Pump It
Encyclopedia
"Pump It" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas
that heavily incorporates music from the Dick Dale
version of the song "Misirlou
" (known by many for being featured in the Quentin Tarantino
movie Pulp Fiction
). "Misirlou" is a popular folk song of Greek origin, originally performed by the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band in Athens, Greece 1927; but Nicholas Roubanis, who accredited himself as writer in a jazz version he recorded, was given writing credit on "Pump It." This was released as the fourth single
from The Black Eyed Peas's 2005 album Monkey Business
. The song was also featured in commercial spots for Best Buy
in 2005 and Big Momma's House 2
, Cars
and Pepsi
in 2006, as well as the main music during the pre-game of Edmonton Oilers
home games during their 2006 playoff run. Dick Dale has been known to attempt to sing the chorus when playing "Misirlou" live. There is a remix by Travis Barker
. This song was remixed for The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D.
as "Pump It Harder." The song was used as the soundtrack
for the opening credits of the 2007 French film Taxi 4
and was also included in the film's soundtrack album
. The instrumentals for the song were used as the theme song for Gordon Ramsay
's American reality show Kitchen Nightmares
. The song was also featured in Kung Fu Panda
trailers for both movies. The Song was also featured in the dance video game Just Dance 3.
recalls. "I came across this compilation [disk] and I thought it was one thing but it turned out to be something else. The Dick Dale song Miserlou was on it. At first, I was angry this isn't what I wanted to buy," he laughs. "But then, really, that song is hot. I said, 'We should do a song like this.' I jump-started the computer and made some beats on the train. Then we had to fly to Tokyo and I tightened up the beat on the plane. Then I recorded vocals in this park in Tokyo, and that's how we recorded the song 'Pump It'."
made an appearance in the music video.
in June 2005. This was mainly based on digital download
strength due to exposure in the Best Buy ads. After its official airplay release, it peaked at #18 in March 2006. The single was released to stores in the US on February 14, 2006 and in the UK on March 13, 2006. This single, compared to other singles from Monkey Business
, has been relatively weak on the US Charts, being the lowest ranking single from the album. One probable factor of this is that it was released after The Pussycat Dolls
single "Beep
" was released, which has vocals from Will.I.Am
, or that My Humps
was still in rotation and on the charts when it was released. As of April 2009, the song has so far sold 1,390,000 digital downloads in the United States.
The song performed better in other countries. In Australia, the song peaked at #6. The song was
also popular in the UK, becoming their 8th hit single there. "Pump It" peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart
, matching the chart success of previous single "My Humps
".
The Song is featured in the dance video game Just Dance 3.
The song is used in the Taxi 4
soundtrack.
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
that heavily incorporates music from the Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
version of the song "Misirlou
Misirlou
Misirlou , is a popular Greek song with popularity in five styles of music: Greek rebetiko, Middle-Eastern belly dancing, Jewish klezmer, American surf rock, and international orchestral easy listening .- History :...
" (known by many for being featured in the Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
movie Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
). "Misirlou" is a popular folk song of Greek origin, originally performed by the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band in Athens, Greece 1927; but Nicholas Roubanis, who accredited himself as writer in a jazz version he recorded, was given writing credit on "Pump It." This was released as the fourth single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from The Black Eyed Peas's 2005 album Monkey Business
Monkey Business (album)
-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
. The song was also featured in commercial spots for Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
in 2005 and Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
, Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
in 2006, as well as the main music during the pre-game of Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
home games during their 2006 playoff run. Dick Dale has been known to attempt to sing the chorus when playing "Misirlou" live. There is a remix by Travis Barker
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker is an American musician, producer and entrepreneur, most noted as the drummer for the American pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the alternative rock band +44, the rap rock band The Transplants, and the alternative rock band Box Car Racer. He was a frequent collaborator with...
. This song was remixed for The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D.
The E.N.D.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...
as "Pump It Harder." The song was used as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the opening credits of the 2007 French film Taxi 4
Taxi 4
Taxi 4 is a 2007 French comedy film directed by Gérard Krawczyk. It is the sequel to the 2003 French Action/Comedy film Taxi 3. As with all the other films in the Gallic Taxi franchise, Samy Naceri plays taxi driver "Daniel Morales", this time in a Peugeot 407 unlike the 406 in the previous films...
and was also included in the film's soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
. The instrumentals for the song were used as the theme song for Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
's American reality show Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares is an American reality television series broadcast on the Fox network, in which Chef Gordon Ramsay spends a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. It is based on the British show Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The show is produced by ITV Studios...
. The song was also featured in Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
trailers for both movies. The Song was also featured in the dance video game Just Dance 3.
Origins
"I was in Brazil doing some CD" The Black Eyed Peas member will.i.amWill.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
recalls. "I came across this compilation [disk] and I thought it was one thing but it turned out to be something else. The Dick Dale song Miserlou was on it. At first, I was angry this isn't what I wanted to buy," he laughs. "But then, really, that song is hot. I said, 'We should do a song like this.' I jump-started the computer and made some beats on the train. Then we had to fly to Tokyo and I tightened up the beat on the plane. Then I recorded vocals in this park in Tokyo, and that's how we recorded the song 'Pump It'."
Music video
The music video for Pump It features The Black Eyed Peas in an indoor arena with a group of other people. Here they go crazy with scenes of street dancing, road rage as well as getting drunk. The video has a "drunk at a party" theme with a Fight Club Demeanour. In addition, two Honda Civic Si models (one sedan and one coupe) are featured. At the end of the video, The Black Eyed Peas sang closer to the camera and Taboo punches the camera. Quest Crew member Steve TeradaQuest Crew
Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew...
made an appearance in the music video.
Chart performance
Before the single was officially released, the song peaked at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in June 2005. This was mainly based on digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
strength due to exposure in the Best Buy ads. After its official airplay release, it peaked at #18 in March 2006. The single was released to stores in the US on February 14, 2006 and in the UK on March 13, 2006. This single, compared to other singles from Monkey Business
Monkey Business (album)
-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
, has been relatively weak on the US Charts, being the lowest ranking single from the album. One probable factor of this is that it was released after The Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
single "Beep
Beep (song)
"Beep" is a hip hop song released by American recording group the Pussycat Dolls' from their debut album PCD. "Beep" was a moderate success worldwide, having scored within the top twenty on the majority of the charts on which it was rated...
" was released, which has vocals from Will.I.Am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
, or that My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
was still in rotation and on the charts when it was released. As of April 2009, the song has so far sold 1,390,000 digital downloads in the United States.
The song performed better in other countries. In Australia, the song peaked at #6. The song was
also popular in the UK, becoming their 8th hit single there. "Pump It" peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, matching the chart success of previous single "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
".
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greece (IFPI IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... ) |
1 |
Popular culture
The song is used in the Kung Fu Panda 2 soundtrack.The Song is featured in the dance video game Just Dance 3.
The song is used in the Taxi 4
Taxi 4
Taxi 4 is a 2007 French comedy film directed by Gérard Krawczyk. It is the sequel to the 2003 French Action/Comedy film Taxi 3. As with all the other films in the Gallic Taxi franchise, Samy Naceri plays taxi driver "Daniel Morales", this time in a Peugeot 407 unlike the 406 in the previous films...
soundtrack.