Agadoo
| "Agadoo" | |
|---|---|
 "Agadoo"/"Fiddling" Single |
|
| Single by Black Lace | |
| from the album Party Party | |
| Released | 1984, 2009 |
| Format | 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl |
| Recorded | 1984, 2009 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:06 |
"Agadoo" is a novelty song recorded by the band Black Lace in 1984. "Agadoo" peaked at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart,[1] and spent 30 weeks in the top 75.[2] It went on to become the eighth best-selling single of 1984 in the UK.[3]
In a survey for dotmusic in 2000, respondents voted "Agadoo" as the fourth most annoying song of all time.[4] In a poll for Q magazine in 2003, a panel of music writers voted "Agadoo" as the worst song of all time, saying: "It sounded like the school disco you were forced to attend, your middle-aged relatives forming a conga at a wedding party, a travelling DJ act based in Wolverhampton, every party cliche you ever heard."[2] The panel also described it as "magnificently dreadful".[5]
Contents |
[edit] Origins
The song's origins date back to 1971, when Michel Delancray and Mya Symille recorded it as "Agadou" in French.[6] It had been written based on a tune that apparently came from Morocco.[2] Club Med used it as their theme song from 1974.[2][6] It was covered by several artists and groups, including Patrick Zabé in 1975 and the Saragossa Band (a German group) in 1981.[6][7]
It was apparently played in a Derby nightclub called Gossips, to which the bar staff made a dance. It proved so popular that when Black Lace performed at the club in 1981, they learnt the dance and recorded their own version.[8] This was verified on BBC Radio Derby in 2006. This was the first version in French.[2]
[edit] Parodies and derivative versions
Black Lace themselves recorded an X-rated version of the song entitled "Have a Screw", which was written by Black Lace members Alan Barton and Colin Gibb and released on the B-side of the 12-inch vinyl "Gang Bang".[9]
The Australian satirical TV series CNNNN ran a fake cross-promotion for Agadoo: The Musical.[citation needed]
In 1986, the song was parodied in "The Chicken Song" by the satirical television programme Spitting Image.[10]
The song was produced by Barry Whitfield, who was rumoured to be in the video for the song as a pear. He later confirmed that he did indeed act as the pear on 13th January 2012.
The song was also used as the basis of a chant by fans of Liverpool for defender Daniel Agger.
Anarchist band Chumbawamba recorded a version of "Agadoo" for the Peel Sessions.
It was parodied in a Vanilla Mini Wheats commercial in 2006.
In November 2009, Black Lace recorded a version called "Agadir" to promote a new air service by easyJet from Gatwick airport to Agadir.
[edit] 2007 & 2009 re-releases
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In August 2007 the "Agadoo 206 Mix" was released as the song was used in a TV ad to promote Peugeot's new 206 car. The song hit the UK charts. Black Lace members Colin Gibb and Rob Hopcraft then used the song to in a special charity 'Agadoo Day'. On 20 March 2009, it was announced that the song was being released in a new version by Dene Michael from Black Lace's original lineup and new member Ian Robinson.[5] A video for the release, titled "Agadoo" (Mambo 2009 remix), has been directed by Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby-Brown in television soap opera Coronation Street.[5] He also appears in the video, along with Kevin Kennedy, who played Curly Watts in the same programme.
[edit] Track listings and formats
- UK 1984 7" single
- "Agadoo" 3:07
- "Fiddling" 2:14
- UK 1984 12" single
- "Agadoo" (Extended Version) 4:49
- "Superman" ('X' Rated Version) 3:44
- UK 2007 CD single
- "Agadoo 206 Mix"
[edit] References
- ^ EveryHit.com - search for "Black Lace" as "Name of artist" and "Agadoo" as "Title of song"
- ^ a b c d e "Agadoo tops list of worst songs". BBC News. United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation. 2003-11-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3230908.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-17. "Black Lace hit Agadoo has been named the worst song of all time by a panel of music writers... The song was originally written by French songwriters after they heard a friend humming a tune he had picked up on holiday in Morocco. The song became the hit of the French Club Med resorts in 1974 but was not picked up by British audiences until Black Lace released an English translation in 1984. The song remained in the UK Top 75 singles chart for 30 weeks."
- ^ "Bestselling Singles of the 80s". Pure80sPop. http://www.pure80spop.co.uk/bestsellerssingles.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ "Birdie Song tops hall of shame". United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News. 2000-07-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/848510.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ a b c "'Worst song' Agadoo re-released". United Kingdom: BBC News. 2009-03-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7971778.stm. Retrieved 2009-04-05. "Black Lace hit Agadoo, named the worst song of all time by a panel of music writers, is being re-released 25 years after it hit number two. ... The video for Agadoo (Mambo 2009 remix) was directed by Bruce Jones, who played Coronation Street's Les Battersby. ... Actor Jones also appears in the video along with fellow former Coronation Street actor Kevin Kennedy, who played Curly Watts in the soap. Michael is joined on the record, released on Monday, by new member Ian Robinson. ... The Q magazine panel summed up the 1984 original as "magnificently dreadful"."
- ^ a b c "Agadou Doudou". Belgium: The Originals Updates & Info Site. 2008. http://www.originals.be/eng/main.cfm?c=t_upd_show&id=34. Retrieved 2008-12-17.[dead link]
- ^ "Saragossa Band". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Saragossa+Band. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ "Your useless facts about Derbyshire!". BBC Derby. Derby, United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-10-08. http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/articles/2008/10/08/useless_facts_about_derbyshire_2008_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-17. "And did you know the annoying novelty tune 'Agadoo' was supposedly recorded by Black Lace after hearing the French original during a night out at 'Gossips', one of Derby's most popular nightclubs of the eighties."
- ^ "Black Lace - Gang Bang". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/release/1017109. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ "Black Lace - Action Party". United Kingdom: Zavvi. http://www.zavvi.co.uk/productdetails.jsf?code=511592&tab=8. Retrieved 2008-12-17. "[Black Lace] were even immortalised by the TV show Spitting Image with the song The Chicken Song, a parody of Agadoo"
