"Doop" is an
instrumental
An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
by Dutch
Eurodance
Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...
group
Doop. It was released on 28 February 1994, by Clubstitute Records, as the first single from their debut album, ''Circus Doop'' (1994). The song consists of a
Charleston-based
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
number set against a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
backing track and has only three words: ''Doopi, Doopi, Doop''.
"Doop" achieved success in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it spent three weeks atop the
UK Singles Chart as well as topping the UK Dance Singles chart. In the United States, the song reached number two on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Dance Club Play
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart. Two main versions (each with its own corresponding radio edit) were issued under the names of two different big bands, with the "Urge 2 Merge radio mix" combining sections of both. In 2005, the song was covered by Looney Tunez vs. Doop.
Background and release
Dutch musicians Ferry Ridderhof and Peter Garnefski composed, arranged, and produced the song, which was recorded in November and December 1993 at their Residance Studio, located in the living room of Ridderhof's home in
Kijkduin
Kijkduin en Ockenburgh is a Dutch subdistrict of the Loosduinen district in The Hague. The subdistrict is located in the western part of The Hague at the municipal border of Monster. The area is bordered by the North Sea, an imaginary line betw ...
,
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. They got the idea after visiting
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
parties in and around The Hague and hearing house tracks with 130-135 beats per minute.
They told in an 1994-interview, "What impressed us at the mellow house parties was the way people were dancing—with their hands kind of waving, like the
Charleston was danced in the 1920s and 1930s. That was our main source of inspiration for 'Doop'."
Ridderhof and Garnefski asked three local-musicians to play Charleston-type music. They recorded it, and mixed fragments with their own house music. The first version appeared on a 12-inch vinyl maxi-single which was sent to 500 outlets of the Dutch dance scene, receiving rave reactions from underground house DJs. The duo described "Doop" as "a happy, 130 beats-per-minute house production with strong charleston influences." After the song's success in their native Netherlands, 25 UK labels wanted to release it in the UK. Citybeat won the competition and the song became a UK number-one hit for three weeks on the
UK Singles Chart, cullminating in sales of close to 500,000 units with the added bonus of compilation spin-offs. After it topped the UK chart, it caused a Charleston revival in young and old sections of the British population. Before the song was released in the US and Japan in the middle of 1994, it sold nearly 1 million copies in Europe. The international chart impact of "Doop" surprised the duo. Peter Garnefski told, "Of course, we know that it is a strong composition. However, we didn't expect that it would become such a huge chart-crasher."
Critical reception
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine wrote, "European pop smash finally gets a shot at stateside success. Mostly instrumental romp combines a steady
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
beat with classic
ragtime music
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scot ...
to blasting effect. Crashing cymbals and brassy horns will keep the summer vibe alive on top 40 and rhythm-crossover radio. Icing on the cake are 'doop-doop' vocal samples and live marching drum rolls." Tom Ewing of ''
Freaky Trigger
''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...
'' noted that "while it's never anything more than 'the Charleston with a donk on it', it's also far more generous with its
hooks and energy than one-line descriptions suggest. It does enough with its squealing horns and showy, tumbling drum samples that the entry of the scoo-be-doo vocals feels like a delightful bonus." In his weekly UK chart commentary,
James Masterton
James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...
wrote, "Quite why a piece of instrumental
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
should have become so big is really one to puzzle at, yet it is an astoundingly brilliant record and as a national talking-point has to be fancied for a No.1 position next week."
Maria Jimenez from ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' remarked that the single "takes the old charleston and drops it into a '90s dance music context."
Andy Beevers from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' gave the song a score of four out of five, adding that "this unlikely combination of Nineties
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
sounds and Twenties Charleston/ragtime rhythms" has been "creating dancefloor mayhem ever since." He concluded, "There is bound to be strong DJ demand for the track, which could crossover in a big way thanks to its novelty value."
Sylvia Patterson
Sylvia Patterson (born 8 March 1965) is a Scottish author and music journalist. A former contributor to ''Smash Hits'' and the ''NME'', she is the author of the memoirs ''I'm Not With The Band'' (2016) and ''Same Old Girl'' (2023).
Life
Patterson ...
from ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' gave "Doop" three out of five, writing, "Ludicrously catchy
mickey-mouse rave-up sensation featuring someone playing the spoons, someone on the party blower with a feather on the end of it and
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
on the stylophone."
In 2011, the song placed third in an ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' list of the "25 most annoying songs ever".
Chart performance
"Doop" peaked at number one in the United Kingdom for three weeks in March 1994, starting from its second week on the
UK Singles Chart.
