"Maniac 2000" is a song credited to

Mark McCabe Mark McCabe (born 22 May 1982) is an Irish music producer, remixer, radio DJ and club DJ, from Newry. In 2000, he released " Maniac 2000" and it went to number one, as the second biggest-selling record ever in Ireland. In 2017, McCabe teamed u ...

, and released as a single in February 2000. It was produced by Simon Fitzpatrick and Tim Hannigan. The song consists of McCabe rapping over the 1995 track "Maniac (Sound Crowd Remix)" by Irish act 4 Rhythm, which itself interpolates

Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...

's 1983 hit "

Maniac __NOTOC__ The MANIAC I (Mathematical Analyzer Numerical Integrator and Automatic Computer Model I) was an early computer built under the direction of Nicholas Metropolis at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. It was based on the von Neumann arc ...

". 4 Rhythm's "Maniac" was an Irish top 30 hit for Redeye Records, and was also produced by both Fitzpatrick and Hannigan. "Maniac 2000" reached number one on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

, staying at the top position for ten weeks, from 4 March to 6 May. It was Ireland's best-selling single of 2000 and is the fifth best-selling single in the history of the chart. "Maniac 2000" has achieved cult status in Ireland. The song won best single at the national

Meteor Music Awards A Meteor Ireland Music Award was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield. They had been bestowed each year since 2001, replacing the IRMA Ireland Music Awards held in the 1990s. Promoted by M ...

in 2001. Despite the success the song experienced, it was not a hit in other countries, stalling at number 137 on the UK Singles Chart in late March. In 2015, on the 15th anniversary of its release, "Maniac 2000" re-entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 12.

Background

Mark McCabe received his secondary education at Wesley College Dublin, this school allowed for his musical talent to flourish. McCabe was a DJ working at Dublin pirate radio station Pulse FM. As part of his sets, he would rap over the instrumental Sound Crowd version of 4 Rhythm's "Maniac", which led to demands that he record his version. McCabe was told by a local record shop owner that customers would come in each day requesting a copy of the song. McCabe recorded the song in the

Clontarf Cricket Club Clontarf Cricket Club is a cricket club in Dublin, Ireland, playing in Division 1 of the Leinster Senior League. Based at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Castle Avenue, with a shared clubhouse, it also has playing facilities in the grounds of M ...

in front of a live audience

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

References

External links

The real story behind Maniac 2000

(archive link)
1999 songs 2000 singles Irish novelty songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Michael Sembello {{2000s-UK-single-stub