Jump Around (KSI Song)

"Jump Around" is a song by American hip hop group House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, who has also covered the song, and was released in May 1992 by Tommy Boy and XL as the first single from their debut album, ''House of Pain'' (1992). The song is popular among dancehall DJs and is widely regarded in the United Kingdom as a club classic. Its music video was filmed in New York City, featuring footage from the 1992 Saint Patrick's Day parade.

The song became a hit, reaching number three in the United States. The song features Universal, Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount movies from different franchises. A 1993 re-release of the song in the United Kingdom, where the initial release had been a minor hit, peaked at number eight. "Jump Around" was ranked at position 580 on ''Q Magazine''s "1001 Best Songs Ever", number 24 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s", number 66 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop", number 325 on ''Blender''s "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" and number 47 on ''NME''s "100 Best Songs of the 1990s".

Background

DJ Muggs has stated that he originally produced the beat for Cypress Hill, but rapper B-Real couldn’t come up with the lyrics. It was subsequently offered to Ice Cube, who refused it, before finally being taken and used by House of Pain. The lyric "if your girl steps up, I'm smackin the ho'" brought accusations of misogyny in 2014.

Samples

The song features a distinctive horn fanfare intro, sampled from Bob & Earl's 1963 track "Harlem Shuffle". The song also samples "Popeye the Hitchhiker" by Chubby Checker, but it is best known for a high-pitched squealing sound that appears at the beginning of almost every bar—66 times in the course of the recording.

Controversy

The origin of the squeal has been the subject of debate. In a 2006 interview with ''Seattle Weekly'', Divine Styler's article mentions sampling the same squeal 'Jump Around' used for his single "Ain't Sayin' Nothin", ''Complex'' also noted this potential connection with "Ain't Sayin' Nothin" in 2012.

American blogger Anil Dash and musician Questlove of hip-hop band The Roots have insisted on Prince's "Gett Off" as the source, while WhoSampled had listed Junior Walker and the All Stars' "Shoot Your Shot" as the source. In 2016, a ''Newsweek'' reader performed a spectrogram analysis, which revealed that the sample more closely matched "Shoot Your Shot", and House of Pain member Everlast himself told Questlove that it was a horn making the squeal and not Prince. However, Anil Dash claimed the band denied that the sample was Prince to avoid paying royalties to the singer. Prince never commented on the matter. The Prince connection was also noted in a performance by Bruno Mars using 'Gett Off' and 'Jump Around' together for a dance routine with his single "Finesse" at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

For his part, DJ Muggs said the sample came from neither Prince nor Junior Walker, likely as a way to avoid licensing fees. In 2020, Everlast stated that the sample came from Divine Styler's "Ain't Sayin' Nothin", which samples "Shoot Your Shot".

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Jump Around" was filmed during the 1992 New York City Saint Patrick's Day parade. Portions were shot on the parade route as well as in Central Park and Old Town Bar and Restaurant. New York Yankees super fan and Yankee Stadium regular Freddy Schuman can be seen in the parade crowd, ringing his signature shamrock pan near the end of the video. The video ends with a dedication to the memory of Matt Champy, a friend of the band who died in 1992.

Reception

In the United States, "Jump Around" peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while reaching number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Songs chart and number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In Canada, the single hit number seven on the ''RPM'' Dance/Urban chart and number 45 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart. In Europe, it entered the top 10 in Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In the latter, "Jump Around" peaked at number eight in its second run on the UK Singles Chart, on May 23, 1993. Additionally, it was a top 30 hit in Belgium and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 30 in June 1993. In Oceania, the single peaked at number 15 in Australia and number 31 in New Zealand. "Jump Around" earned a gold record in Australia and double platinum in the UK, with a sale of 35,000 and 1,200,000 singles, respectively. In the US, it earned a platinum record, when 1 million units were sold there.

J. D. Considine for Schenectady, New York's ''The Daily Gazette'' described the song as "springy" and Scott Sterling from ''The Michigan Daily'' called it the "most happening track" on the ''House of Pain'' album. Bill Wyman from ''Entertainment Weekly'' said, "It's a charging dance number based on a sampled snatch of bagpipe." Another ''EW'' editor, Leah Greenblatt, wrote that "the first and only members of hip-hop's Irish-American Thug Life Hall of Fame earned their spot in that (imaginary) pantheon with this killer blast of rapid-fire rap bravado." Brian A. Samson from the ''Gavin Report'' commented that "this uptempo single provides listeners with what H.O.P. calls "fine malt lyrics." Laced with squeaky buzzes that sounds like of a clarinet played by a novice, the beats should provide for some head-noddin' action."

