Pitbull - 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)'
I known it's the height of ignorance, and impossible to defend, but am I the only person who wonders if people talking in a different language (to any that I understand) might just be making it up?
It's not a thought that I condone, nor is it anything to be proud of, but I have a very dear friend who is Spanish, and he talks to his family - often quite heatedly - in Spanish on the phone, and it always makes me giggle. The reason for this is very simple. I do not speak Spanish, so the difference in sound between him talking in the language of his forebears and him just yelling random syllables in a Speedy Gonzales accent is close to nothing.
(Here's the video. You know that's not a real policewoman, don't you?)
I mention this because there's a verse in this song which is in Spanish (I think. Such is my massive ignorance I'm not even sure. It's the Brazilian footy strip in the video which is throwing me off. Could it be Portugese? Iunno...), and it is clearly supposed to be sexy, just like the brutally blunt verses, which are in English.
Somehow the end result is more gigglesome than wrigglesome. Which detracts from the fun in no way whatsoever. I don't know if it has a different effect on The Ladies, but I'm basically fine with a pumped up dance version of a very familiar piece of music, with a funny man on the top shouting about how aroused he is and occasionally counting on his fingers.
I was fine when Lou Bega did it - 'Mambo No.5', anyone? - and I'm fine now. And let me tell you, I'll be fine when some Russian dance DJ does something similar with the music from Tetris.
You can just hear it, can't you?
"Sexy ladies on my block, red square, big line, cardboard box
Love you love you all the time, один два три четыре"
Download: Out now
CD Released: July 20th
www.myspace.com/pitbull
BBC Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 16:31 21st Jul 2009, Daniel wrote:Wow, Fraser! You should should really get into song writing with lyrical skills like that! =D
Erm... This song is... Erm...
Well, I don't turn it off if it comes on, and it is on my iPod. It's much more of a fun 'thing' than it is music but it's alright I guess. One of those novelty Las Ketchup kinda songs.
I can really imagine DJ Talent (From Britains Got Talent, if anyone remembers him?) shouting this, and if the radio DJ hadn't introduced the artist before he played the song, I could see myself easily thinking it was him.
It's never good to be compared to DJ Talent though is it?!
3 Stars, Fraser! C'mon!
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Comment number 2.
At 16:40 21st Jul 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Sorry, the judge's decision is final.
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Comment number 3.
At 16:49 21st Jul 2009, Daniel wrote:BUT I'VE WANTED IT ALL MY LIFE!! IT'S MY DREAM!!!!
I'M MEANT TO RATE THINGS! I KNOW I AM!
What if I rate something else!?!!! Give me another chance!!
hahaha, I can't wait for X Factor to start again!
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Comment number 4.
At 17:02 21st Jul 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Haha! ;-)
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Comment number 5.
At 23:15 21st Jul 2009, thranjax wrote:The very definition of a video to watch with the sound off.
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Comment number 6.
At 18:31 22nd Jul 2009, spirit wrote:This is a dancefloor monster , currently in the top ten .
Love dancin to this !
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Comment number 7.
At 18:05 23rd Jul 2009, NOSH33N_x wrote:i like this song :) and i like the spanish bit :D lol x
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Comment number 8.
At 21:53 24th Jul 2009, Kim-ley wrote:Sort of sticking with Fraser's review, are there any other words in the chorus besides "I know you want me, you know I want cha" and 1, 2, 3, 4 in two different languages? In all honesty, I don't understand this song, but I don't turn it off when it's on the radio either.
And Fraser, I took Spanish for 4 years, and I'm not sure whether he's speaking Spanish or Portuguese. My guess is Spanish. Either way a sort of silly and decent song.
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Comment number 9.
At 23:43 24th Jul 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:I KNEW he was just making it up!!
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Comment number 10.
At 00:49 26th Jul 2009, blatentLies wrote:Ok so this song is a bit pointless in its lack of lyrics,
the video isnt exactly of hollywood-standard,
but this is a tune that will take us all back to the summer,
when you hear it in the winter. (If we somehow hear it in the winter!)
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Comment number 11.
At 17:56 9th Aug 2009, EminemFanOfBeautiful wrote:You know i wantcha you know u want me lol ur song is the best where are u on top 40 this sunday???? are u first
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Comment number 12.
At 14:31 19th Aug 2009, eamorim wrote:I know I'm a bit late with the comment, but since people were wondering..! The counting in the song is definitely done in Spanish (uno, dos, tres, cuatro). Not easy to catch, especially since there's the football in the video and the lyrics mention Brazil! To be fair, a lot of people don't know we speak Portuguese and not Spanish in Brazil...
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Comment number 13.
At 07:13 24th Oct 2009, kevinadams05 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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