- Title: VARIOUS: 'MACARENA' BECOMES SUMMER DANCE HIT
- Date: 24th July 1996
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (JULY 28, 1996) (RTV) PEOPLE DANCING TO "MACARENA" IN A NIGHT CLUB
- Embargoed: 8th August 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/MADRID, SPAIN/ SEATTLE, UNITED STATES
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA86XC8S815SINPMWESJSH6FG4E
- Story Text: An absurdly catchy Spanish dance tune has become the hit of the northern summer, energising clubs, setting a world dance record and ending a ban on dancing in one small U.S. town.
"Macarena," first recorded by the Spanish flamenco duo Los Del Rio two years ago, has stormed up charts from London to Oslo. In Britain it set a record, leaping 63 places on the singles chart before shimmying into the top 10.
A rival version of "Macarena" by another Spanish group, Los Del Mar, is even vying with the original for airplay.
While Britain may have been slow to catch on, the song is already a chart-topping hit in France, Denmark and Belgium, and has made the top 5 in Spain, Norway, Finland, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Ireland and Switzerland.
Either infectious or irritating - depending on your point of view - the song is being bought by holidaymakers across Europe.
A video guide to the raunchy, hip-swinging dance is due out in the U.S., and instructions for novices have also been posted on the Internet.
The song made the world line dance record earlier this year when around 40,000 fans at a Seattle football game wriggled their way through the steps. The record was previously held by Dallas, Texas, where 4,700 people danced to the hit.
"Macarena" also helped end a 130-year-old ban on dancing in the tiny U.S. town of Baylor. Thousands of students celebrated with a Macarena marathon.
Antonio Romero Monge, of Los Del Rio, partly attributes the song's success to its lyrics. The chorus began as a tribute by the 47-year-old singer to a flamenco dancer, and means: "Give your body joy, Macarena. Your body is to give joy and good things." The other member of Los Del Rio, Rafael Ruiz, also 47, said he was amazed the song had been chosen by the whole world.
It's being sung in Beirut, in Bosnia, and Australian tourists in Spain say they will take the disc back Down Under. The Pope granted the duo a private audience after sales of Macarena soared in Italy.
Los Del Mar's rival Macarena is also selling well. A more modern dance version, it is now on several European charts.
The song has also been covered by many artists, including 16 in Mexico alone. There are three versions in Canada, one in Brazil and another in Italy.
Macarena is not a one-hit wonder by Los Del Rio. The prodigious duo have produced 31 albums during their 30-year career. Yet it is Macarena that will go down in history as the most successful Spanish song in decades. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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