Corrections – Popular Bahamian Song and Material Culture

Popular Bahamian Song and Material Culture

“Who Let the Dog’s Out?” by the Baha Men was released in 2000. The success of the song is due in part to an increase in economic success of the Bahamas from tourism which increased the exposure of the Baha Men (originally from Nassau) and vice versa. The exposure of the Baha Men band has thrown a positive light on the Bahamas with its showing of the Bahama environment in the pictures included on the album and in the music video. The Bahama economy is driven by tourism with more than 40 percent of the people employed within the tourism industry (Williams, 30). ”Being a Baha Man in the Bahamas is like being a Yankee in New York City”; extremely popular and famous (Philadelphia, 92). The interconnection between the advertisement of the Bahamas as a tourist attraction and the Baha Men as musicians from the Bahamas are interconnected.

The song has an obvious connection to dogs and gates and doors releasing dogs.  It also has a material connection to associating letting the dogs out with letting the party out.  In terms of the material culture associated with the audience, they would be drinking, partying, and moving in some way to the music.  Previously, I have stated the wide use of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” to exercising, beach going, board walks, sports teams, and dance clubs.  There is a specific material culture connection with Major League Baseball since Pro Sports Music Marketing distributed the Baha Men’s CD to the teams to use as anthem and warmup songs (Olson, 59). The point was to transform and enhance the fan experience with music and music videos, i.e. another material culture connection.  Furthermore, the song is associated with other objects in terms of its use in advertisements.  Whichever advertisement uses the song, thereby makes a material connection to the product…i.e. I have heard it on the radio for car sales and on tv for television movies, so the song is connected to cars and television shows (Hay,15). 

This song also has a large fan base of children, particularly since it won the 2002 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Band and Favorite Song (Philadelphia, 92). This allows it to be used more widely to sell children’s themed toys and entertainment.  Another connected material culture of this song is CD’s, radios, records, production equipment and all the pieces that are necessary to create, produce, and listen to the song.  Since the progression of music videos and computer access, there are still more opportunities to see, watch, and listen to the song “Who Let the Dogs Out?” and the Baha Men.

In the song, the band has incorporated traditional instruments like the guitar, cowbells, and goat skin drum as well as more modern instruments like the keyboard.  The type of music that Baha Men are playing is so attractive to the current generation, while in this song they have used instruments that would have been played a hundred years ago (Hay, 15). In the Bahamas men tend to go shirtless, and on the cover of the album the band is wearing clothes that are fashionable.  Even the way that this album has been advertised shows the beauty, party friendly, and attractiveness of the Bahamas.  At the same time, the talent and good looks of the band members advertise still another aspect of the Bahama Islands. 

In conclusion, the basic materials that support the song and its production vary greatly, and because of the times and the progress within the Bahamas, there is an attraction for an audience that will pay money to hear “Who Let the Dogs Out?” thereby extending the popularity and economic success of one song to the Bahama Islands whole.

References

Baha Men. Who Let The Dogs Out. Artemis Records. 2000.

Binelli, Mark. “The Men Who Let the Dogs Out.” Rolling Stone (853) 9 Nov. 2000: 2+.

Browne, David. “Baha Men.” Entertainment Weekly (642) 1 Mar. 2002: 80+.

Hay, Carla. Letting ‘Dogs Out’ Benefits Baha Men as S-Curve Drives U.S.” Billboard 112.37 9 Sept. 2000: 15+.

Olson, Catherine A. “Pro Sports Marketing Pitches Hits for Athletic Events.” Billboard 114.39 28 Sept. 2002: 59.

Philadelphia, Desa “Northern Exposure.” Time 156.18 30 Oct. 2000: 92+.

Pryce, Vinette K. Bahamas’ Grammy Winners on Tour. New York Amsterdam News, 93.12 21 Mar. 2002: 14.

Williams, Colleen Madonna Flood. The Bahamas. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2004.