Who Let the Dogs Out?
| "Who Let The Dogs Out?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Baha Men | ||||
| from the album Who Let the Dogs Out and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie soundtrack | ||||
| Released | July 25, 2000 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Genre | soca, junkanoo | |||
| Length | 3:18 | |||
| Label | Edel Records Artemis Records S-Curve Records Maverick Records Nick Records |
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| Writer(s) | Anslem Douglas, Patrick Stephenson and Leroy Williams | |||
| Producer | The original producer was Scott Brooks, who signed it over to Barrett Schroeder | |||
| Certification | Platinum (BPI) | |||
| Baha Men singles chronology | ||||
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"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is the title of a song written and originally recorded by Anslem Douglas (titled "Doggie") for Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival season of 1998.[1] It was heard and taped on a float by hairdresser Keith from the London salon Smile, who played it to Jonathan King, who recorded it and released it[2] under the name Fatt Jakk and his Pack of Pets.[3][4] It then came to the attention of King's friend Steve Greenberg, who produced it with a group he was promoting called The Baha Men. The Baha Men covered the song and placed it in the movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and on its soundtrack album and then released it as a single in 2000, when it became the band's first hit in the US and the UK. It reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom. It was the 4th biggest-selling single of 2000 in the UK, and went on to become the highest-selling single of the 2000s not to reach number-one. It was also a big hit in Australia, where it reached number-one. The track went on to win the Grammy for Best Dance Recording on the 2001 Grammy Awards.
Contents |
[edit] Critical reception
In a poll conducted in 2007 by Rolling Stone to identify the 20 most annoying songs, this song was ranked third.[5] It was also ranked first on Spinner's 2008 list of "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever".[6] Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #2 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, exclaiming, "We try to forgive, but admit to daydreaming about supergluing an iPod with this [song] on it to Michael Vick's head."[7]
The Anslem Douglas version was played throughout the English-speaking Caribbean and in cities with large Caribbean populations in 1998. After the Baha Men re-released the song, it became a ubiquitous sports anthem at stadiums and arenas throughout the world based largely on the efforts of a sports marketing company hired by the song's producer, Steve Greenberg. Pro Sports Music Marketing founder Frederic Traube created the concept of introducing and marketing the song to sports stadiums.
[edit] Performances at sports events
The first use of the song at an American sporting event was at Mississippi State University.[8] The university's mascot is the Bulldog, and the university school first played the song during football games in the fall of 1998 using the version sung by Chuck Smooth. It was accompanied by the crowd singing along and the team performing a dance on the field called "The Dawg Pound Rock" just before a kickoff.[9][10] Later the Southeastern Conference ruled that they could not perform the dance on the field, so the team moved it to the sidelines. Several other teams followed suit, and the song quickly became a national phenomenon.[11]
In June 2000, Gregg Greene, then Director of Promotions for the Seattle Mariners, was the first to play the Baha Men's version of "Who Let the Dogs Out" at a Major League Baseball game.[12] He debuted the tune as a joke for the team's backup catcher, Joe Oliver. Two days later, shortstop Alex Rodriguez requested the ditty for his batter introduction music and the song quickly became the Mariners team anthem. The Baha Men played live at Safeco Field during a Mariners game in September 2000. The New York Mets, however, claimed that they were the first MLB team to adopt the song (ESPN.com later commented, "This is a little like scientists arguing over who discovered a deadly virus"). The Baha Men recorded a version of the song that changed the chorus to "Who let the Mets out?" and all the lyrics to reflect the team and its players, which was played at Shea Stadium throughout the Mets' 2000 postseason run, including a live performance on the Shea Stadium field before Game 4 of the 2000 World Series against the New York Yankees. The song was written by David Brody of Z100 New York and recorded by the Baha Men initially for Z100. Brody then gave the song to the Mets to play at Shea. Brody has also written songs for the 2006 and 2007 Mets. Richard Hidalgo used the original song as his entrance music while playing for the Houston Astros. The song was the theme song for Monster Mutt & Monster Mutt Dalmatian (Monster Trucks) from 2003–2008 while freestyling on the Monster Jam circuit.
