Blue

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)"
Single by Eiffel 65
from the album Europop
Released	April 14, 1999
Recorded	1998
Genre	Eurodance, Italo dance, House
Length	3:29 (Original version) 4:43 (Extended version)
Label	BlissCo Records
Writer(s)	Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina, Massimo Gabutti
Producer	Maurizio Lobina, Massimo Gabutti, Luciano Zucchet
Certification	See certifications
Eiffel 65 singles chronology
"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (1999) "Move Your Body" (2000)

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (also released as "I'm Blue" in some countries) is a dance-pop song by Italian eurodance group Eiffel 65 from their debut album Europop (1999).

The song is the group's most popular single, reaching #1 in many countries such as Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, and Germany, as well as reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.^[1] In the United Kingdom, the song originally entered the Top 40 purely on import sales. It was only the third single to do this.^[2]

The song also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2001 Grammy Awards. It was considered a defining song of pop culture in 2000.

Writing and inspiration

The song was written by Eiffel 65 lead singer Jeffrey Jey, keyboardist Maurizio Lobina, and producer Massimo Gabutti.

The inspiration for the song came when group member Maurizio Lobina composed the opening piano hook. The producers of the song then came up with the idea for a dance song. Jey then stated he proceeded to write lyrics for the song, with Lobina telling him to write nonsensical lyrics. Lobina later came up with the "da ba dee" hook.^[3]

Jey stated his inspiration for the lyrics were on how a person picked his lifestyle. The color blue as the main topic of the song was picked out of random. He has also stated the lyrics of the song were intentionally written to be nonsensical.^[4]

Music structure and composition

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is an uptempo dance-pop song, described by the band as "europop", hence the title of their debut album Europop, which the song comes from. The song carries a rather melodic sound with a bubblegum-pop influenced hook. The song is written in the key of G minor^[5] and is set in Common time with a moderate tempo of 128 beats per minute.^[6]

	Eiffel 65 - "Blue (Da Ba Dee)", 1999 A 29-second sample from "Blue (Da Ba Dee)", featuring the distorted hook of the song.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The song's nonsensical lyrics tell a story about a man who lives in a "blue world". It is also stated he is "blue outside and inside," which, along with the lyric "himself and everybody around 'cause he ain't got nobody" may indicate that the term "blue" represents his emotional state. The song also states that a vast variety of what he owns is also blue, including his house and his car; various blue-colored objects are also depicted on the cover of the "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" single^[7]. The song's hook is the sentence "I'm blue", followed by a repetition of the words "da ba dee da ba di", which the hook is based around.

The song's distorted vocals were composed using a vocoder^[2]. There has also been a noted similarity between the distorted vocals of "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" and "Believe" by Cher^[2]. The distorted vocals of "Believe" were composed with the auto-tune effect although the producers of "Believe" went to great lengths to protect their "trade secret" by attributing the vocal sound to other technologies when interviewed.

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly positively reviewed the song, calling the song "a fleeting, feel-good foot-tapper" and gave the song a rating of B-^[8]. Sputnikmusic reviewer Dan Katz also reviewed the song positively, describing it as "a really great song." He noted the song has a "fairly cool bass line and a great piano loop set over a pulsing dance beat house the vocals that everyone knows." He also said while to vocals are not at its best, they fit the song well. He concluded his review of the song by describing it as "being the epitome of a good European dance track."^[9] PopMatters reviewer Chris Massey, in his review of Europop, described his initial reaction to the song as being "really, really bad." However, he later stated in the review that after many repeated listenings of the song he "loved it."^[10]

Rolling Stone, however, in their review of Europop, gave the song a negative review, stating that the song "blends Cher-esque vocoder vocals, trance-lite synth riffs, unabashed Eurodisco beats and a baby-babble chorus so infantile it makes the Teletubbies sound like Shakespeare." The magazine also placed the song on their list of the "20 Most Annoying Songs," reaching #14.^[11]

Chart performance

The single, released in April 1999, was a chart-topper in many European countries. The song initially found success in France, where it debuted on the chart in June 1999 and reaching #1 in late August. It then found success in other European countries, reaching the top spot on many charts in September the same year, including Germany, the Netherlands^[12], Switzerland^[13], Sweden^[14], Norway and many other countries. It replaced "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega on many of these charts at the top spot.

The song also found success in other regions, including Oceania and North America: it reached #1 in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It became a top ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching #6. As yet it is the group's sole top forty hit on the chart, making the group a one-hit wonder.

Music video

Eiffel 65 on television screens during the opening segment of the video.

The song's music video, directed by Josh Barrison, was released in 1999 and featured computer graphic animation.

In the video, lead singer Jeffrey Jey is abducted by blue aliens during a concert. The aliens then proceed to leave Earth with him. Group members Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte give chase in their own small spacecraft, and eventually both ships arrive on the blue aliens' planet via a portal. It is then shown that the lead singer was abducted to perform in a concert for the aliens, performing the same song he was about to sing when he was taken. After fighting off a number of alien guards using martial arts and several energy-based abilities, the pursuing members succeed in rescuing their lead singer and while leaving the planet, are asked to return by the aliens. They oblige, and spend the remaining duration of the video by performing a concert for the blue-skinned extra-terrestrials.

Cover versions and samplings

German singer/band leader Max Raabe and Palast Orchester covered in cabaret/big band style for his 2001 album Super Hits.^[15] The song was covered by Crazy Frog on the album Crazy Frog Presents More Crazy Hits, released in 2006. A cover by Gummibär was included on the 2007 album I Am Your Gummy Bear. The melodic death metal parody band Ten Masked Men covered the song in their customary heavy style.

The band Bloom 06, consisting of Eiffel 65 members Jeffrey Jey and Maurizio Lobina remixed "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" on their EP Club Test 01, entitling the remix "Blue (Da Ba Dee) [Bloom 06 2008 Extended Concept]".

In Brazil, this music was sampled on a Funk music, called "Ai, um Tapinha não dói" (Ai, a lil' Slap don't hurts) this version make a many success on Brazil.

In 2009, the song was sampled by rapper Flo Rida in his song "Sugar", featuring his Atlantic Records labelmate, R&B singer-songwriter ^[16] Wynter Gordon.

Also in 2009, Wiz Khalifa uses the melody in his song "Superstar".

The Russian singer Natali sampled the chorus in her song Cherepashka^[17], which gained popularity online when a video of her surfaced which depicts her falling off the stage while performing this song^[18].

In 2009, The single of "Blue (Da Ba Dee) Remix 2009" has released including remixes by Gabry Ponte, and featuring Djs From Mars.

Appearances in other media

The song is also used in the films Big Fat Liar and Loser. It has also been used in the episode "The F Word" of the television series Daria and in the episode "One Party Can Ruin Your Whole Summer" of the TV series 90210.

Formats and track listings

CD single

1. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Blue Ice Pop Radio Edit) — 3:39
2. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (DJ Ponte Ice Pop Mix) — 6:26

CD maxi-single

1. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Blue Ice Pop Radio Edit) — 3:39
2. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (DJ Ponte Ice Pop Mix) — 6:26
3. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Hannover Remix) — 6:24
4. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Dub Mix) — 4:48
5. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Ice Pop Instrumental Mix) — 6:27
6. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (Blue Paris Remix) — 7:42

Certifications

Charts

Chart precession and succession

References