The Smurfs (music)
Encyclopedia
The Smurfs is a Belgian
comics series
, created by Peyo
in 1958, and popularized in the English speaking world mainly through the 1981-1989 Hanna Barbera cartoon series. Over the decades, many singles and albums of Smurf music have been released in different countries and languages, sometimes very successfully, with millions of copies sold.
, who sings under the alias Father Abraham. His single "The Smurf Song" reached the #1 position in 16 countries. (While held off the top spot in the UK by "You're The One That I Want
", the single broke a record for most consecutive weeks at number two, which was only equalled in 1991 by Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy
".) Subsequent albums included Smurfing Sing Song, The Smurfs All Star Show
, Christmas in Smurfland, and Best of Friends. In 1996 there was a release titled The Smurfs Go Pop!
which had a hit UK single titled "I've Got a Little Puppy".
The same year, the Smurfs' album Techno is Cool - Volume 1 received a platinum award for sales in excess of 1 million in Europe. This was repeated in 1999 when the German language album Alles Banane (by Die Schluempfe) also sold more than 1 million copies.
Both the Father Abraham song and the theme song for the 1980s cartoon series have been released in local versions around the world, like the 1981 Japanese Silly Little Song of the Smurfs
.
In 1984, the album Best of Friends by The Smurfs received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
.
In Finland, there has been so far (2011) eighteen Smurf CDs (mostly featuring smurfy versions of pop hits). The first of them sold 170,000 copies in Finland. They're also popular in German language area. Worldwide, more than 10 million CD's have been sold between 2005 and 2007 alone.
A new Smurf CD is set to be released as a Soundtrack to the Smurf live action movie being released July 2011. The album will include a new version of the Smurfs Song (aka La La Song) as well as Smurf versions of songs featured in the film.
as one of the main artists. In 1995, three different Smurf albums went platinum, with Smurf the House, Smurfen Houseparty, and the double platinum Ga je mee naar Smurfenland. The single No Limit, based on the 2 Unlimited
hit No Limit, also went platinum and topped the Dutch charts for six weeks in 1995.
has released a total of 19 Smurf CD's: one album has sold multi-platinum, one album has sold double-platinum, eight albums have sold platinum, five albums have sold gold and one single has sold gold. The total of their certified sales exceeds 790,000 copies.
that originated with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
The Smurf is mentioned in "The Frug
", a song by the band Rilo Kiley
. It appeared on both their debut album, The Initial Friend E.P.
, and on the soundtrack to the movie Desert Blue
. The Smurf is also mentioned in "The New Style
" and "Posse In Effect", songs by the band Beastie Boys
on their album "Licensed to Ill
"; in "Turn Me Loose" as recorded by the collaboration of Eminem
and Limp Bizkit
; and in the song "I'm Through With White Girls" written by Jim Diamond
and recorded by the band The Dirtbombs
. The rapper Nas referenced The Smurf in the song "Made You Look", along with two other fad dances, (the Wop and the Baseball bat). That same Nas line was used in the song "88" by the rap duo The Cool Kids
, which is also featured on the video game "NBA Live 08". The band Flobots mentions the Smurf in their song "The Effect."
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
comics series
The Smurfs (comics)
The Smurfs are a Belgian comic series, created by cartoonist Peyo . The fictional characters of the Smurfs first appeared in Johan and Peewit in 1958, and the first independent Smurf comics appeared in 1959. Twenty-nine Smurf comic albums have been created, 16 of them by Peyo...
, created by Peyo
Peyo
Pierre Culliford , known as Peyo, was a Belgian comics artist, perhaps best known for the creation of The Smurfs comic strip.-Biography:...
in 1958, and popularized in the English speaking world mainly through the 1981-1989 Hanna Barbera cartoon series. Over the decades, many singles and albums of Smurf music have been released in different countries and languages, sometimes very successfully, with millions of copies sold.
Music recordings
Several popular Smurfs LPs were released, the first of which (Father Abraham in Smurfland) was created by Dutch musician Pierre KartnerPierre Kartner
Petrus Antonius Laurentius "Pierre" Kartner is a Dutch musician who sings under the alias Father Abraham, and who has written around 1600 songs.- Early life :...
, who sings under the alias Father Abraham. His single "The Smurf Song" reached the #1 position in 16 countries. (While held off the top spot in the UK by "You're The One That I Want
You're the One That I Want
"You're the One That I Want" is a song written by John Farrar for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John....
", the single broke a record for most consecutive weeks at number two, which was only equalled in 1991 by Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by English trio Right Said Fred from their album Up. The single topped the American charts for three weeks in early 1992, after having peaked at number two in Britain less than six months earlier....
