"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" is a song by Jamaican reggae fusion band Inner Circle, released in July 1992 by Warner Records as the lead single from their twelfth album, Bad to the Bone (1992). It was written by the band's Ian and Roger Lewis, and produced by them with another band member, Touter Harvey. The song became a number-one hit in Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe. In the US, it reached numbers 16 and 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. The accompanying music video, depicting the group on the beach, was directed by Mathias Julien. Australian music channel Max included "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" in their list "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2017.[1]
The song received favorable reviews from music critics. Larry Flick from Billboard noted 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 Cash Box 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 the Gavin Report named it a "winner", adding, "one listen—slam dunk!"[4] Another Gavin Report editor, Rod Edwards, wrote that "complete with a "sing-along" chorus, the reggae/dancehall appeal of this song should continue their success in the U.S."[5]
In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said that "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" "is certainly a cod-reggae classic to rank alongside Girly Girly and Real Fashion Reggae Style which were both Top 10 hits in the mid-80s."[6]James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described it as an "appealing but old fashioned pop reggae swayer".[7] Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times constated that "their pop-reggae may not be all that provocative or tough-edged, but it's supple and eminently hummable."[8] Andrew Love from Ocala Star-Banner picked the song as one of the "greats" on their Bad Boys album.[9] Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits declared it as "a bounce-along beach party of a choon with a "la la la" chorus".[10]
Chart performanceedit
"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 (2), Denmark (2), Finland (5), Greece (9), Ireland (3), Norway (8), Sweden (2) and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single also peaked at number two. In the UK, it hit number three on the UK Singles Chart, on 16 May 1993[11] and number six on the UK Dance Singles Chart. 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 two, and New Zealand, where it reached number-one. In the United States, the song peaked at numbers 16 and 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. And in Canada, it reached number 38 on the RPM Top Singles chart. The song was also ranked number 94 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993.
"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" earned a gold record in Austria and the Netherlands, with a sale of 15,000 and 50,000 singles, as well as in the UK and US, where 400,000 and 500,000 units were sold. In Germany, it received a platinum record, with a sale of 200,000 singles.
Music videoedit
A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Mathias Jullien.[12] In the video, the band performs the song on the beach among bathers. They are often seen in front of female dancers and a colorful backdrop in green, red and yellow. Other times, the band performs on a stage, in front of a large crowd. Occasionally there are some black and white footage. The video was later made available on YouTube in 2009, and had generated more than 145 million views as of February 2024.[13] Julien would also be directing the video for the group's 1994 hit single "Games People Play".
Covers and adaptationsedit
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").[14]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 42. 17 October 1992. p. 28. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
^"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 44. 31 October 1992. p. 23. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
^"Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 12 June 1993. p. 16. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
^"Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^"Inner Circle Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^"Inner Circle Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
^"Inner Circle Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
^"Inner Circle Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
^"Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVII, no. 7. 9 October 1993. p. 10. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
^* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
^"SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^1992 Austrian Singles Chart. Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
^"Jaaroverzichten 1992". Ultratop. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
^"Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
^"Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
^1992 Swiss Singles Chart. Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
^1993 Australian Singles Chart. Aria.com. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
^"1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^"Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^"Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
^"End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
^"Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
^"Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
^"Austrian single certifications – Inner Circle – Sweat" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Inner Circle; 'Sweat')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 July 2022.