Corrections – Who Let the Dogs Out & ACTIVITIES
“Who Let the Dogs Out?” by the Baha Men is a popular, widely known dance song. The song falls under R&B, hip-hop, pop, cum, possibly alternative, as well as straddles the line between Caribbean and modern Bahamian music genres (Philadelphia, 92). The remix is also commonly heard as a clubbing song. Other common activity locations where a listener would hear this song might be on the beach and at the boardwalk, in a gym for stimulating workouts, and also in the concert arena. It could also be a backyard barbecue song (Browne, 80). In the Bahamas, this song would be widely heard because it associates the modern and popular aspects while still maintaining the steadfast musical culture in the Bahamas. This in turn would improve and spread tourism because of the positive association between the Baha Men, the song “Who Let the Dogs Out?”, and the Bahamas. The connection between the Baha Men and tourism is so strong that the official song for Bahamas tourism is “Back to the Island” by the Baha Men (Philadelphia, 92). The reason it accommodates so many areas of activity is because it is upbeat, positive, and fun which brings people together-its a “dance happy track that everyone can enjoy” (Pryce, 14).
Dances that accompany “Who Let the Dogs Out?” would include break dancing and fast paced singular dance improvisation. It would also be a good song for stomp dancing, and maybe even jazz funk. Other movements that work well with the song because of its fast pace and push for locomotion would be running, stepping, and sports in general for warm ups. Still more activities that could accompany “Who Let the Dogs Out?” are jump roping, cheer leading, poms squad and dance competition. The commonality between the Bahamian traditional songs and this Bahamian popular song is the force that encourages a work ethic and a relation to keeping pace to complete a task. It even became a forefront fixture in major athletics in the United States, beginning with Major League Baseball and came to include the Major League Soccer, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and arena football as well as college football and high school teams (Olson, 59). This song really does touch on the feeling of bringing people together, even though the lyrics or theme of the song have nothing to do with a sense of community.
It is appropriate for listeners to be on their feet in a group, not sitting alone in the corner while this song is playing. Etiquette also dictates that you be “loud” and moving during the song. It has a force behind it pushing listeners to get to work and push through to the end; it will keep you going, physical and mentally. Rituals associated with this song are dancing and movement, for any major group setting of motion, i.e. a club, dance, party, concert, or gym.
Because “Who Let the Dog’s Out?” is modern, it accompanies commercials and advertisements on the radio and television (Hay, 14). The song is well known, but more importantly the tune is memorable so even if part or all of the words are changed for advertisement purposes, the song is recognized and its new message is remembered. Furthermore, the use of a music video is another activity common for music lovers today. Therefore, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” can be heard and watched on the web or on television by music fans.
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.
