Bubblegum dance
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| Bubblegum dance | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1993, Denmark |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | Euro-trance |
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Bubblegum dance (sometimes known as bubblegum dance-pop,[1] bubblegum techno, bubblegum house, euro cheese, bubble dance or happy house) is a musical subgenre of Eurodance that gained high popularity around the world in the late 1990s for containing cheerful, silly and fun sound. This subgenre is the result of the fusion between the Eurodance and Bubblegum pop genres, having a more dance sound.
The style that was introduced by Whigfield,[2] The term "bubblegum dance" is a combination of the terms "bubblegum" and "Eurodance",[3] which is used to refer to a musical style with characteristics of bubblegum music, but containing an electronic and dancing sound. Bubblegum dance emerged in Denmark, a country where large numbers of productions were marked, besides having enshrined great hits known worldwide.[4]
History[edit]
1993–1996: Start and popularity[edit]
The bubblegum dance sound was first heard in 1993, in the song "Saturday Night" by the Italo-Danish project Whigfield,[4] whose cheerful, repetitive, simple and childlike sound managed to be a momentary success, being well received by critics and charts of the time, and also being the theme song of the European summer of that year.[5]
In 1995, the Danish duo Me & My released their debut single "Dub-I-Dub" (following the same style as Whigfield), a song that was a great success, especially in Scandinavia and Japan, in addition to appearing on several albums compilation, including Dancemania. Such success of the single from Me & My, helped producers and artists from all over Europe to start making the same style of the song, besides giving other aspects that contributed a lot to the subgenre that we know today.
1997–1999: Aqua and "Golden Era"[edit]
Projects like Whigfield, Me & My, Tiggy and Sqeezer helped a lot in the introduction of bubblegum dance in the market and in the charts, however, it did not receive worldwide recognition until 1997, when the Aqua that had been successful with this style launched its greatest hit "Barbie Girl", a song that had a resounding success, arriving in a very few minutes in the first place in several countries of the world, besides reaching the number #7 position on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling more than 8 million copies.
During 1999, it marked the toppest peak of bubblegum dance productions, being Aqua, Me & My, Bambee, Tiggy, Toy-Box, Caramell, Smile.dk, Miss Papaya, Cartoons, Hit'n'Hide, Crispy, Vengaboys, Yummie, and Lolly the main projects that produced the authentic bubblegum sound.[4] Bubblegum dance is very popular on the Asian continent, especially in Japan, due to its use in popular dance games like Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), In the Groove (ITG) and other games.[4]
2000–2002: Decline in production and wear[edit]
During the year 2000 to 2001, bubblegum dance begins to experience a medium decline in production, due to the fact that some major bands of bubblegum dance are migrating to other genres, such as pop, trance, pop rock, euro-trance, techno and house, genres that were quite popular at the time.[4] Despite being experiencing a golden moment, bubblegum dance began to show some wear and tear in 2002, both in productions and in releases. And new projects that emerged during this period failed to achieve any success, and artists who released their albums, were very disappointed with the lack of success and, as a result, bubblegum dance started to disappear from the charts and losing the attention of many producers.
2003–currently: 2nd peak and decline[edit]
All of that changes in 2003, when a Dutch children's pop band "Ch!pz" was created, which would produce bubblegum songs with some childlike aspects. Ch!pz made a renewal in the bubblegum dance sound/style, which brought a more pop-based sound and with more mature lyrics, leaving the band's appearance more professional (departing completely from the traditional bubblegum dance music of the decade 90).
In 2006, bubblegum dance became moderately known in the world again, due to the success of the animated character Gummibär with his song "I'm A Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)", a song that was quite successful and has been translated into more than 20 languages. The production of bubblegum dance marks its second peak in 2007, however, after that year, it again begins to decline, with bubblegum dance once again disappearing from the charts.
Composition[edit]
Letter and style[edit]
Bubblegum dance is well known for having a cheerful, silly, innocent and childlike sound, which leads people to think that music or artists is aimed at children.[4] However, it is very common for artists of this genre to incorporate music that involves sexual themes, which may go unnoticed or not.
One of the most notable features of the euro bubblegum is the way that artists dress, often wearing simple shiny clothes and multicolored hair, giving a funny and unique image. A notable example is the Cartoons band, which convey a good-humored image to the public, due to their bizarre and funny characterizations, as they wear colorful clothes and wigs with strange connotations.
Themes[edit]
Generally, the lyrics of the bubblegum dance songs always look for themes considered childish, which include toys, video games, nature, tropical beaches, fruits, aliens, love relationships, fairy tales, parties, animals, cartoons, anime and others.[4] However, it is very common for some bands to add sexually suggestive lyrics to their songs, which may or may not go unnoticed.
BPM (beat per minute)[edit]
The bubblegum dance beat ranges from 130 to 145 per minute.[6][4] However, songs that mix reggae, pop rock and pop tend to be slower. There are also songs that exceed that limit, especially those that limit Happy Hardcore and Eurobeat itself.[2]
Vocal[edit]
Generally, bubblegum dance is sung by a cheerful woman along with a man who provides a low vocal, which was also popular in Eurodance music in the 1990s. Producers employ several studio effects to make vocals sound high or full of helium.
References[edit]
- ↑ Arena, James (2016-12-06). Stars of '90s Dance Pop: 29 Hitmakers Discuss Their Careers. McFarland. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4766-2661-1. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Soininen, Juha (2020-08-26). Move Your Body (2 The 90's): Unlimited Eurodance. 2020: BoD - Books on Demand. p. 16. ISBN 978-952-80-2630-3. Search this book on
- ↑ "What is bubblegum dance?". Bubblegum Dancer. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Facts & Information". Bubblegum Dancer. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ↑ "Artists". www.officialcharts.com.
- ↑ "Dance of the Euro Variety and Its Subgenres". The Albert Einstein Edition. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
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