We No Speak Americano

"We No Speak Americano"
Single by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP
Released	27 February 2010
Format	12" CD digital download
Genre	Electro house electro swing swing house
Length	4:29 2:58 (Radio edit)
Label	Sweat It Out
Writer(s)	Johnson Peterson Sylvester Martinez Duncan Maclennan Renato Carosone Nicola Salerno
Producer(s)	Yolanda Be Cool DCUP
Yolanda Be Cool chronology
"Holy Cow" (2009) "We No Speak Americano" (2010) "Le Bump" (2011)

"We No Speak Americano" is a song by Australian band Yolanda Be Cool and producer DCUP. It was released on the independent Australian label Sweat It Out on 27 February 2010. The song samples the 1956 Italian (though sung in the Neapolitan language) song "Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano" by Renato Carosone, written by Carosone and Nicola Salerno. "We No Speak Americano" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Latin America (where the song is also known as Pa-Panamericano)^[1] as well as a top 40 hit in the U.S. and Canada.^[2] It also won the 2010 ARIA award for "Best Dance Release." The song has sold over 1 million digital copies in the United States as of 10 April 2011.^[3]

The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2011 films The Inbetweeners Movie and Hop, the 2012 film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and the 2013 film The Great Beauty. It also featured in Episode 2 of the 2011 Korean drama adaptation City Hunter and on the video games Zumba Fitness 2 and Just Dance 4. "We No Speak Americano" was later sampled by Cuban American rapper Pitbull for his Spanish-language tune "Bon, Bon", crediting Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP as producers of his song. American gymnast Gabby Douglas used the song in her gold medal-winning final floor routine at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Critical reception

Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a mixed-to-positive three-star review stating:

"We No Speak Americano" is a club smash built around a socking great sample from an old Italian language hit from the 1950s - to which the knob-twiddling trio have added beats as bouncy and eager-to-please as a Labrador pup at din-dins time. The result is far from unappealing but roughly as repetitive as the musings of a drunken depressive, so enjoy it now before that mate of a mate with a fondness for novelty ringtones gets hold of it.^[4]

Music video

The official music video for the song, directed by Andy Hylton is a take on classic silent film comedies and features a Chaplinesque Italian protagonist in New York City, in a bid to raise some quick cash to propose to the young woman that he met earlier in the video.

This music video appeared in an episode of Beavis and Butthead.

Cover versions

• The Chipettes covered this song for the Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked: Music from the Motion Picture album and in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. This version is mashed with Miami Sound Machine's "Conga".
• Dutch DJ and producer Ran-D made a bootleg remix of this song entitled "Pas Americano".
• For the video game Just Dance 4, a cover by in-house artists was produced. Said artists are credited as "Hit the Electro Beat".

Credits and personnel

• Lead vocals — Yolanda Be Cool
• Lyrics — Johnson Peterson, Sylvester Martinez, Duncan Maclennan, Renato Carosone, Nicola Salerno
• Producer — Johnson Peterson, Sylvester Martinez, Duncan Maclennan
• Mastering engineer — Robin Petras (PureFocus Mastering)^[5]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2010–11) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 4 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] 1 Bulgaria (IFPI)[10] 1 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 16 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[12] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 1 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[14] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 1 France (SNEP)[16] 2 France (SNEP) Download Chart[17] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 1 Hungary (Dance Top 40)[19] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[20] 1 Israel (Media Forest)[21] 1 Italy (FIMI)[22] 3 Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[23] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[26] 4 Poland (Dance Top 50)[27] 1 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[28] 1 Russia (2M)[29] 4 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[30] 1 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[31] 1 South Korea (GAON)[32] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[33] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 1 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[36] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[37] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[38] 29 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[39] 37 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[40] 21

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position Australian Singles Chart[41] 34 Austrian Singles Chart[42] 1 Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[43] 13 Canadian Hot 100[44] 97 Danish Singles Chart[45] 5 Dutch Singles Chart[46] 1 European Hot 100 Singles 7 German Singles Chart[47] 5 Hungarian Airplay Chart[48] 89 Italian Singles Chart[49] 23 Romanian Top 100[50] 18 Spanish Singles Charts[51] 3 Swiss Singles Chart[52] 2 UK Singles Chart[53] 9 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[54] 2× Platinum 140,000^^ Belgium (BEA)[55] Platinum 30,000^* Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[56] Platinum 30,000^^ Germany (BVMI)[57] 2× Platinum 600,000^^ Italy (FIMI)[58] Platinum 30,000^* New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] Platinum 15,000^* Norway (IFPI Norway)[60] 5× Platinum 50,000^* Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] 3× Platinum 120,000^^ Sweden (GLF)[62] 6× Platinum 240,000^^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] Gold 15,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Platinum 600,000^^ United States (RIAA)[65] Platinum 1,000,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart succession

Other versions

Marco Calliari version

In the UK, a cover version sung by Quebec-born Italian singer-songwriter Marco Calliari entered the Singles Chart peaking at number twenty-six.

