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Uh La La La

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"Uh La La La"
Single by Alexia
from the album Fan Club (original version)
and The Party (Almighty edit)
Released16 June 1997
GenreEuropop
Length3:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Roberto Zanetti
Alexia singles chronology
"Number One"
(1996) 		"Uh La La La"
(1997) 		"Virtual Reality"
(1997)
Audio video
"Uh La La La" on YouTube

"Uh La La La" is a song recorded by Italian singer-songwriter Alexia featuring additional vocals by an uncredited male rapper. It was released by DWA Records and Sony Music as the fourth single from the singer's debut album, Fan Club (1997), and is written by Roberto Zanetti and Alexia herself. The song was a summer hit of 1997 in Europe and became Alexia's international breakout success. It reached number-one in Spain, number two in Finland and was a top 10 hit also in Austria, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Sweden and the UK. After its success in Europe, the song was remixed for a UK release the following year, which also saw release in Australia, where it peaked at number 17. This was her last single to be released by different labels in different territories as after this all her releases would be by Sony. The music video for "Uh La La La" was directed by Luca Lucini and filmed in the US.

Release

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The song was released in Italy on CD and 12" (coded DWA 97.02), with releases in other European countries following. As before (and for the final time) the German edition would be released by ZYX, the Spanish release by Blanco y Negro, the French release by Panic (a subsidiary of Polygram), and the Finnish release by K-Tel. A full set of releases was commissioned for Europe by Sony Music, once again on their Dancepool label; a maxi CD, 2-track CD, and 12" release (Sony code 664517). Two remix releases followed; one entitled 'Remix' and a doublepack of remixes by Fathers of Sound. The Fathers of Sound remixes would contain vocals and lyrics that were not on the original version. This was the second and last single to feature radio jingles on the CD.

After officially signing to Sony for all future releases, plans were made to properly launch Alexia's career outside of Europe. In 1998, Almighty Records were commissioned to provide a remix and edit for the UK market (Sony code 665567) in order to launch her career. The remix was also used for the Australian release later that year (Sony code 665766). Due to its popularity, the Almighty edit would be released on all versions of Alexia's second album, The Party. In 1999, the track was released in America under the Epidrome label.

Critical reception

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AllMusic editor Tom Demalon complimented the song is a "jaunty, infectious number that leans a bit more to pop".[1] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Without question, "Uh La La La" is as infectious as they get—just perfect for those hot and steamy summer nights. And producer Roberto Zanetti (more commonly known as Robyx) is in ultra-fine form here. In a perfect world, this would surely be a hit."[2] A reviewer from Music & Media stated that the song "sounds like a surefire summer hit; a simple sunny melody, a catchy sing-a-long refrain ("Uh la la la, I love you baby"), a stomp/clap rhythm, some nice shuffle beats and a touch of rap. Another sign of success is that the song has already inspired a copy-cat version (2 Eivissa's "Oh La La La" [...] which samples Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman")."[3] A reviewer from Music Week gave "Uh La La La" three out of five, writing that this "bouncy, piano-driven pop house tune by 25-year-old Italian diva Alexia [...] has enough camp appeal to enjoy wider success."[4] In his 2020 book, Move Your Body (2 The 90's), Juha Soininen viewed it as "a slow, reggaeish downtempo".[5]

Chart performance

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"Uh La La La" was a major hit on the charts on several continents, becoming one of Alexia's most successful songs to date. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Spain and number four in the singer's native Italy, with a total of 19 weeks inside the Italian singles chart.[6] Additionally, the song made it to the top 10 also in Austria (6), Finland (2), Ireland (5), Scotland (9), Sweden (5) and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it reached number ten in its first week on the UK Singles Chart, on March 15, 1998.[7] Additionally, "Uh La La La" went on becoming a top 20 hit in France, Iceland, the Netherlands and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it charted in the top 30, reaching number 22 in September 1997. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 17 in Australia, number 30 in New Zealand and number 39 in Canada. The single earned a gold record in France and Sweden, with a sale of 250,000 and 15,000 units.

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Uh La La La" was directed by Luca Lucini.[8] It sees Alexia performing the song while driving a jeep with her friends on the streets in Miami.

Track listing

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[33] Gold 250,000*
Sweden (GLF)[34] Gold 15,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Blog 27 version

[edit]
"Uh La La La"
Single by Blog 27
from the album LOL
ReleasedMay 2005
GenrePop
Length3:13
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Random
Blog 27 singles chronology
"Uh La La La"
(2005) 		"Hey Boy (Get Your Ass Up)"
(2005)

"Uh La La La" was covered by Polish pop music group Blog 27 and released as their debut single in Poland in May 2005.[35] The song enjoyed popularity in the Polish media[36] and later appeared on the band's debut album LOL, released in November 2005. The music video for the track was directed by Anna Maliszewska[37] and features teenagers skateboarding and playing the spin the bottle game. The song was released internationally in early 2006 and entered the Top 40 in German-speaking countries and Italy.

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Uh La La La" (Short Edit) – 3:13
  2. "I Want What I Want" – 3:04
  1. "Uh La La La" (Short Edit) – 3:13
  2. "Uh La La La" (Extended) – 4:23
  3. "Uh La La La" (Karaoke Version) – 3:13
  4. "I Want What I Want" – 3:03
  5. "Uh La La La" (Video)

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[40] 23
Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[41] 17
Italy (FIMI)[42] 36
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 36

References

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  1. ^ Demalon, Tom. "Alexia - Fun Club [Sony]". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (1999-04-17). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 16. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  3. ^ "Summer '97: beats from the beach" (PDF). Music & Media. 1997-07-12. p. 8. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  4. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1998-02-28. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  5. ^ Soininen, Juha (2020-08-26). Move Your Body (2 The 90's): Unlimited Eurodance. BoD - Books on Demand. p. 20. ISBN 9789528026303. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  6. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-05-31. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Alexia".
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 15 March 1998 - 21 March 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  8. ^ "Uh La La La - Version 1 (1997) by Alexia". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  9. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3321." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1997-09-06. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  14. ^ "Alexia: Uh La La La" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  15. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.07.1997 - 16.07.1997)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  19. ^ "History - FIMI" (in Italian). Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Alexia" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  24. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  25. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Alexia – Uh La La La". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  28. ^ "1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1997-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  29. ^ "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1997". Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 2005-09-22.
  30. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 1997" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Archived from the original on 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  31. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  32. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  33. ^ "French single certifications – Alexia – Uh La La La" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 2021-11-15. Select ALEXIA and click OK. 
  34. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  35. ^ "Blog 27: Biografia" (in Polish). rmf.fm. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  36. ^ "Pracowite dziewczyny - Blog 27" (in Polish). bravo.pl. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  37. ^ "Nowy teledysk Blog 27!!!" (in Polish). magicrecords.pl. 2005-11-05. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  38. ^ "Blog 27 – Uh La La La". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  39. ^ "Uh la la la - Blog 27: Amazon.de: Musik" (in German). www.amazon.de. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  40. ^ "Blog 27 – Uh La La La" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  41. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  42. ^ "Blog 27 – Uh La La La". Top Digital Download.
  43. ^ "Blog 27 – Uh La La La". Swiss Singles Chart.
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