August 3, 1996: The Macarena Hits Number 1, and Stays There

August 3, 1996: "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" by Los del Río hits Number 1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart. The damn thing stayed at Number 1 for 14 weeks -- which would have set a new all-time record, had Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men not held the top spot for 16 starting at the end of the previous year with "One Sweet Day."

Los del Río – "Those from the River" -- were Antonio Romero Monge, then 56 years old, and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones, 57. They had been recording together since 1962, and seemed unlikely American chart-toppers. They had first released this song in 1993. Suddenly, they were overnight successes in America.

They were from Andalusia, in the southern part of Spain, where "Macarena" is a popular girls name, after a version of the Virgin Mary. Miami-based music group The Bayside Boys, including Carlos de Yarza, who wrote the English lyrics, remixed the song.

The female vocalist's name appears never to have been publicly released. Carla Vanessa sang the song on the tour, but gets no residuals, so she doesn't make any money off it. Mia Frye appears to be singing it in the video, but she's not the original singer, either. So the original singer is one of the most famous people in the world whose name we don't know.

The English translation of the chorus:

Give a little lovin' to your body, Macarena!
'Cause your body's made to give it joy and good things!
Give a little lovin' to your body, Macarena!
Hey, Macarena!

In the version that Americans would come to know, Macarena sings about the boys coming for her: "They all want me, they can't have me." Because she has a boyfriend named Victorino. And yet, she says, "I don't like him, I can't stand him." So she has cheated on him anyway. Just as people didn't listen to the lyrics of "Y-M-C-A" in 1979, they didn't pay much attention in 1996, either: Macarena is a slut.

Even people who should have known better didn't listen. The Democratic Convention in Chicago played it continuously. Vice President Al Gore, known for being stiff, said in his speech, "I would like to show you the Al Gore version of the Macarena." He stood absolutely still, and then said, "Would you like to see it again?" It got the biggest laugh of the Convention. When Elizabeth Dole, wife of Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole, appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, someone wrote for her a Top 10 Reasons to vote for her husband. With a big smile, she said Reason Number 1 was "No more Macarena!"

A group from Jacksonville, Florida called Quad City DJ's thought they would be able to revive the rock and roll tradition of songs about a particular dance, with "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)." They released it on February 27, 1996, but it didn't catch on until July. By the time it did, "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" had already overtaken it.

And that song stayed on top of the American music charts. And stayed. And stayed. And stayed. And we all got sick of it. And we got sick of that ridiculous dance. It's been over a quarter of a century, and the song is still played at weddings. As of August 13, 2022, Romero and Ruiz are both still alive and performing.

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August 3, 1996, like every Billboard issue date, was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Royals, 11-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Doug Linton was the winning pitcher, while Yankee starter David Weathers didn't get out of the 2nd inning. Cecil Fielder, Jim Leyritz and Paul O'Neill hit home runs, but it wasn't enough. Rookie Derek Jeter went 1-for-2 before being replaced.

* The New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Shea Stadium. Pete Harnisch outpitched Alan Benes. Todd Hundley it a home run.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 6-3. The Minnesota Twins won the nightcap, 6-0. Scott Aldred pitched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball. Eddie Guardado couldn't hold it, and Mike Trombley had to finish a 7-hit shutout.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-6 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Bucs scored 2 run in the top of the 9th to tie the game, but an error by Pirate 2nd baseman Jeff King with Mike Lieberthal up allowed David Doster to score the winning run.

* The California Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-6 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 9-4 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Manny Ramirez went 4-fot-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Cal Ripken went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners, 6-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4. Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-4.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 11-9 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Houston Astros beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at the Astrodome in Houston. The Giants' only run came on a home run by Barry Bonds.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. This game went 18 innings, before Mike Mordecai and Ryan Klesko hit RBI singles.

* The Florida Marlins beat the San Diego Padres, 5-2 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Rickey Henderson with the Padres that season, went 2-for-4. He was playing right field in place of Tony Gwynn, who did not play.

* And the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Ricky Bones pitched 8 innings of 4-hit shutout ball. Ron Villone walked the bases loaded in the 9th, but completed the 4-hit shutout.