country music
version of the "Macarena", with re-written lyrics. This rendition peaked at #70 on the Hot Country Songs
charts and #7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
and featured T Lopez
and The D.E.Y.
Recorded in both Spanish and later in English, the remake received moderate airplay on some Spanish music stations, such as WSKQ-FM
, KVVZ
, and WMEG
.
The song and album were released in November 2008 by IMC records, who said "We totally reinvented the Macarena with the help of The Art of Sound boys in Miami and artists like El Chino DreadLion and Yeyo, but were lacking that feminine touch, and thanks to Cash Money Records
we found that in T Lopez," IMC Records came across T Lopez when she was in Los Angeles recording at Candor Entertainment Studios.
Los del Río
Los Del Rio, also known as "The Del Rios," was a Spanish Latin dance group formed in 1992 and broke up in mid-2007. They were best known by their smash-hit and hot dance single Macarena originally released in early 1994. The song peaked at the Hot Dance Singles and Billboard 200 by mid-1994. The...
about a woman of the same name. Appearing on the 1994 album A mí me gusta
A mí me gusta (album)
-Chart performance:-Track listing:-Reference:*...
, it was an international hit between 1995 and 1996, and continues to have a cult following. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in 2002.
The song uses a type of clave
Clave (rhythm)
The clave rhythmic pattern is used as a tool for temporal organization in Afro-Cuban music, such as rumba, conga de comparsa, son, son montuno, mambo, salsa, Latin jazz, songo and timba. The five-stroke clave pattern represents the structural core of many Afro-Cuban rhythms...
rhythm. The song ranks at #5 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. It also ranks at #1 on Billboard's All Time Latin Songs. It is also Billboard's #1 dance song and one of five foreign language songs to hit #1 since 1995's modern rock era began.
Origin and history
As a result of their lounge act, Los del Río were invited to tour South America in March 1992 and, while visiting VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, they were invited to a private party held by the Venezuelan empresario Gustavo Cisneros
Gustavo Cisneros
Gustavo A. Cisneros Rendiles is a Venezuelan media mogul of Cuban descent. He is among the world's richest men according to Forbes magazine, which estimated his fortune at $4.2 billion in 2010 The New York Times calls Cisneros, "one of Latin America’s most powerful figures" and says he and his...
. Many prominent Venezuelans were in attendance that night, including former president Carlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez , also known as CAP and often referred to as El Gocho , was a Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. His first presidency was known as the Saudi Venezuela due to its economic and social prosperity thanks to...
.
Cisneros had arranged for a local flamenco teacher, Diana Patricia Cubillán Herrera, to do a small performance for the guests, and Los Del Rio were pleasantly surprised by Cubillán's dance skills. Spontaneously, Antonio Romero Monge, one half of the Los del Río duo, recited the song's chorus-to-be on the spot, as an accolade to Cubillán, but naming her "Ma'dalena" (Magdalena): "Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Ma'dalena, que tu cuerpo e' pa' darle alegría y cosa' güena'" ("Give your body some joy, Magdalene, 'cause your body is for giving joy and good things too"). In Andalusian culture labeling a woman "Magdalena" is to give her a faint association with Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
's reportedly seedy past, and more accurately describes her as being sassy or sensuous.
Record breaking and worldwide impact
The song was originally recorded in 1992, and released in 1993 as a rumba. This was the first of six versions of the song that can be associated to Los Del Rio. Another version, a new flamencoNew Flamenco
Nuevo Flamenco is synonymous with contemporary flamenco and is a modern derivative of traditional flamenco ....
rumba pop fusion theme with fully Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
lyrics, attained significant success in Spain and Mexico. It also became popular in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
because of its use as an unofficial campaign theme song for then-governor Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
, who was seeking reelection under the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
's ticket. Being the base for many cruise ships, visitors to the island were constantly exposed to the song during their stay in Puerto Rico. This may explain how the song spread to — and became a hit in — cities with sizable Latino communities in the United States, particularly Miami and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
After being remixed by the Bayside Boys and having English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics written and added by Grammy nominated producer Carlos de Yarza, it became a worldwide hit in mid-1996. The single spent 14 weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart, one of the longest runs atop the Hot 100 chart in history. During its heyday, the song was played frequently at professional athletic games, rallies, conventions, and other places. Many believe that a world record for group dancing was set in 1996, when a crowd of 50,000 people danced the Macarena in Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
"Macarena" remained popular through 1996, but by the end of 1997, its popularity had diminished. The song broke records by remaining in the Hot 100 chart for 60 weeks. The Bayside Boys remix includes a sample from Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
(also known in the United States as Yaz) track Situation
Situation (song)
"Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British synthpop band Yazoo. The song was originally released in the UK as the B-side to Yazoo's debut single, "Only You", which went to number two on the UK Singles Chart. Released as a single in its own right in the U.S., the song peaked at number...
