We_Like_to_Party_(Vengaboys_song)

We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)

We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)

1998 single by Vengaboys


"We Like to Party!" (subtitled "The Vengabus" for its release as a single) is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. It was released in the Netherlands in May 1998 as the fourth single from the band's debut album, Up & Down – The Party Album (1998). Following its success in Benelux, it was given a worldwide release on 9 November 1998.[1]

Quick Facts Single by Vengaboys, from the album Up & Down – The Party Album and The Party Album ...

"We Like to Party!" became one of the band's most successful hits, topping the chart in Flanders, reaching number two in Australia and the Netherlands, and becoming a top-five hit in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is also the band's highest-charting song in the United States, climbing to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in Canada, where it peaked at number 10.

Composition

"We Like to Party!" is a Eurodance song that runs for 3 minutes and 41 seconds. It is written in the key of A-flat major and maintains a tempo of 136 beats per minute in common time.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor William Cooper described it as a "bouncy eurodisco hit", and noted further that it was "reminiscent of Aqua's "Barbie Girl", with its singalong chorus, cutesy female vocal squeal, and wacky synth beats."[2] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "This wildly energetic foursome (two gals, two guys) from the Netherlands is pretty much a household name throughout Europe, where this infectious pop gem has been a constant on radio and in clubs. Already, "We Like To Party!" has gone platinum and double-platinum in Belgium and the act's homeland, respectively. Here, the song could meet a similar fate, especially since it features a sugar-soaked sing-along chorus that hangs out in your head until you beg for relief. That said, people who embraced Aqua's "Barbie Girl", Cleopatra's "Romeo And Juliet", and Los Del Rio's "Macarena" will be lining up for this latest slice of energetic pop. Are you listening, radio? (It's already hit No. 1 on the playlist of dance leader WKTU New York.) Conversely, this will be a no-brainer for club jocks, who continue to make major noise with the group's sweat-soaked debut, "Up and Down"."[3]

An editor from Daily Record called it "cheesy disco from Europe's top selling boy-girl band who are already lining up a massive summer single."[4] Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly commented, "Attention, lovers of cheeseball club music. The Vengaboys' hit "We Like to Party!" combines a campy disco beat, party-girl vocals, and a killer hook in the form of a ship horn in full blare. What began as a beach anthem in Ibiza, Spain, is becoming a Stateside smash on the increasingly Euro-driven U.S. charts. And why not? It's too willfully silly to resist."[5] In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue remarked its "unmistakeable Vengaboys sound", describing it as "a fast-paced energetic track."[6]

Commercial performance

The single proved to be a higher seller than "Up and Down" in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number three in March 1999,[7] eventually selling 474,000 copies, making it the 29th-biggest hit of the year.[8] The song additionally reached number one in Flemish Belgium, number two in Australia and the Netherlands, number three in Ireland, number four in Germany and Switzerland, number six in Austria and Italy, number nine in New Zealand and number 10 in Canada and Walloon Belgium.[9][10][11][12] It additionally reached the top 20 in France.[9] The song became the group's biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and selling 405,000 copies.[13][14]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "We Like to Party" was directed by Wendelien van Diepen.[15] It first aired in March 1999. The video features all four Vengaboys members and other tourists travelling to various destinations in Province of Barcelona, Piera and Gavà, in a 1930s style mini-bus, the "Vengabus" (a 1933 Chevrolet series O Bus), where they end up in a nightclub in La Barceloneta, Barcelona.

A new "silent" version of the video was released in January 2022 via the band's official YouTube channel. It features isolated vocals and dubbed ambient sound effects based on the visuals.[16][17]

Track listings

Charts

More information Chart (1998–1999), Peak position ...

Certifications and sales

More information Region, Certification ...

Release history

More information Region, Date ...

References

  1. Cooper, William. "Vengaboys - The Party Album!". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. Flick, Larry (9 January 1999). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 2. p. 15. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  3. "Chart Slot". Daily Record. 26 March 1999.
  4. Farber, Jim (16 April 1999). "We Like to Party!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  5. "Review: "The Party Album!" by Vengaboys (CD, 1999)". Pop Rescue. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. "Yearly Best Selling Singles" (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  7. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 43. 24 October 1998. p. 16. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 17 April 1999. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  9. Billboard - 25 December 1999 - 1 January 2000 - Page 34 "Vengaboys' "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" sold 405,000 units"
  10. "Vengaboys: We like to party". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  11. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (Dutch CD single liner notes). Breakin' Records. 1998. KRAK4041.
  12. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (Dutch maxi-CD single liner notes). Breakin' Records. 1998. KRAK 4042.
  13. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (French CD single liner notes). Scorpio Music. 1998. 192 542-2.
  14. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (UK CD1 liner notes). Positiva Records. 1999. CDTIVS108, 7243 8 8590 2 4.
  15. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (UK CD2 liner notes). Positiva Records. 1999. CDTIV108, 7243 8 86591 2 3.
  16. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (UK cassette single sleeve). Positiva Records. 1999. TCTIV 108, 7243 8 86590 4 8.
  17. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). Positiva Records. 1999. CSR CD5 0330.
  18. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Groovilicious. 1998. GM061.
  19. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) (US 2×12-inch single vinyl discs). Groovilicious. 1998. GM 061.
  20. Danish Singles Chart. 15 January 1999.
  21. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 12. 20 March 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  22. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Vengaboys". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 273. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  23. "Top 10 National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  24. "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 20 March 1999. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  25. "Pop Airplay". Billboard. 15 May 1999. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  26. "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. 20 February 1999. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  27. "Rhythmic Airplay". Billboard. 17 April 1999. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  29. "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  30. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  31. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1998" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  33. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". ARIA. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  34. "Rapports annuels 1999" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  35. "RPM 1999 Top 50 Dance Tracks". RPM. Retrieved 9 August 2019 via Library and Archives Canada.
  36. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  37. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005.
  38. "Most Broadcast of 1999: Pop Top 20 Tracks of 1999" (PDF). Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 32. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  39. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. 24 December 1999. p. 54.
  40. "1999 The Year in Music: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. 25 December 1999. p. YE-60.
  41. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. 24 December 1999. p. 53.
  42. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  43. "Dutch single certifications – Vengaboys – We Like to Party" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Enter We Like to Party in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1998 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  44. "New Releases – For Week Starting 1 March, 1999: Singles". Music Week. 27 February 1999. p. 25.
  45. Howard, Theresa (11 July 2004). "Dancing Mr. Six scores with viewers of Six Flags ads". USA Today. Retrieved 10 June 2017.

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