The Smurfs (music)

"The Smurfs" is a Belgian comics series, created by Peyo in 1958, and popularized in the English speaking world mainly through the 1981-1989 Hanna Barbera cartoon series. Over the decades, many singles and albums of Smurf music have been released in different countries and languages, sometimes very successfully, with millions of copies sold.

Music recordings

Several popular Smurfs LPs were released, the first of which was created by Dutch musician Pierre Kartner who sings under the alias Father Abraham. His single "The Smurf Song" reached the #1 position in 16 countries.cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1703303,00.html |title=The Smurfs Are Off to Conquer the World - Again|accessdate=2008-01-15 |author=Leo Cendrowicz |date=2008-01-15 |publisher=Time] Subsequent albums included "Smurfing Sing Song", "The Smurfs All Star Show", "Christmas in Smurfland", and "Best of Friends". In 1996 there was a release titled "The Smurfs Go Pop!" which had a hit UK single titled "I've Got a Little Puppy". The same year, the Smurfs' album "Techno is Cool - Volume 1" received a platinum award for sales in excess of 1 million in Europe. [ [http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat1996.html IFPI] platinum awards for 1996] This was repeated in 1999 when the German language album "Alles Banane" (by Die Schluempfe) also sold more than 1 million copies. [ [http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat1999.html IFPI] platinum awards for 1999]

Both the Vader Abraham song and the theme song for the 1980s cartoon series) have been released in local versions around the world, like the 1981 Japanese "Silly Little Song of the Smurfs".

In 1984, the album "Best of Friends" by The Smurfs received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children.

In Finland, there has been so far (2007) fifteen Smurf CDs (mostly featuring smurfy versions of pop hits). The first of them sold 170,000 copies in Finland. [ [http://www.emi.fi/artistit/90/smurffit EMI Finland] ] They're also popular in German language area. [ [http://www.austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Die+Schl%FCmpfe Austrian charts] ] Worldwide, more than 10 million CD's have been sold between 2005 and 2007 alone.

Germany

Since the 1970s, many Smurf records have been made in Germany, some of them turning out to be bestsellers. This started with the Father Abraham single "Das Lied der Schlümpfe" and the album "Vater Abraham im Land der Schlümpfe", both of which went platinum. Apart from many later gold records, the Smurfs again were certificated platinum for the 1981 album "Hitparade der Schlümpfe", the 1995 album"Tekkno ist cool" (double platinum) and the 1996 "Alles Banane" volume 3, "Megaparty" volume 2 and "Voll der Winter" volume 4. [ [http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank0.html Database] of the German gold and platinum records.]

The Netherlands

The success of the Smurfs music in the Netherlands started with the Dutch artist Father Abraham and continued over the decades, with Irene Moors as one of the main artists. In 1995, three different Smurf albums went platinum, with "Smurf the House", "Smurfen Houseparty", and the double platinum "Ga je mee naar Smurfenland". The single "No Limit", based on the 2 Unlimited hit "No Limit", also went platinum. [ [http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60461#resultaat Dutch Gold and Platinum records] ]

Finland

Since 1995, EMI Finland has released 14 Smurf CD's, of which two received a gold record, 8 platinum, 2 double platinum, one triple platinum, and one 5 times platinum with over 170,000 copies sold. [ [http://www.emi.fi/artistit/90/smurffit EMI] list of Smurf records, with sales info] Total sales exceed 750,000 records. [ [http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/kplista.html?action=vapaa&tyyppi=koti&haku=artisti&julkaisuntyyppi=albumi&teksti=smurffit IFPI] official Finnish sales figures]

The Smurf dance

"The Smurf" is a dance that originated with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.

The Smurf is mentioned in "The Frug", a song by the band Rilo Kiley. It appeared on both their debut album, "The Initial Friend E.P.", and on the soundtrack to the movie "Desert Blue." The Smurf is also mentioned in "The New Style" and "Posse In Effect", songs by the band Beastie Boys on their album "Licensed to Ill." The Smurf is also mentioned in "Turn Me Loose" as recorded by the collaboration of Eminem and Limp Bizkit. The Smurf is also mentioned in the song "I'm Through With White Girls" written by Jim Diamond and recorded by the band The Dirtbombs. The rapper Nas referenced The Smurf in the song "Made You Look", along with two other fad dances, (the Wop and the Baseball bat). That same Nas line was used in the song "88" by the rap duo The Cool Kids, which is also featured on the video game "NBA Live 08".

Parodies

* In 1979 the pop impresario Jonathan King scored a minor hit single under the pseudonym Father Abraphart and the Smurps entitled 'Lick a Smurp for Christmas (All Fall Down)', a parody of Father Abraham and the Smurfs. The title of the song referred to the fact that some Smurfs toys had been painted using lead paint, and that young children had been falling ill from placing them in their mouths.
*Australian disc jockey Rick Melbourne released a parody called "The Slurp Song" in 1980, sung in a spoof German accent under the name "Pork Fritz".
*Another parody of Father Abraham's song was performed by German comedian Otto Waalkes, who made the Smurf puppets give very rude or socially questionable answers to his inquiries.
* German band Die Ärzte has a song about the smurfs, "Schlümpfe" ("Smurfs"), and others that make references to this song, such as "Leichenhalle" ("Mortuary"), in which the lead singer asks the smurfs where they come from, to which they answer: "Aus Schlumpfhausen, bitte sehr!" ("From Smurf Town, if you please!").
* Around the late seventies, Sandford & Saker released a parody single entitled 'Stamp on a Skurf Today' which ran along the same lines as the original Father Abraham track, but played on the monotony of the 'theme chorus' and the indestructible nature of the little blue beasties (eventually driving the male singer insane!)
* Australian musical comedy act Tripod performs a song titled "The Ballad Of Floor Buffer Smurf".

Notes

External links

* [http://www.smurf.com The Smurfs official site]
* [http://www.happysmurfday.com Happy Smurfday: Official Smurfs 50th Anniversary site]