Russian Parody

In Russia, a parody version of the track appeared in the summer 2010, with vocals in Russian by the band Трикотаж (Knit-Wear) featuring Dj Solovey. This version was entitled Подзаебало (Sick of it), with the lyrics па-падзаебало mirroring pa-parle americano of the original. The new lyrics make references to the record heat wave in Russia of summer 2010, The Twilight Saga, Lady Gaga, and other current socio-cultural events.

"Por Panamericana" and "El Chocoano"

In Argentina, various parody versions of the song were made. Among them, one resulted in very successful hit, that would even be played at discos as a companion for the original song. The best-known version is called "Por Panamericana", and the voice recorded on the record tell a story about being stopped by the police at the Panamerican Highway for speeding. Los Cantores de Chipuco (Colombia) also made their own parody of this song, called "El Chocoano".

"Bi Bi pro Americano"

After Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the United States Congress, Noy Alooshe spoofed it by using parts of the speech to the tune of "We No Speak Americano".^[66]

Hand dance video

In July 2010, Irish dancers Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding (who perform as the group Up and Over It) released a music video filmed by Jonny Reed. Using "We No Speak Americano" as background music, the video features Cleary and Harding performing an elaborately choreographed tabletop dance using only their hands and arms, and wearing deadpan expressions throughout the song. By November 2016 it had been watched 9.9 million times.^[67]

"We No Speak Huttese"

A parody of the song titled "We No Speak Huttese" can be found in Kinect Star Wars for the Xbox 360 Kinect peripheral. It is featured in the Galactic Dance Off mini game. The vocals are replaced with Jabba The Hutt's and the instrumentals are replaced with the Max Rebo band.

References

1. "We No Speak Americano: conozca a los autores de la canción del momento | RPP NOTICIAS". Rpp.com.pe. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
2. http://www.billboard.com/artist/431642/yolanda-be-cool-dcup/chart
3. Grein, Paul (2011-04-13). "Week Ending April 10, 2011. Songs: It's Katy's World | Chart Watch - Yahoo! Music". New.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
4. Levine, Nick (8 July 2010). "Music - Singles Review - Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP: 'We Speak No Americano'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
5. "PureFocus Mastering: Summer 2010 Be Cool".
6. "Australian-charts.com – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. "Ultratop.be – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano" (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. "WEEK34 23.08-29.08.2010" Airplay Top 5. Bulgarian Association of Music Producers.
11. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Yolanda Be Cool & DCup.
12. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201031 into search.
13. "Danishcharts.com – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano". Tracklisten.
14. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – Chart history" European Hot 100 for Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP.
15. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCup: We No Speak Americano" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
16. "Lescharts.com – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano" (in French). Les classement single.
17. "lescharts.com – Les charts français" (in French). Les classement de telechargement single.
18. "Musicline.de – Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
19. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
20. "Chart Track: Week 29, 2010". Irish Singles Chart.
21. "Yolanda – We No Speak Americano Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
22. "Italiancharts.com – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano". Top Digital Download.
23. "Luxembourg Digital Songs - August 7, 2010". Billboard.
24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
25. "Charts.org.nz – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano". Top 40 Singles.
26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – We No Speak Americano". VG-lista.
27. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50.
28. "3.08.2010". Archived from the original on 2 August 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
29. Российские музыкальные чарты. Неделя 38 - 2012 (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
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31. "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201032 into search.
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36. "Archive Chart: 2010-07-17" UK Dance Chart.
37. "Archive Chart: 2010-07-31" UK Singles Chart.
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39. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Yolanda Be Cool & DCup.
40. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Yolanda Be Cool & DCup.
41. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
42. "Jahreshitparade 2010" (in German). austriancharts.at.
43. "Rapports annuels 2010 - Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
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45. "Track 2010 Top-50". Tracklisten (in Danish). Nielsen Music Control. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-01-22.
46. "dutchcharts.nl - Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
47. "Musik-Jahrescharts: "Sanfter Riese" und der Graf setzen sich durch". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
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49. "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
50. "Topul celor mai difuzate piese în România în 2010" (in Romanian). România Liberă. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
51. Archived 3 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
52. "2010 Year End Swiss Singles Chart". Swiss Music Charts. 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
53. "2010 Year-end UK Singles". BBC (BBC Online). 26 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
54. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
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56. "Guld og platin i August" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015.
57. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup; 'We No Speak Americano')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
58. "Italian single certifications – Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup – We No Speak Americano" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup in the field Filtra. Select 2010 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
59. "New Zealand single certifications – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup – We No Speak Americano". Recorded Music NZ.
60. "Norwegian single certifications – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup – We No Speak Americano" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
61. "Top 50 Canciones - Semana 47: del 22.11.2010 al 28.11.2010" (PDF) (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
62. "Yolana Be Cool and Dcup - We No Speak Americano" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
63. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Yolanda Be Cool & DCup; 'We No Speak Americano!')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
64. "British single certifications – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup – We No Speak Americano". British Phonographic Industry. Enter We No Speak Americano in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
65. "American single certifications – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup – We No Speak Americano". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
66. Bi Bi pro Americano on YouTube
67. "We No Speak Americano ft. Cleary & Harding". YouTube. 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2012-03-14.

External links

• Official music video on Vimeo