Los Del Rio - Macarena

I suppose it was only a matter of time before Los del Rio‘s ‘Macarena’ appeared on One Hit Wonderland. It certainly deserves full credit for what it is: a pop hit that perfectly fulfilled every category necessary to create a top-selling tune.

It provided a catchy tune, a new genre of music for the mass-market and – most importantly – its own dance routine. This guaranteed ‘Macarena’ status as a floor-filler, perfect for late-night replays in nightclubs as well as mindless repetition at school discos up and down the country.

‘Macarena’ wouldn’t succeed in its true form. Recorded in 1993 as a rumba, the tune would have to wait to get the Bayside Boys treatment before it captured the hearts, minds and bodies of millions of people across the globe. Translating the original into English in 1995 (even though no-one cared for the lyrics), it would destroy the charts a year later.

Countries that bestowed it with the number one spot included the US, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium (twice), Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Finland and Denmark. The resilient Canadians wouldn’t give it higher than 62. The UK held out, with ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls keeping the Latino kings from the top. Something to be proud of, people. Maybe.

Nonetheless, the US was mesmerised by the song. Even now, ‘Macarena’ ranks at number five on Billboard’s All Time Top 100 (1-4: Chubby Checker‘s ‘The Twist’; Santana‘s ‘Smooth’; Bobby Darin‘s ‘Mack the Knife’; and LeAnn Rimes‘ ‘How Do I Live’. Surprising, no?). The tune is still number one on Billboard’s All Time Latin Songs and the number one dance song with the same organisation. Wow.

Then again, it’s not without its negatives. While it garnered VH1′s Greatest One Hit Wonder award, ‘Macarena’ also ranked #1 on the same channel’s 40 Awesomely Bad No 1 Songs montage. To be fair, though, it was pretty shit. Do you do the Macarena now? No? Well, then. Quit your bitching.

You can’t win them all, though it’s not as if Los del Rio or the Bayside Boys are complaining – they must be loaded now, even if people who meet them have no idea why.

Immerse yourself in the hit one more time, even if you know the tune’ll stick in your head for a good week or two. Do it for me; as I’ve been writing this, I have nothing else in my brain. Thank you, basic journalism. Also, be sure to enjoy the United Colors of Benetton-style video, featuring women of all ethnicities joining together to dance while two severely uncomfortable-looking Spaniards sing the song.

By Matt Gardner