Across the Atlantic, Dublin-based ''Evening Herald'' declared it as a "compelling single", while the ''Irish Independent'' said the group had "made a fairly groovy record." Stephen Trousse from ''Melody Maker'' wrote that it "has already achieved a frightening ubiquity, becoming 1992's evil twin hip hop hit to Arrested Development's 'People Everyday'". ''Music Weeks ''RM'' Dance Update complimented it as an "excellent debut", noting that "built on a chugging Caribbean rhythm, 'Jump Around' features a strong Heavy D-like rap and its popularity is ensured by a chanted chorus with the buzz word 'Jump'. With a sleeve festooned with shamrock leaves and an Irish flag, it seems Tommy Boy may have beaten Talkin' Loud in the race to give us Irish rap." An editor, Andy Beevers, called it "an infectious bouncy track", adding that lyrically, "their invitation to jump is as aggressive as Kris Kross's was cute." Johnny Dee from ''NME'' remarked its "fresh perkiness", praising the song as "the crispest rap biscuit of the season". Upon the 1993 re-release, he stated that it "still makes your body feel as if it was possessed by a jumping bean". Rupert Howe from '' Select'' magazine described it as a "Kris-Kross-with testosterone smash" and added that it is "an impossibly simple freestyle skank that stormed the US billboard big-time."

Legacy

In 2019, About.com's Bill Lamb called "Jump Around" one of the "Top 10 Pop Songs of 1992", saying, "After one time of hearing this riveting blend of rap and rock, you will likely never forget the sampled saxophone squeal from Jr. Walker and the All Stars that leads off every bar." He also wrote, "For a brief period of time in the 1990s, it seemed that the marriage of edgy rock and hip-hop could actually become a thing. 'Jump Around' is proof that the union could either be incredibly infectious or annoying, depending on one's tolerance for the incessant siren that accompanies the pounding beats." AllMusic editor Rob Theakston named the song a "dynamite classic". He also stated that the "anthem" that got the Irish boys rolling in the first place "still sounds as timeless and energetic nearly a decade along".

''NME'' ranked it number six in their list of "Singles of the Year" in December 1992. In 2003, ''Q Magazine'' included it in their list of "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2012, ''NME'' featured it in their list of "100 Best Songs of the 1990s", describing the song as "irresistible, the ultimate easy floorfiller, and floor-destroyer." '' Time Out'' ranked it number 68 in their "The 100 Best Party Songs Ever Made" in July 2023. In October 2023, ''Billboard'' ranked "Jump Around" number 442 in their "Best Pop Songs of All Time", saying, "That head-nodder of a rap song with the catchy squeal that gets everyone to literally “jump around” for the home team at sporting events, causing stadiums to shake to their foundations." In February 2024, the magazine ranked it number eight in their "The 100 Greatest Jock Jams of All Time".

Track listings

# "Jump Around" (Master mix) – 3:37
# "Jump Around" (DJ Bizznizz remix) – 4:06
# "Jump Around" (Pete Rock remix) – 3:56
# "House of Pain Anthem" (Master mix) – 2:35

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Influence and cover versions

On September 16, 2016, British YouTuber and rapper KSI released his own version of "Jump Around", featuring American rapper Waka Flocka Flame. In 2019, American nu metal band Coming for Blood released a cover version of "Jump Around", featuring DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit on turntables.

Use in sports

At home football games at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, students "Jump Around" to the song between the third and fourth quarters. It stirred up fans and players and eventually became a tradition. The song's title is displayed on unofficial Wisconsin Badgers clothing and apparel, along with the credit/debit cards of the university's employee/student/alumni credit union.

Professional wrestlers J. C. Ice and Wolfie D, collectively known as PG-13, used a censored version of the song as their entrance to the rings.

The song appears in the 1996 golf film ''Happy Gilmore'' during a highlights sequence.

Two time Darts World Champion Gary Anderson from Scotland uses this song as his walk on music.

References

External links

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House of Pain songs
1992 debut singles
1992 songs
Music videos shot in the United States
Music Week number-one dance singles
Song recordings produced by DJ Muggs
Tommy Boy Records singles
Wisconsin Badgers football
XL Recordings singles
Songs written by Everlast