Before you come after me with pitchforks, consider the fact that this was a trend in the days before the internet was common, we only really had magazines and television (not YouTube) to guide us on trends, and well, we were sorta dumb enough to fall into this trap.
Only in the 1990s, my friends.
Today kicks off July’s dance fad theme – five weeks, five different fad dances we all (willingly or otherwise) participated in at some point. Partially inspired by my wedding last month, with further inspiration by seeing the music video for today’s song/dance before seeing Friends! A Musical Parody (the Pop-Up Video version, if you need any more of a fad-type reference), as well as my dance background, this one was a no-brainer.
The last Saturday of July (until last year) was National Dance Day (as of 2019, it is now the third Saturday in September). That certainly didn’t hurt either.
Spoiler alert, “The Chicken Dance” is not part of this month’s dances, but we did do that at my wedding (along with a few other “fad” wedding staples, one of which will be featured).
Anyway, let’s get in the “time machine” and head back to the magical year of…1993. It will be important to start here, and work our way to the mid-1990s.
Onward!
1993
“Macarena,” as it was originally intended, was released in 1993 as a rumba, and was the first of six versions (yes, six!) associated with Los Del Rio. Now, the interesting story about Los Del Rio is that as a duo, they had been making music since 1962. So they had those whole other career before their association with a fad song/dance combination. However, they weren’t the originators of the version that became the huge fad of the mid-1990s (one of many, of course!) – that would be the Bayside Boys.
Flash forward to…
1996
In mid-1996, a version of “Macarena” incorporating English language lyrics was remixed by Bayside Boys. The song first came into notice on the mainstream level when clubgoers in Miami requested the song to DJ Jammin Jimmy Caride, who worked at both a nightclub and radio station Power 96 in Miami. He brought it to the attention of his supervisor at Power 96, who requested the creation of an English-language version of the song. In addition to the English-language lyrics, a dance beat specifically targeted to American and British audiences, a female studio musician recorded the English-language lyrics.
This version of the song, still credited to Los del Rio, but considered the “Bayside Boys Mix,” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1996, spending 14 weeks in that spot, and stayed on the charts for 46 weeks (!), moving back to #1 in its final week.
And if you want to counter a fad with a fad, this song was kept out of the #1 spot by The Spice Girls song “Wannabe.”
Yeah, I really have nothing, except I fell into both fads.
So, as for that dance…
Do The Macarena!
I was thirteen years old in the summer of 1996, when “Macarena” was released. I remember watching the dance being performed at the MTV Beach House that summer, and everyone was doing it. You had little kids doing it in preschool (I have a cousin who used to do it adorably as a three-year-old), and grandparents learning how to do it. It was even done at the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and even shown being done by delegates on CSPAN. You know that had to be the most exciting day of CSPAN watching EVER!
I actually remember seeing it too!
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I’m not huge on politics or anything, but CSPAN was LIT that day!
As for the grandparents learning the dance, I know all about this. My maternal grandmother (who passed away in 2015) really wanted to know how to do “Macarena.” Guess who got to teach grandma how to “Macarena”?
The song was The Dance at the middle school (and I’m sure high school) dances and anywhere dancing could potentially break out. We did it at a small backyard Fourth of July party when I was in middle school, and years later at a work event. Pathetically enough, this dance is hard to forget. It buries itself in your subconscious with all the other allegedly forgotten nostalgia.
It also turns up in instructional videos on YouTube!
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So, Who is “Macarena”?
I wonder if Los del Rio had some kind of inspiration for Macarena and her actions?
From songs about cheating girlfriends, and dances set to it…
The Music Video
I don’t think I have to tell you about the music video that launched the dance, since it was all over television in the summer of 1996. Like I said, I learned the dance from watching MTV’s summer programming. This music video has been permanently burned into my head, and seeing the music video in – of all places, Las Vegas – on my honeymoon only pushed it back to the forefront of my consciousness all over again.
Not like I actually forgot about it, but let’s just say I put this on the “banned” list for my wedding music. I draw the line at “The Chicken Dance.” Though that was a huge laugh, this would have been interesting to see how many adults actually remember how to do this. Considering that alot of the attendees were teenagers when “Macarena” was at its peak, I wouldn’t be shocked if we had a larger group doing this.
Anyway, let’s relive the time a bunch of professional music video dancers in very 1990s attire performed it. Because the internet won’t let us forget.
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Oh, and there’s the Pop-Up Video version as well, which is the reason I even chose this topic.
You’re welcome.
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And Now, You!
Surely you’ve done the “Macarena,” or been somewhere where this was done. Did you follow the trend? Tell me your memories of shaking your hips and yelling “HEY, MACARENA!”
Next week, another fad dance!
Have a great day!