Do you like this song? #725
Yes I like it, I already know it
Yes I like it, first time listening
No I don't like it, I already know it
No I don't like it, first time listening
Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe 1994
"Cotton Eye Joe" is a novelty song by the Swedish Eurodance group Rednex, released in August 1994 as the lead single from their debut studio album, Sex & Violins (1995). Based on the traditional American folk song "Cotton-Eyed Joe", it blends the group's Eurodance style with traditional American instruments like the banjo and fiddle. It became a number-one hit in at least 11 countries and reached numbers 25 and 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts, respectively. In Sweden, it was the most successful single of 1994. In 2002, "Cotton Eye Joe" was remixed into a new dance version and included on Rednex's first greatest hits album, The Best of the West (2002).
The origins of the folk song "Cotton-Eyed Joe" are unclear, although it predates the 1861–1865 American Civil War. American folklorist Dorothy Scarborough (1878–1935) noted in her 1925 book On the Trail of Negro Folk-songs that several people remembered hearing the song before the war. During the first half of the 20th century, it was a widely known folk song all over English-speaking North America. One discography lists 134 recorded versions released since 1950. Bob Wills and Adolph Hofner and his San Antonians both recorded the song, and according to music historian Bill C. Malone, Hofner's 1941 version was the one that did the most to popularize the song. Both the dance and the song had many variants. The melody of the song may have originated in Ireland. Paddy Moloney of the Irish group The Chieftains was on tour in Texas when he heard the song and immediately identified it as an old Irish folk melody, "The Mountain Top". In 1992, The Chieftains recorded a version of the traditional song with American country singer Ricky Skaggs. It caught the attention of the Swedish producers of Rednex, who transformed it into a Eurodance number.
The Rednex version held the number-one position for 15 weeks in Norway, 13 weeks in Switzerland, 11 weeks in Denmark, 10 weeks in Germany, eight weeks in Sweden, seven weeks in Austria, and three weeks in Finland and the UK. In New Zealand, the song topped the RIANZ Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks. In neighbouring Australia, it peaked at number eight in April 1995. Although it was a tougher sell in the US, where is was too haywire for most radio stations, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the Cash Box Top 100. "Cotton Eye Joe" was awarded a gold record in Australia, the Netherlands, and the US. It also received a platinum record in Austria, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, as well as a double-platinum record in Germany and Norway. The music video won the prize for the best Swedish dance video at the 1995 Swedish Dance Music Awards. It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in November and December 1994. In the US, the video generated massive reaction on its first week on The Box.
"Cotton Eye Joe" received a total of 76% yes votes! Previous Rednex polls: #348 "Wish You Were Here".