".) Subsequent albums included Smurfing Sing Song, The Smurfs All Star Show
The Smurfs All Star Show
The Smurfs All Star Show is a children's music album released in 1981. It contains several traditional tunes with modified lyrics, with reference to the world of The Smurfs.-Track listing:Side One...
, Christmas in Smurfland, and Best of Friends. In 1996 there was a release titled The Smurfs Go Pop!
The Smurfs Go Pop!
The Smurfs Go Pop! is an album of songs by The Smurfs, released in 1996. Most of the songs are cover versions of existing songs with altered lyrics....
which had a hit UK single titled "I've Got a Little Puppy".
The same year, the Smurfs' album Techno is Cool - Volume 1 received a platinum award for sales in excess of 1 million in Europe. This was repeated in 1999 when the German language album Alles Banane (by Die Schluempfe) also sold more than 1 million copies.
Both the Father Abraham song and the theme song for the 1980s cartoon series have been released in local versions around the world, like the 1981 Japanese Silly Little Song of the Smurfs
Silly Little Song of the Smurfs
is the opening theme song to the Japanese dub of the Hanna-Barbera Smurfs television series. It was released on 45 vinyl by Polydor Records in 1981 exclusively in Japan. The song was written by Keisuke Yamakawa and its composition is by composers Pierre Kartner, "Corbett", and "Linlee". It features...
.
In 1984, the album Best of Friends by The Smurfs received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
The Grammy Award for Best Album for Children has been awarded since 1959. Prior to 1992, the award was known as Best Recording for Children and was therefore open to any audio recording, whether it was an album, a single song, a recording of a book, or the audio from a television show or movie...
.
In Finland, there has been so far (2011) eighteen Smurf CDs (mostly featuring smurfy versions of pop hits). The first of them sold 170,000 copies in Finland. They're also popular in German language area. Worldwide, more than 10 million CD's have been sold between 2005 and 2007 alone.
A new Smurf CD is set to be released as a Soundtrack to the Smurf live action movie being released July 2011. The album will include a new version of the Smurfs Song (aka La La Song) as well as Smurf versions of songs featured in the film.
Germany
Since the 1970s, many Smurf records have been made in Germany, some of them turning out to be bestsellers. This started with the Father Abraham single Das Lied der Schlümpfe and the album Vater Abraham im Land der Schlümpfe, both of which went platinum. Apart from many later gold records, the Smurfs again were certificated platinum for the 1981 album Hitparade der Schlümpfe, the 1995 albumTekkno ist cool (double platinum) and the 1996 Alles Banane volume 3, Megaparty volume 2 and Voll der Winter volume 4.The Netherlands
The success of the Smurfs music in the Netherlands started with the Dutch artist Father Abraham, whose single 't Smurfenlied stayed at the number 1 position on the Dutch charts for seven consecutive weeks, and the followup single Smurfenbier reached #5. More Smurf records followed in the decades, with Irene MoorsIrene Moors
Irene Moors is a Dutch TV personality, singer, and host.-Career:Her career took off in 1989 with RTL 4's Telekids, co-starring Carlo Boszhard, turning them both into TV icons of the Netherlands....
as one of the main artists. In 1995, three different Smurf albums went platinum, with Smurf the House, Smurfen Houseparty, and the double platinum Ga je mee naar Smurfenland. The single No Limit, based on the 2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited is a Dutch Eurodance/Hi-NRG act formed in 1991. The project was the brainchild of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde, and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. During five years of enormous worldwide popularity, the act scored 16 chart...
hit No Limit, also went platinum and topped the Dutch charts for six weeks in 1995.
Finland
Since 1996, EMI FinlandEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
has released a total of 19 Smurf CD's: one album has sold multi-platinum, one album has sold double-platinum, eight albums have sold platinum, five albums have sold gold and one single has sold gold. The total of their certified sales exceeds 790,000 copies.
Norway
In 1978, actor/comedian Geir Børresen recorded a Norwegian version of Father Abraham's "The Smurf Song", which went on to top the Norwegian singles lists for 7 weeks in 1978/79. The accompanying album, "I Smurfeland" became even more popular, for a long time the best-selling Norwegian album of all time until overtaken by Åge Aleksandersen's "Levva Livet" in 1984. There were also two sequel albums released throughout 1979, and those three albums sold a total of 380,000 copies.Hungary
From 1996 to 2004 13 "Hupikék Törpikék" (the Hungarian name for "The Smurfs") albums were released. The songs on these albums are covers of (non-Hungarian) popular songs, sang in Hungarian, with lyrics related to the cartoon "The Smurfs".The Smurf dance
The Smurf is a danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
that originated with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
The Smurf is mentioned in "The Frug
The Frug
The Frug was a dance craze from the 1960s that evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pace step while doing the Twist. As young dancers grew more tired they would do less work, moving only their hips...
