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Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday

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"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday"
Single by Boney M
Released26 March 1979
Recorded1979
GenreReggae, Euro disco
Length3:56
LabelHansa Records (FRG)
Songwriter(s)Frank Farian, Fred Jay
Producer(s)Frank Farian
Boney M singles chronology
"Painter Man"
(1979) 		"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday"
(1979) 		"El Lute / Gotta Go Home"
(1979)
Audio video
"Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi- Holiday" on YouTube

"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" is a 1979 single by German Euro disco band Boney M. as an adaptation of the song, "Polly Wolly Doodle". Despite breaking their row of 7 consecutive German #1 singles, peaking at #4, the single was a big hit all over Europe, peaking at #3 in the UK. The song and its B-side, "Ribbons of Blue", were taken from the movie Disco Fever. "Ribbons of Blue" has a strong country feel with the addition of a pedal steel guitar. Even though the single cover announced the arrival of the next Boney M. album, Oceans of Fantasy, it would still be another six months before the album was released, and of the two songs, only "Ribbons of Blue" (penned by the group's drummer, Keith Forsey) was included and just in a one- or two-minute edit, depending on the pressing.

Single

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Unlike other Boney M. singles, there appears to be no different mixes. In Germany, this was the first single to picture a specially designed label with a star-spangled Boney M. logo on a blue background. In the UK, the single was released in a picture sleeve – it was also pressed on a picture disc and a 12" clear yellow vinyl with card picture cover insert.

Reception

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Smash Hits said, "If a knees-up in a holiday camp is your idea of a good time, then you might possibly - just possibly - enjoy this excruciatingly dreadful singalongaboney. But make no mistake, whether you love it or hate it, you will hear it.[1]

Chart positions

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Chart (1979) Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF)[2] 5

Releases

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7" singles

  • "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (3:56) / "Ribbons of Blue" (4:02) – (Hansa Int. 100 444–100, Germany)
  • "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (3:56) / "Ribbons of Blue" (4:02) – (Atlantic K 11279 / Picture disc K 11279P, UK)

12" single

  • "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (3:56) / "Ribbons of Blue" (4:02) – (Atlantic K 11279T, UK)

"Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)"

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"Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)"
Single by Boney M.
from the album 20th Century Hits
Released8 November 1999
LabelBMG Records (FRG)
Songwriter(s)F. Farian, F. Jay, Bob Marley
Producer(s)Frank Farian
Boney M. singles chronology
"Daddy Cool '99"
(1999) 		"Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)"
(1999) 		"Sunny (Remix)"
(2000)

"Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" is a Double A-side Boney M. single from 1999 with a new remix of their 1979 hit "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" and a Megamix of their hits "Brown Girl in the Ring", "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" and "No Woman No Cry", all taken from their remix album 20th Century Hits, released at the same time. The single fared poorly, peaking at just #79 in the German charts and #80 in the Swiss charts. After producer Frank Farian had dropped the idea of launching an all-new Boney M. line-up with young people, he announced that original lead singer Liz Mitchell and her Boney M. line-up would promote the album before dropping this idea again. Consequently, the accompanying video featured a cartoon movie of the original group. The 12" single featured "Tropical" and "Carnival" mixes, both unavailable on CD.

Releases

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CD

  • Boney M. 2000: "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" (BMG 74321 71064 2, 1999)
  1. "Caribbean Night Fever – Megamix" (Radio Edit) – 3:55
  2. "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (Radio Edit) – 3:30
  3. "Caribbean Night Fever" (Extended Version) – 5:28
  4. "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (Extended Version) – 4:26
  5. "Brown Girl in the Ring" (Remix) – 4:01

12" single

  • Boney M. 2000: "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" (BMG 74321 71114 1, 1999)

"Caribbean Night Fever – Megamix" (Extended Version) – 5:26 / "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (Extended Version) – 4:26 / "Caribbean Tropical Mix" – 6:02 / "Caribbean Carnival Mix" – 6:02

Chart positions

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Chart positions (1999–2000) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[3] 79
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4] 47
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[5] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] 80

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[7] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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"(Hooray Hooray) It's a Cheeky Holiday"
Single by Cheeky Girls
from the album Party Time
Released4 August 2003 (2003-08-04)[9]
Recorded2002
Length3:04
LabelMultiply
Songwriter(s)Frank Farian, Fred Jay, the Cheeky Boyz, Margaret Irimia-Semal
Producer(s)The Cheeky Boyz
Cheeky Girls singles chronology
"Take Your Shoes Off"
(2003) 		"(Hooray Hooray) It's a Cheeky Holiday"
(2003) 		"Have a Cheeky Christmas"
(2003)
Music video
"Hooray Hooray (It's a Cheeky Holiday)" on YouTube
  • The Spanish group Parchís covered the song on their first LP under the same title, but sung completely in Spanish by the two female vocalists in the group: Gemma and Yolanda.
  • Hong Kong singer Susanna Kwan covered the song in Cantonese in 1979 as "Summer Delight" (夏日多歡享 ha yat dor foon heung) on her album Wing han dik foo pak (永恒的琥珀).
  • Danish singer Birthe Kjær covered the song in Danish in 1980 as "Hurra! Hurra! Sikken dejlig dag".
  • Ricky Martin covered the song in Spanish in 1993 on his album Me Amarás.
  • The Cheeky Girls did a cover of this song, "(Hooray Hooray) It's a Cheeky Holiday", as a follow-up to their successful debut single, "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)". Their version gave them their third top-five hit in the UK, peaking at number three.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cliff White (3 May 1979). "Singles". Smash Hits. No. 11.
  2. ^ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 25 August 1979. p. 38.
  3. ^ "Boney M. 2000 – Caribbean Night Fever - Megamix" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  4. ^ "Boney M. 2000 – Hooray! Hooray!". Top 40 Singles.
  5. ^ "Boney M. 2000 – Hooray! Hooray!" Canciones Top 50.
  6. ^ "Boney M. 2000 – Hooray! Hooray!". Swiss Singles Chart.
  7. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Boney M – Hooray! Hooray !" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 13 July 2019. Enter Hooray! Hooray ! in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  8. ^ "British single certifications – Boney M – Hooray Hooray Its A Holi-Holiday". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Key Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 August 2003. p. 19. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Cheeky Girls". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
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