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He spent part of his childhood in the Netherlands (Surinam is a former Dutch colony), and first came to New York in 1989, when he acquired a diploma in multitrack recording at the Institute of Audio Research. Tsai is unusually cosmopolitan in also being partly of Asian origin and speaking five languages (Dutch, English, Surinamese or Taki Taki, French and Portuguese). Tsai's background as a Surinam native arguably made him the ideal person to mix the world-music flavoured 'Hips Don't Lie'. We all have the same skills, but I probably have an approach that's a little bit different." So I can't really do the traditional American sound. I grew up with world music, and have been exposed to many different kinds of music. I used to record hardcore voodoo drums, and I know the sound of real drums. My first recordings were live drums, not even a kit, but 15 guys playing ethnic drums.
![wyclef jean hips don t lie wyclef jean hips don t lie](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VrwEgch6f-o/maxresdefault.jpg)
"It's to do with my background in Surinam. "I think that my speciality is world music," says Serge Tsai. Add the new version's short length, and the structure seems to compel listeners to put it on again, and again, perhaps explaining why it was the most-often played song in a single week in the history of American radio. A new rap, the frequent cheering ('Shakira! Shakira!'), and the Columbian percussion add to the general celebratory feel.Ī structural novelty is that the main hook is only featured in the beginning and the middle of the song, but not at the end - contrary to the original, which follows the common format of repeating the main hook at the end. Shakira wrote a new section, which includes the words 'Hips Don't Lie' and occurs three times, functioning like a new refrain.
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By contrast, 'Hips Don't Lie' lasts only 3:37, repeats the main hook a meagre six times, and the 'Bayla' section appears just once. The original version clocks in at 4:08 and repeats the main hook ('I never really knew that she could dance like this.') 12 times, while the 'Bayla' chorus section appears four times. Structurally, the new version is a showcase for the old entertainment adage 'always leave them wanting more'.
#Wyclef jean hips don t lie update#
While the original leans towards hip-hop, the 2006 update has a percussion-rich, world music feel. 'Dance Like This' and 'Hips Don't Lie' share the main vocal hook as well as the characteristic descending brass sample, which is originally from the song 'Amores Como El Nuestro' by singer Jerry Rivera everything other than the sample was re-recorded in the new version. Serge Tsai engineered most sections of the two songs and also mixed both versions.
#Wyclef jean hips don t lie movie#
'Hips Don't Lie' is a remake of a track called 'Dance Like This', co-written and produced by Wyclef Jean for the 2004 movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, which had Claudette Ortiz, formerly of City High, sharing vocal duties with Jean. It reached number one in almost every charting country in the world, including the UK and the US, became the second most successful single (after Cher's 'Believe') since 1999 in the United World Chart, and sold about nine million copies worldwide. "At some point during the making of 'Hips Don't Lie'," recalls Serge Tsai, "I turned to my assistant and said 'Man, this sounds like it's going to be big.' But I didn't know it was going to be that big." Tsai's amazement is understandable, as 'Hips Don't Lie' must have exceeded the wildest expectations of everyone, even the two performing stars, Shakira and Wyclef Jean, by becoming by far the biggest single of 2006, and one of the biggest singles of all time. Engineer Serge Tsai was the man who brought together many diverse elements to create a colossal hit. 'Hips Don't Lie', by Shakira and Wyclef Jean, is indisputably the biggest single of the 21st Century so far.