It also topped the
UK Dance Singles Chart
The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...
. The single entered the top 10 of the charts in Finland, Germany, Hungary,
Ireland, Norway, Poland,
Spain, and Switzerland, as well as on the
Eurochart Hot 100
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
, where the song peaked at number three. Additionally, "Doop" was a top-20 hit in Austria, Denmark, France and the Netherlands. Outside Europe, the song reached number two on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Dance Club Play
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart, number five in Australia, and the top 10 in Israel.
The single was awarded with a
gold record
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Doop" was directed by Czar. It features the duo as a band with two female singers, Paskalle Kruyssen and Eline van der Ploeg.
Mick Green from ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' commented, "The accompanying video features two girl singers in flapper dresses dancing their own version of the
Charleston and a dancer in top hat and tails carrying an imaginary cane, twisting and sliding in a modern variation of the original steps. It has caused a dance sensation, and in clubs throughout the UK youngsters are copying or making up their own steps. They used to say 'bop until you drop,' now it appears to be 'doop until you're pooped!'" Sylvia Patterson from ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' said, "This lot did that quite good video with the turntables that turned into the word "doop"."
The video was A-listed on Germany's
VIVA in April 1994.
Track listings
Original version
* CD single
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Orchestre) – 3:35
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 3:08
* Cassette, 7-inch single
# "Doop" (Urge 2 Merge radio mix) – 3:33
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux radio mix) – 3:26
* CD maxi, Europe and Australia
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin's ragtime band) – 3:08
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Ochestre) – 3:26
# "Doop" (Urge 2 merge) – 3:33
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin's ragtime band – extended version) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Ochestre – extended version) – 7:18
* CD maxi, UK
# "Doop" (Urge 2 merge radio mix) – 3:33
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux radio mix) – 3:26
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime radio edit) – 3:08
# "Doop" (Mother remix) – 7:17
# "Doop" (
Judge Jules
Julius O'Riordan (born 26 October 1965), better known by his stage name Judge Jules, is a British dance music DJ, record producer and entertainment lawyer. He is known for his DJ activities, music production and long-running radio show which ac ...
and Michael Skins remix) – 6:06
* CD maxi, US
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 3:08
# "Doop" (
Def Doop mix) – 11:32
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band—extended version) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Orchestre—extended version) – 7:18
# "Doop" (basstrumental) – 6:40
# "Doop" (capricorn remix) – 6:55
* CD maxi, France
# "Doop" (original mix) – 3:10
# "Doop" (radio edit) – 3:35
# "Doop" (capricorn remix edit) – 4:40
* 12-inch maxi, Netherlands
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Orchestre) – 7:18
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Doop dub) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Urge 2 merge) – 5:31
* 12-inch maxi, UK
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Orchestre) – 7:18
# "Doop" (Mother remix) – 6:10
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Judge Jules and Michael Skins remix) – 6:06
* 12-inch maxi, US
# "Doop" (Def Doop mix) – 11:32
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band – extended version) – 5:28
# "Doop" (basstrumental) – 6:40
Remixes
* CD maxi, France
# "Doop" (Def Doop mix) – 11:32
# "Doop" (David Morales radio mix) – 3:45
# "Doop" (D. Beat) – 4:18
# "Doop" (basstrumental) – 6:40
* CD maxi, Germany
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux & Son Orchestre) – 7:18
# "Doop" (Mother remix) – 6:10
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 5:28
# "Doop" (Judge Jules and Michael Skins remix) – 6:06
* CD maxi, Netherlands and Australia
# "Doop" (Jean Lejeux Station edit) – 3:35
# "Doop" (Sidney Berlin ragtime band) – 3:08
# "Doop" (capricorn remix) – 6:55
# "Doop" (Ferry & Garnefski remix) – 7:20
# "Yabadabadoop!" – 8:13
* 12-inch maxi, Germany
# "Doop" (capricorn remix) – 6:55
# "Doop" (Doop dub) – 5:38
# "Yabadabadoop!" – 8:13
# "Doop" (Mother remix) – 7:17
# "Doop" (Judge Jules & Michael Skins remix) – 6:06
* 12-inch maxi, Netherlands
# "Doop" (Capricorn remix) – 6:55
# "Doop" (Ferry & Garnefski remix) – 7:20
# "Yabadabadoop!" – 8:13
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
1994 singles
1994 songs
Doop (band) songs
Eurodance songs
Electro swing songs
MCA Records singles
Music videos directed by Czar (director)
Music Week number-one dance singles
Number-one singles in Scotland
UK singles chart number-one singles