- the laughter of Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
. In Addition, the chorus utilized female vocal samples utilized by The Farm
The Farm (band)
The Farm were a British band from Liverpool, popular through the early 1990s. Their album Spartacus reached the top position on the UK Albums Chart when it was released in March, 1991.-History:They formed in early 1983....
in their song "Higher and Higher (Remix)" from their album, Spartacus
Spartacus (The Farm album)
Spartacus is the 1991 debut album of Liverpool-based pop group The Farm, released in April 1991 in the height of Madchester. It reached number one in the UK album chart, staying there for a week...
. The female singer on the remix was hired by the Bayside Boys, and at her request was uncredited. The Bayside Boys toured the U.S. and the world, and featured singer Carla Vanessa, although she is not the voice on the remix itself.
In 1997, the song had sold 11 million copies. While having only a 25% take in royalties from the song, Romero and Ruiz became immensely wealthy. According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
News Service, during the year 2003 alone — a full decade after the song's initial release — Romero and Ruiz made USD $250,000 in royalties. Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
is quoted as congratulating the duo personally: "My success singing in English from Miami is nothing compared to yours; coming out of Dos Hermanas with little international exposure elsewhere and selling these many records in Spanish takes two huge sets of cojones
Cojones
Cojones is a vulgar Spanish word for testicles, denoting courage when used in the phrase "tener cojones" . It is considered a curse word when use by itself as an expletive in Spanish...
."
In VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 2002 documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
100 Greatest One-hit Wonders, "Macarena" was ranked as #1. "Macarena" was also ranked #1 on a different VH1 documentary, 40 Awesomely Bad No. 1 Songs. Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
ranked the song at #10 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever while giving out an order: "First: Place your arm straight out in front of you at shoulder height, palm facing down. Then: Punch the DJ."
On America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
, it was danced to on the Whack Track Challenge, given to the Ringmasters.
This song is also very popular in Australian Schools, with the dance being taught in the school Physical Education Curriculum.
In the United Kingdom the song was released in June 1996 and peaked at number two on August 17, 1996. It was kept off the number one spot by the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
song "Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
".
1996 Democratic Convention
The popular song was used as diversion dance song at the 1996 Democratic National Convention1996 Democratic National Convention
The 1996 Democratic National Convention of the was held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois from August 26 to August 29, 1996. Incumbent Democrat Bill Clinton was renominated for President of United States.-Site selection:...
. When the convention was moving slowly or needed a change of pace the Macarena song was played over the whole convention floor and the delegates were encouraged to do the Macarena dance steps. According to Time Magazine, the song was played at the convention with intention to unify the delegates and get the party excited about the election. Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, having a reputation for stiffness, said that when he did the Macarena "there's no visible movement."
Music video
There are two different music videos. The most common music video, directed by Vincent Calvet, was created in 1996, featuring Los del Rio performing on a white backdrop. Ten women (including a then unknown Tracee Ellis RossTracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Joan Clayton on the UPN/CW series, Girlfriends. She is currently starring as Dr...
) are also seen dancing with the band. This version samples a line from The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
("I am not trying to seduce you!") which was later removed due to possible copyright issues. The other, similar version of the music video was in black and white and was more instructional in that the women and men are clearly shown performing the specific dance moves.
Christmas version: "Macarena Christmas"
Due to the overwhelming success of the song, a ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
version of the song was created for the 1996 Christmas Season. It involved the original song with short lines from classic Christmas carols (specifically incorporating: "Joy to the World
Joy to the World
"Joy to the World" is a Christian Christmas carol.The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and...
," "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer with a glowing red nose. He is popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer" and, when depicted, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through...
," "White Christmas
White Christmas (song)
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
" and "Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
") in between the popular verses.
In the music video, the young female dancers wear Christmas colored attire but there are nine of them compared to the ten dancers in the original. For the sequence featuring a new routine (the one being commonly used today), eight of them are shown with one of them being switched with a ninth dancer at times throughout the chorus.
