Sweat (A La La La La Long)

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"Sweat (A La La La La Long)"
Sweat (a la la la la long).jpg
Single by Inner Circle
from the album Bad to the Bone
Released10 July 1992 (1992-07-10)
Recorded1992
GenreReggae fusion
Length3:46
Label
  • Warner
  • WEA
Songwriter(s)
  • Ian Lewis
  • Roger Lewis
Producer(s)Ian Lewis, Roger Lewis,
Touter Harvey
Inner Circle singles chronology
"Bad Boys"
(1992) 		"Sweat (A La La La La Long)"
(1992) 		"Games People Play"
(1994)
Music video
"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" on YouTube

"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" is a song by the Jamaican reggae fusion group Inner Circle. It was released in 1992 as the lead single from their album, Bad to the Bone. The song was a number-one hit in Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. Australian music channel Max ranked it number 843 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2017.[1]

Critical reception[]

The song received favorable reviews from music critics. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that it "clips along at a fun and swaying pace. Topping on the cake is a sing-along refrain and chorus that will be the soundtrack to a bright summer day."[2] Troy J. Augusto from Cashbox stated, "Actually, this incredibly catchy and brisk pop/raga-tune will rule the summer airwaves as the band sweats all the way to the bank."[3] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report called it a "winner", adding, "one listen—slam dunk!"[4] Another editor, Rod Edwards stated that "complete with a "sing-along" chorus, the reggae/dancehall appeal of this song should continue their success in the U.S."[5] James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described it as an "appealing but old fashioned pop reggae swayer".[6] Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times said that "their pop-reggae may not be all that provocative or tough-edged, but it's supple and eminently hummable."[7] Andrew Love from Ocala Star-Banner picked the song as one of the "greats" on their Bad Boys album.[8] Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits deemed it "a bounce-along beach party of a choon with a "la la la" chorus".[9]

Chart performance[]

"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" achieved a great success on the charts particularly in Europe, where it was a Top 10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single peaked at number 2. In the UK, it hit number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, on May 16, 1993.[10] It is the group's highest-charting song in the UK to date, and it topped the charts in Switzerland and Germany for six and twelve weeks, respectively. It also reached number-one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Outside Europe, "Sweat" was a hit in Israel and Zimbabwe where it was peaking at number-one for three weeks, in Australia, reaching number 2, and New Zealand, where it reached number-one. In the United States, the song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. And in Canada, it went to number 38 on the RPM Singles Chart. The song was also ranked number 94 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993. It earned a gold record in Austria, with a sale of 15,000 singles, a silver record in the UK, where 200,000 units were sold and a platinum record in Germany, with a sale of 200,000 singles.

Music video[]

A music video was made to accompany the song. It was directed by Mathias Julien.[11] The video was uploaded to YouTube in September 2018. As of September 2020, it has got more than 2.8 million views.[12]

Covers and adaptations[]

The popularity of the song has resulted in many covers and even parodies. The song in Malaysia spawned a parody song by Poe called "Alalalala Tuk (Jangan Saman)" (Please Officer, Don't Fine Me).[13]

The winner of season 7 of the German music competition Deutschland sucht den Superstar in 2010 Mehrzad Marashi had it as his debut release after his win. The release also featured Mark Medlock winner in the same show in season four in 2007.

Track listings[]

7" single
  1. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  2. "Bad Boys" (original mix) — 3:50
12" maxi, Europe
  1. "Sweat" (swemix remix) — 5:35
  2. "Sweat" (sweatbox construction) — 7:51
  3. "Sweat" (circle zone dub mix) — 5:09
12" maxi, US
  1. "Sweat" (Don T's dancehall version) — 3:54
  2. "Sweat" (JJ's glamarama remix) — 5:27
  3. "Sweat" (Don T's dub version) — 3:53
  4. "Sweat" (Dave Morales def mix) — 4:53
  5. "Sweat" (Dave's def raggamuffin dub) — 4:07
  6. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
CD single
  1. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  2. "Sweat" (sweatbox construction) — 7:51
  3. "Sweat" (circle zone dub mix) — 5:09
  4. "Bad Boys" (original mix) — 3:50
CD maxi
  1. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  2. "Sweat" (sweatbox construction) — 7:56
  3. "Sweat" (circle zone dub mix) — 5:14
  4. "Bad Boys" (original mix) — 3:51
CD maxi - Remixes
  1. "Sweat" (swemix edit) — 4:20
  2. "Sweat" (JJ's glamarama remix) — 5:27
  3. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  4. "Sweat" (JJ's ragga zone dub) — 4:16
  5. "Sweat" (DJ beats) — 2:30
Cassette
  1. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  2. "Bad Boys" (original mix) — 3:50
  3. "Sweat" (original version) — 3:46
  4. "Bad Boys" (original mix) — 3:50

Charts and sales[]

Mehrzad Marashi and Mark Medlock version[]

"Sweat (A La La La La Long)"
Single by Mehrzad Marashi and
Mark Medlock
Released2010
Recorded2010
GenreReggae fusion, pop
Songwriter(s)Ian Lewis, Roger Lewis
Producer(s)Dieter Bohlen

In 2010, Mehrzad Marashi and Mark Medlock (both winners of Deutschland sucht den Superstar) released a joint cover version.

The song was a big success in Europe topping at number two in Germany, number seven in Austria and number 16 in Switzerland.

References[]

  1. ^ "1000 Greatest Songs Of All Time…". Max. 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. July 3, 1993. p. 66. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Augusto, Troy J. (July 10, 1993). "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 13. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Sholin, Dave (June 25, 1993). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 46. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Edwards, Rod (July 16, 1993). "Urban: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 22. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Hamilton, James (April 24, 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 2. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "Real blues from living masters". New Straits Times. December 2, 1992. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "'Bad Boys' goes to reggae's roots". Ocala Star-Banner. July 23, 1993. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Sutherland, Mark (August 17, 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 51. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 16 May 1993 - 22 May 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  11. ^ "Games People Play by Inner Circle". IMVDb. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Inner Circle - Sweat (A La La La La Long)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  13. ^ "POE - Saman". Youtube. 1 March 2008.
  14. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2305." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  19. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. October 31, 1992. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  20. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  23. ^ "Top 10 Greece" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  24. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Inner Circle - Sweat (a la la la la long)" (PDF). Music Week. 1993-04-17. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Inner Circle" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  27. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". Top 40 Singles.
  29. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". VG-lista.
  30. ^ "Top 10 Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  31. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". Singles Top 100.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  33. ^ "Inner Circle: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  34. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Inner Circle Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Inner Circle Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  37. ^ "Inner Circle Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Inner Circle Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  39. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  40. ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  41. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  42. ^ 1992 Austrian Singles Chart. Austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1992". Ultratop. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  44. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  45. ^ "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  46. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  47. ^ 1992 Swiss Singles Chart. Hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  48. ^ 1993 Australian Singles Chart. Aria.com. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  49. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  51. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  52. ^ "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  53. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  54. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  55. ^ Austrian certifications. Ifpi.at Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  56. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Sweat')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  57. ^ UK certifications. Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  58. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-01-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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