“Quando quando quando” (“When, When, When”) is an Italian pop song from 1962, in the bossa nova style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa. The song, originally recorded in two different versions, competed in the Sanremo Music Festival in 1962, where it placed fourth, and later became a commercial success in Italy, topping the Musica e dischi singles chart. American entertainer Pat Boone, who recorded the song in 1962, sang the English lyrics written by Ervin Drake. Quando is the only Italian word normally retained in most English-language renditions of the song. Pat Boone sang the starting piece in Italian but then carried on the rest of it in English, repeating every now and again some Italian words. It spent 4 weeks in the UK charts peaking at No. 41.
“Das kleine Krokodil” (“The Little Crocodile”), also known under the title “Schnappi“, is the debut single of animated cartoon crocodile Schnappi from his first album. The voice of Schnappi is provided by Joy Guttmann, a child singer. Joy’s aunt, Iris Gruttmann, originally wrote the song in 1999 without the “Schni-Schna-Schnappi, Schnappi Schnappi schnapp” refrain, but when the song was uploaded to the internet, this hook was added in without the Gruttmanns’ knowledge. However, the song quickly became a viral hit, and it was released as a single in December 2004—Joy’s ninth birthday. “Schnappi” subsequently became a success in several continental European countries, topping the singles charts of Austria, Flanders, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland; it ended 2005 as Europe’s sixth-best-selling single. It also became a top-10 hit in Australia and New Zealand. In 2005, the song won an ECHO Award for Download of the Year. The song has spawned a number of cover versions in different languages that also became chart hits. It also charted at No. 32 in the UK.
“Eins, Zwei, Polizei” (One, Two, Police) is a 1994 song recorded by Italian dance act Mo-Do and was released as his first single from their 1995 album, Was Ist Das?. The song got its inspiration from “Der Kommissar” by Austrian singer Falco and “Da Da Da” by German band TRio, both released in the early 1980s. It was co-produced by Claudio Zennaro and Fulvio Zafret, and achieved great success in many European countries. “Eins, Zwei, Polizei” was very successful on the charts in Europe, remaining the act’s biggest hit to date. It peaked at number-one in Austria, Germany and Italy, and was a number two hit in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Additionally, the single made it to the Top 10 also in Finland, France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it went to number four. In the United Kingdom, “Eins, Zwei, Polizei” reached number 81 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart in October 1994.
“Tic, Tic Tac” is a song by Brazilian band Carrapicho. It was released in June 1996 as the lead single from the album, Festa do boi bumba, which was later certified Platinum disc in France. The song was also recorded by Chilli featuring Carrapicho and released in May 1997. The original version charted in Belgium, France, Netherlands and Spain. The remixed version, produced by Frank Farian, charted in Austria, Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the music video, the band sing “Tic, Tic Tac” on a boat while performing a group choreography. Somewhat predictably, the only European territory not intending to release Tic Tic Tac was the UK, despite the fact that, like Macarena, it’s more than just a song, with its own easy-to follow dance routine and a devilishly catchy chorus. Alan Jackson from The Times commented, “Apparently summer is incomplete without a Euro-hit imported by nostalgic package holidaymakers. Here it is.”
“Samba de Janeiro” is a song by German pop group Bellini. It was released in May 1997 in Germany and in September in the United Kingdom as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. It interpolates the chorus of Airto Moreira’s 1972 song “Tombo in 7/4”, as well as samples the drum rhythm from Moreira’s “Celebration Suite”. “Samba de Janeiro” won the award for best dance single at the 7th Annual Echo Awards. “Samba de Janeiro” was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Hungary and it was a number 2 hit in Germany and Switzerland. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single reached number 3. In the UK, it peaked at number 8 in its first week in September 1997. It charted also on the UK Dance Chart, peaking at number 12.