", a song by the band Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
. It appeared on both their debut album, The Initial Friend E.P.
The Initial Friend E.P.
The Initial Friend E.P. was the first release put out by Los Angeles based rock band Rilo Kiley. It was initially a self titled release that was put out by the band independently in 1999. They re-pressed it with altered artwork and track-listing in 2000, and then did the same thing again for a...
, and on the soundtrack to the movie Desert Blue
Desert Blue
Desert Blue is a 1998 American comedy/drama film directed by Morgan J. Freeman and starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, and John Heard....
. The Smurf is also mentioned in "The New Style
The New Style (song)
"The New Style" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their debut album Licensed to Ill...
" and "Posse In Effect", songs by the band Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
on their album "Licensed to Ill
Licensed to Ill
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Sources 100 Best Rap Albums.It is still the only album by a white hip-hop act to receive the coveted 5 mics from The Source....
"; in "Turn Me Loose" as recorded by the collaboration of Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
; and in the song "I'm Through With White Girls" written by Jim Diamond
Jim Diamond (music producer)
Jim Diamond is a music producer, studio engineer, and bass guitar player based in Detroit, Michigan. He worked on the first two White Stripes albums and played bass with The Dirtbombs.- Background :...
and recorded by the band The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup...
. The rapper Nas referenced The Smurf in the song "Made You Look", along with two other fad dances, (the Wop and the Baseball bat). That same Nas line was used in the song "88" by the rap duo The Cool Kids
The Cool Kids
The Cool Kids is an American hip hop group. Consisting of rappers Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll , the group is based in Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan...
, which is also featured on the video game "NBA Live 08". The band Flobots mentions the Smurf in their song "The Effect."
Parodies
- Comedy Band The Barron Knights' 1978 UK #3 hit single A Taste Of Aggro, a medleyMedley-Sports:*Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles*Medley relay races at track meets-Music:*Medley , multiple pieces strung together*"Medley" -People:...
of parodies, included a version of The Smurf Song featuring, in place of the Smurfs, a group of bank robbers from CatfordCatfordCatford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
who have escaped from Dartmoor PrisonDartmoor (HM Prison)HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor...
. - In 1979 the pop impresario Jonathan KingJonathan KingJonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
scored a minor hit single under the pseudonym Father Abraphart and the Smurps entitled 'Lick a Smurp for Christmas (All Fall Down)', a parody of Father Abraham and the SmurfsPierre KartnerPetrus Antonius Laurentius "Pierre" Kartner is a Dutch musician who sings under the alias Father Abraham, and who has written around 1600 songs.- Early life :...
. The title of the song referred to the fact that some Smurfs toys had been painted using lead paint, and that young children had been falling ill from placing them in their mouths. - Australian disc jockey Rick Melbourne released a parody called "The Slurp Song" in 1980, sung in a spoof German accent under the name "Pork Fritz".
- Another parody of Father Abraham's song was performed by German comedian Otto WaalkesOtto WaalkesOtto Gerhard Waalkes is a Frisian comedian and actor. He became famous in the 1970s and 1980s in Germany with his shows, books and movies. His perhaps most famous trademark are the 'Ottifanten' , elephant-like comic characters of his own design...
, who made the Smurf puppets give very rude or socially questionable answers to his inquiries. - German band Die ÄrzteDie ÄrzteDie Ärzte is a punk band from Berlin. Die Ärzte are one of the best-known German punk rock bands and have released over 20 albums. The band consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B. and bass player Rodrigo González...
has a song about the smurfs, "Schlümpfe" ("Smurfs"), and others that make references to this song, such as "Leichenhalle" ("Mortuary"), in which the lead singer asks the smurfs where they come from, to which they answer: "Aus Schlumpfhausen, bitte sehr!" ("From Smurf Town, if you please!"). - Around the late seventies, Sandford & Saker released a parody single entitled 'Stamp on a Skurf Today' which ran along the same lines as the original Father Abraham track, but played on the monotony of the 'theme chorus' and the indestructible nature of the little blue beasties (eventually driving the male singer insane!)
- Australian musical comedy act TripodTripod (band)Tripod is an Australian musical comedy act, specialising in improv, parody and satire. As its name suggests, the band is a trio; it comprises Scod , Yon and Gatesy...
performs a song titled The Ballad Of Floor Buffer Smurf. - OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
refused permission for the release of the song "Wondersmurf", a parody of their song WonderwallWonderwall (song)"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris and Gallagher for their second album, Morning Glory?...
.