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Spicy new ketchup
A. VISHNU
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After `Macarena', another Spanish dance-song takes India and the world by storm — and this time the lyrics are nothing but pure gibberish! Check out the latest album, `Del Tomato'.
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MACARENA WAS more than just a hit dance song when it was first released in 1996 by Los Del Rio. It opened the doors to Spanish pop music, which pretty soon, began getting noticed worldwide. There was a time when half the international releases had a tint of Spanish and `Latino' in them. Tic Tic Tac was the second major hit which was soon followed by the likes of Gloria Estefan (Oye), Ricky Martin (Maria, Livin' La Vida Loca), and more recently Shakira, who sings in English, but mostly to Spanish music.
Just when we thought Spanish music had peaked, the airwaves and the TV channels are flooded with one particular song, which has caught the fancy of listeners around the globe. The Ketchup Song is the debut single of a sister-trio (Lola, Lucia and Pilar Munoz) who call themselves `Las Ketchup'. The girls have named the band after their Father, Tomate Munoz, who is a renowned Flamenco guitarist from Cordoba, Spain. Though the song, Asereje, is essentially in Spanish, an English translation called The Ketchup Song is included in their album out last week in the country: Del Tomato (Cassette: Sony Music; Rs. 100).
The song has a lively, energetic feel to it, with fast `rappish' vocals and some folksy accomplishments. The song is actually a song about another song. According to the group's biographical notes, the song tells the story of a guy called Diego, who likes a popular 1979 tune (Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang), but he does not know the English lyrics properly and so he pronounces them as gibberish. Sounds strange? Sure does, and the very reason why the song has become the talk of the town, is that for the first time ever, a song features gibberish as lyrics.
Majavi an de bugui an de budidipi, which forms the main chorus, is a veritable tongue twister and means — nothing.
The album features the song in four different versions. The `Spanglish' version which has English lyrics; a pure Spanish version; a `hippy' version and a sing-along Karaoke version.
The video too, is gaining huge popularity and just like the Macarena, people have actually started doing The Ketchup Dance. Compared to the "Macarena", the "ketchup dance" is said to be much easier with simpler hand movements.
In fact, a search for "ketchup dance" on the Internet results in quite a number of websites which give you illustrative tutorials on how to master the dance (see box).
Other songs in the album like Kusha Las Payas and Tengo Un Novio Tantriko are hugely danceable as well, but The Ketchup Song steals the show. And why not? Never before in the history of popular music has "gibberish" topped the charts in the entire South American continent and has toppled even Eminem off the No. 1 spot.
Well, all we can say is "Ufergerts tumbagercko". Didn't get that? You don't have to. It's the latest fad — to talk gibberish!
6 steps to ketchup dance
WANT TO do `The Ketchup Dance'? Here's how — in six steps!
1. Cross hands across torso, alternate your left hand over right hand (six times)
2. Hitch a ride to the right and repeat to the left
3. Move both arms in small circular motions over your head
4. Move right hand to front of head and left hand to back of head
5. With hands to front and back of head, move knees together and away from each other (4 times)
6. Now just wiggle!
A. VISHNU
vishnua@hotmail.com
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