“The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)” is the debut single by Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, taken from their debut studio album Hijas del Tomate (2002). The song is about a man who enters a nightclub while singing and dancing. In addition to the original Spanish version, the song exists in a form with Spanglish verses, although the nonsensical chorus is identical in both versions. “The Ketchup Song” was released in June 2002 and became an international hit the same year. It reached number one in at least 20 European countries including the UK and became the best-selling hit of 2002 in eight of them. It also topped the music charts of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand but stalled at number 54 in the United States. As of 2006, the song had sold over 7 million copies worldwide. The song’s dance routine was a popular novelty dance in the early 2000s.
“Husan” is a bhangradance song produced by British duo Bhangra Knights, which consisted of Jules Spinner and Jack Berry, and Dutch duo Husan, which consisted of Niels Zuiderhoek and Jeroen Den Hengst. The song sampled “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Indian singer Raja Mustaq. Additional music editing was done by Dutch producer Coen Berrier, former collaborator with Mason, and the lyric editor was Nasir Nizami. The original version of the single was produced by Husan for a Peugeot 206 car advertisement and was credited under the name “Bald N Spikey”. Released in May 2003, “Husan” charted at number seven in the UK while becoming a moderate hit in the rest of Europe, reaching the top 40 in Austria, Hungary, Ireland. the Netherlands, and Wallonia. It also reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand.
“Mundian To Bach Ke” also titled “Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)” or “Beware“, is a bhangra song produced by British musician Panjabi MC, with vocals and lyrics by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua. The song was produced by Panjabi MC in Birmingham, for his 1998 album Legalised. Following its release as a single in November 2002, it achieved considerable worldwide success, topping the singles charts in Italy and Wallonia and charting highly in many other countries. In the UK, it was issued through Instant Karma and debuted at its peak of number five in the UK; it was the first bhangra song to reach the UK top 10. A remix featuring American rapper Jay-Z also charted highly in North America and Australia. The song sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
“Aerodynamik” is a song by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released in March 2004 as the fourth single from their tenth studio album, Tour de France Soundtracks (2003). The song features twanging metallic sounds and fluttering chords. Made up of what appears to be recycled parts of previous Kraftwerk outings, both the “Kling Klang Radio Mix” and the “Kling Klang Dynamix” tracks give the impression that this is Kraftwerk-by-numbers; very good given that they are from the same classic formula; robotic voices, strong synths and those infectious catches that have made their tracks so influential to musicians and listeners alike. The song peaked at number one on the UK dance singles chart.
“Dragostea Din Tei” (“Words of Love”); (also informally known as “Maya Hi” and “Numa Numa“) is a song by Moldovan pop group )-Zone, released as the second single from their third studio album, DiscO-Zone (2004). The song received positive reviews from critics and shot to number one on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004. It topped the single charts in France, Germany and Austria for over three months, reached number 3 in the United Kingdom and number 72 on the US Pop 100. The song became the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century in France. The original song was popularised in the United States via the viral video “Numa Numa” in which vlogger Gary Brolsma dances to the song. Overall, the single reached number one in over 27 countries and went on to sell upwards of 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
