Flashback Friday: Los del Rio ‘Macarena’

Welcome to the B101.7 Flashback Friday Spotlight fiesta for May 2nd. It's a weekend connected to Cinco de Mayo! Let's party!

When I stopped to think about what one flashback song fits as tie into the holiday. Hey, how about the one-hit-wonder 'Macarena' from Los del Rio?! It's fun, it's a dance, it is Spanish language parts. It's a good fit, but not perfect. The duo that make up Los del Rio are not Mexican, rather they are from Spain. It still fits the occasion.

The song was pretty a big deal back in the day. Check out these notes from Wikipedia:

The reworked "Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)" spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, one of the longest runs atop the Hot 100 chart in history. The single spent its final week at No. 1 on its 46th week on the chart, recorded as the latest No. 1 single in Hot 100 history. During its heyday, the song was played frequently at professional athletic games, rallies, conventions, and other places. Many believe that a world record for group dancing was set in 1996, when a crowd of 50,000 people danced the Macarena in Yankee Stadium in New York City.

I get it, there are plenty of people who really don't understand what the holiday is about. Here's a bit of an explanation from History.com:

Cinco de Mayo—or the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States.

Now, I would quickly assume everyone knows when the holiday is on the calendar. Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for 5th of May. Simple, right? Oh, not so fast. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel went to the street to find plenty of people who didn't know. One lady even said Cinco de Mayo is on December 25th. Really.

Jimmy Kimmel 'When is Cinco de Mayo?'

Do you remember how to do the dance? Here's the video for this flashback!!

Los del Rio 'Macarena'

Listen to B101.7 Friday at 5pm for the Flashback Friday Spotlight with Greg Thomas. Get more flashbacks with the B101.7 Saturday Night Party (8pm-1am) with Louie Linguini.