Versions
- "Macarena" (Original) - 4:09
- "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Remix) - 3:50
- "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Remix - Original Promo Video Version) - 4:12
- "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Remix - Video Version) 3:45
- "Macarena" (Bass Bumpers Remix - Club Mix) - 5:40
- "Macarena" (Bass Bumpers Radio Remix) - 3:27
- "Macarena" (DJ Pero Latin Piano Mix) - 5:36
- "Macarena" (La Mezcla Guerrillera 130 BPM) - 5:35
- "Macarena" (Pulsar House Mix) - 5:40
- "Macarena" (River Re-Mix 103 BPM) - 5:02
- "Macarena" (Aaron Scofield's Powerhouse Mix) - 6:14
- "Macarena Christmas" (Joy Mix) - 4:12
- "Macarena Christmas" (Joy Mix - Club Version) - 5:44
- "Macarena Awards" (Hongbin Wang Mix - Ceremony Version) - 5:49
"Macarena"
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1/98 |
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)"
EWLINE
|
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| ARIA | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Dance Chart | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990-1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
"Macarena Christmas"
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
5 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 12 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 34 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 16 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
57 |
Los Del Mar version
The song was covered by Los del MarLos del Mar
Los del Mar was a short-lived Spanish music duo, best-known for their hit single, a 1995 cover version of the Los del Río song, "Macarena", which was included on the album, Macarena: The Hit Album. The main member, Pedro Castaño, is still touring with this song...
featuring Pedro Castaño. Their version, which was very similar to the original and difficult to distinguish from it, was first released in 1995 and then again at the same time as the original in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In the UK it only reached #43 in the charts, but remained charted for almost two months; however, the Los del Rio version peaked at number two. In Australia, the Los del Mar version was more successful and peaked at number two whilst the Los del Rio version was still at number one. In Canada, the Los del Mar version was quite popular on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
and top 40 radio in 1995, eclipsing the later popularity of the original.
Track listings
Australian CD Single- "Macarena" (Radio Mix) - 3:49
- "Macarena" (Bola Mix) - 6:08
The Chipmunks and The Chipettes version
In 1996, Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
and The Chipettes
The Chipettes
The Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
covered the song, in both English and Spanish, for their album Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes is a music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks and was released by Sony Wonder. The album was released on October 6, 1996 and contains cover versions of popular pop/dance songs, oldies and a Spanish version of "Macarena"...
. The English version remains one of their most popular and recognizable covers.
The GrooveGrass Boyz version
In 1997, The GrooveGrass BoyzThe GrooveGrass Boyz
The GrooveGrass Boyz was an American musical group that played a mix of bluegrass, funk, and freestyle music. The group was founded as a side project by record producer and session musician Scott Rouse in 1987, after he began experimenting with dance mixes of bluegrass and country songs, eventually...
recorded a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
version of the "Macarena", with re-written lyrics. This rendition peaked at #70 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts and #7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
The Art of Sound Group Mix
In 2008, Los del Río recorded a remix of the song in honor of the Macarena's 15th anniversary. The song, which was featured on their album Quinceañera Macarena, was produced by The Art of SoundThe Art Of Sound
The Art of Sound was formed in Peterborough, England in 1973, to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. The originating members of The Art of Sound were: Nigel Sixsmith, Thomas Wright, Michael Bale and Shirley Feischer....
and featured T Lopez
T Lopez
Christina T Lopez , better known by her stage name T Lopez, is an American and Mexican actress and singer from Ontario, California. T Lopez was a former member of the Latina group, known as Soluna who were signed to DreamWorks Records whose musical debut album "For All Time" and debut single of the...
and The D.E.Y.
The D.E.Y.
The D.E.Y. is a Latin Hip hop group that debuted in 2007, following in the footsteps of the Fugees and The Black Eyed Peas. The group is composed of members Divine, Élan, and Yeyo. The trio's name is also meant to symbolize a new day in music.-Early years:...
Recorded in both Spanish and later in English, the remake received moderate airplay on some Spanish music stations, such as WSKQ-FM
WSKQ-FM
WSKQ-FM, known on-air as Mega 97.9, is a radio station in New York City owned by Spanish Broadcasting System . Currently located at 97.9 FM, the station has a tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as Bachata, salsa, merengue, and Reggaeton.-History:The 97.9 FM facility's heritage...
, KVVZ
KVVZ
KVVZ is a radio station broadcasting a Latin Pop format. Licensed to San Rafael, California, USA, it serves the San Francisco area. The station is currently owned by Univision Radio License Corporation. Between 2001 and 2003 KVVZ was KSFB Contemporary Christian 100.7 The Bridge...
, and WMEG
WMEG
WMEG is a radio station broadcasting a CHR format. Licensed to Guayama, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the greater Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by WMEG Licensing, Inc. Until 2004, La Mega 106.9 FM had an American Alternative Top 40 format. Music was 100% in English from Pop,...
.
The song and album were released in November 2008 by IMC records, who said "We totally reinvented the Macarena with the help of The Art of Sound boys in Miami and artists like El Chino DreadLion and Yeyo, but were lacking that feminine touch, and thanks to Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
we found that in T Lopez," IMC Records came across T Lopez when she was in Los Angeles recording at Candor Entertainment Studios.