"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" is a song by American hip hop trio

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

, released in May 1991 as the lead single from their second album, ''

De La Soul Is Dead ''De La Soul Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on ''3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album wa ...

'' (1991). It is a party jam about overzealous fans who pursue the group with demo tapes in their efforts to obtain an endorsement from the group. The song was inspired by one overzealous fan in particular,

Breakestra Breakestra is a ten-piece funk "orchestra" from Los Angeles, California, formed by Miles Tackett in 1996. Tackett, also known as "Musicman", records, composes, plays bass, upright cello, guitar, keyboards and drums. He also sings along with the ...

frontman

Miles Tackett Miles Tackett is a musician and producer. He founded Breakestra. Biography Miles Tackett grew up in the Santa Monica Mountains of Topanga Canyon. His father is Fred Tackett, the multi-instrumental member of 70s American rock band Little Feat. Wh ...

, who was shopping demo tapes to the group (note "demo tapes by the miles" in the song's subtitle). It was very successful on the charts in Europe, reaching number one in Finland, Greece and Switzerland, as well as on the UK Dance chart. Additionally, the song was a top 10 hit also in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK.

Composition

"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" has been assumed to have sampled the 1982

Fat Larry's Band Fat Larry's Band was an American R&B and funk band from Philadelphia, which enjoyed some commercial success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Career Formed by drummer and vocalist "Fat" Larry James (August ...

song "Act Like You Know", but in fact it samples the 1981

The Whatnauts The Whatnauts were an American soul group from Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (U ...

song "Help Is on the Way", that replays the same bassline as "Act Like You Know". The chorus of "Ring Ring Ring" uses lyrics and melody from the

Curiosity Killed the Cat Curiosity Killed the Cat was a British pop band that achieved success in the UK in the late 1980s, with hit singles such as " Down to Earth", " Misfit" and " Ordinary Day", from their No. 1 debut album, '' Keep Your Distance''. This was follo ...

song " Name and Number". The bass in the introduction comes from

Lou Johnson Louis Brown Johnson (September 22, 1934 – October 1, 2020), nicknamed Sweet Lou, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Johnson's professional baseball career lasted for 17 seasons, and included 8 years in the majors: parts of 1960� ...

's "Beat" and the drum break is from The Honey Drippers' "

Impeach the President "Impeach the President" is a single by funk band the Honey Drippers, written and produced by Roy Charles Hammond, known as Roy C. It was first released on Alaga Records in 1973, and was re-released to iTunes by Tuff City Records in 2017, after b ...

". The single version's saxophone is original.

Critical reception

In an retrospective review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism described "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" as "undeniably irresistible", noting that the song is driven by "astute commentary", "unabashed sarcasm" and a "rousingly rhythmic groove". He complimented the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

as "memorable", stating that it is a "further testament to De La Soul and Prince Paul's uncanny penchant for merging obscure samples with more familiar fare to craft instantly unforgettable tunes that stick with you." Steve Huey from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

remarked that it "complains about being harassed into listening to lousy

demo tapes A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

." Upon the release,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' felt that the

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

trio "returns with a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

-driven workout that benefits from a cute and contagious chorus—not to mention group's signature clever wordplay." A reviewer from ''

Evening Herald ''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...

'' stated that the single "shows that the trio still have the imagination to bring off the big one." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' named it one of two "best tracks" of ''

''. ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' said, "Using, of all things, a

Curiosity Killed The Cat Curiosity Killed the Cat was a British pop band that achieved success in the UK in the late 1980s, with hit singles such as " Down to Earth", " Misfit" and " Ordinary Day", from their No. 1 debut album, '' Keep Your Distance''. This was follo ...

song for its chorus. Chunky and funky." Miranda Sawyer from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' gave "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" six out of ten, adding, "It sounds most pleasant and as usual is chirruped along by an effortless groove and wiggy lyrics, but, well, it's not in the same league as "

Eye Know "Eye Know" is a 1989 single from De La Soul's debut album ''3 Feet High and Rising''. It peaked at number 14 on the UK singles chart. It was not released as a single in the United States. The song is an upbeat love song featuring guitar and ...

" or "Mama Gave Birth" because there's not enough twiddly bits and that's always a mistake in a rap record." Bob Mack from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' stated that "the music and delivery are fresh as ever. But the subject matter—a gripe about would-be rappers bugging De La to get their demos signed—seems out of place and a smidge arrogant."

Music video

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced to promote the single, directed by American director

Mark Romanek Mark Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, television, music videos and commercials. Romanek wrote and directed the 2002 film ''One Hour Photo'' and directed the 2010 film '' Neve ...

. It features the members of De La Soul and producer Prince Paul in a cameo as an artist trying to hand them his tapes.

Influence

* This song was interpolated on

Jaheim Jaheim H. Hoagland (born May 26, 1978), known mononymously as Jaheim, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album ''Ghetto Love (album), Ghe ...

's 2009 single, "

Ain't Leavin Without You "Ain't Leavin Without You" is a song by Jaheim. It was released to radio on October 23, 2009, and is the first single from his fifth studio album, ''Another Round (album), Another Round''. It was produced by his longtime producer K-Gee, Kay Gee. ...

". * The 2013

Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...

single " How Ya Doin'?" uses the same lyrics which "Ring Ring Ring" uses. All 3 songs use the same beat from "Help Is on the Way".

Track listings

* 12" maxi, Europe # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (party line mix) (6:56) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (extended decision U.S. mix) (5:15) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (piles and piles of demo taped bi-da miles - Conley's decision) (4:05) * 12" maxi, US # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (extended decision) (5:15) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (radio decision) (3:59) # "Piles And Piles of demo Tapes Bi-Da Miles (Conley's Decision)" (4:05) # "Afro Connection At A Hi 5 (In The Eyes Of The Hoodlum)" (3:42) * 7" single # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Party Line Edit) (4:05) # "Ring Ring Ring (piles and piles of demo taped bi-da miles - Conley's decision) (4:05) * CD maxi # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (party line edit) (4:05) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (party line mix) (6:56) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (extended U.S. mix) (5:15) # "Ring Ring Ring" (piles and piles of demo taped bi-da miles) (3:35) * CD maxi / 12" maxi - Remixes # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (CJ's alternative mix) (5:10) # "Afro Connection At A Hi 5" (3:42) # "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (sax mix) (5:10)

Official versions

* "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (LP Version) (5:06) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Radio Decision) (3:59) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (CJ's Alternative Mix) (5:10) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Party Line Edit) (4:05) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Party Line Mix) (6:56) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Extended Decision U.S. Mix) / (Extended Decision Mix) / (Extended U.S. Mix) (5:15) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Piles and Piles of Demo Taped Bi-Da Miles - Conley's Decision) (4:05) * "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (Sax Mix) (5:10)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1991 singles De La Soul songs Music videos directed by Mark Romanek Black-and-white music videos Music Week number-one dance singles Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Switzerland Song recordings produced by Prince Paul (producer) 1991 songs Tommy Boy Records singles Songs written by David Jude Jolicoeur Songs written by Vincent Mason Songs written by Kelvin Mercer Songs written by Prince Paul (producer) Songs about telephone calls