In the UK, the song was quickly appropriated by Liverpool supporters under then-manager Gérard Houllier. Regular chants of 'Hou led the reds out' by Liverpool fans (a reference to Liverpool's cup treble in 2001) were followed soon after by opposition fans' chants of 'Hou had a heart attack' (a reference to Houllier's illness in October 2001).[13] The song is played after every goal which Dougie Freedman scores for Crystal Palace F.C. at Selhurst Park, with fans singing "Who let the Doug out? Who? Who?" with reference to him. Similarly, Chelsea F.C. fans sing "Who let the Drog out? Who? Who?", in reference to Didier Drogba. The song was also modified by Celtic F.C. supporters to "Who let the huns out? Who? Who?", aimed squarely at supporters of their arch rival, Rangers F.C. .
[edit] Charts and sales
[edit] Peak positions
| Chart (2000-2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] | 26 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 7 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[14] | 27 |
| Canada (RPM) | 14 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] | 6 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 18 |
| France (SNEP)[14] | 60 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[15] | 6 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[16] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] | 3 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[14] | 3 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 6 |
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)[18] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 40 |
[edit] Chart successions
| Preceded by Cher for Believe |
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording 2001 |
Succeeded by Janet Jackson for All for You |
| Preceded by "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single November 26, 2000 - December 17, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus |
[edit] References
- ^ "Dog fight over song". Caribbean News Agency. 3 November 2000. p. Pg. 3. http://www.cananews.net/news/. Retrieved 3 April 2010. "Port of Spain, Trinidad CANA - A major legal battle is brewing in a New York court over the rights to "Who Let The Dogs Out", the 1996 calypso which has been transformed into a major international hit by the Bahamian group Baha Men, according to local Press reports. Trinidadian soca artiste Anslem Douglas, who is credited as the composer of the calypso, has found himself at the centre of a battle over rights to the song. Also involved is St. Vincent-born musician Ossie Gurley in whose Toronto recording studio the original calypso was created, and two recording labels - Deston Records and Wingspan Records. Deston Records is the company which gave the song to the Baha Men to record on the S-Curve label, while Wingspan is the record label of rapper Chuck Smooth."
- ^ "All Around The World - Welcome To Clubland". Aatw.com. http://www.aatw.com/audio.php?id=85000020. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "What's that on the wall behind you? The answer!". King of Hits.co.uk. http://www.kingofhits.co.uk/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,54/?g2_itemId=423. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "Fatt Jakk His Pack Of Pets Doggy Who Let The Dogs Out Maxi Cd 1998 ThunderDJ - Download from rapidshare.com". Filestube.com. 2009-05-25. http://www.filestube.com/42103bc4b21d5d2503e9,g/Fatt-Jakk-His-Pack-Of-Pets-Doggy-Who-Let-The-Dogs-Out-Maxi-Cd-1998-ThunderDJ.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Rolling Stone. "Rolling Stone : The 20 Most Annoying Songs". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20071215070630/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/02/the-20-most-annoying-songs/. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Top 20 Worst Songs Ever, Spinner, August 1, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-13
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew (September 11, 2010). "100 Worst Songs Ever -- Part Five of Five". AOL Radio. http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/11/100-worst-songs-ever-part-five-of-five/. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
- ^ 1999 Egg Bowl on YouTube
- ^ "MSU special teams unit covers the field, cuts a rug - University Wire | HighBeam Research - FREE trial". Highbeam.com. 1999-09-17. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-23466373.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out". Ejams.com. http://www.ejams.com/baha_men.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "List: Bands". Musicfanfair.ca. http://www.musicfanfair.ca/html/list__bands.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ All Things Considered (2000-10-03). "Dog Chant". NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1111965. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ 19:46. "Cheesy Chants For Teams/Players". RedCafe.net. http://www.redcafe.net/f7/cheesy-chants-teams-players-142447/. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Who Let the Dogs Out?", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ "Single top 100 over 200" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201994.pdf. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
