Singles and full albums of original music for
''The Smurfs'' cartoon series (1981–1989) and the
Smurfs movies have been released in different countries and languages, sometimes very successfully, with millions of copies sold. Worldwide, more than 10 million CDs were sold between 2005 and 2007 alone.
Music recordings
In general, there have been three eras in which Smurf music was very popular: the late 1970s, the early 1980s and the mid-1990s and later.
The first successful Smurf record was ''The Smurf Song'' (originally titled ''Het Smurfenlied'' in Dutch) by Dutch singer, writer and producer
Pierre Kartner
Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner (11 April 1935 – 8 November 2022) was a Dutch musician, singer-songwriter and record producer who performed under the stage name Vader Abraham (''Father Abraham''). He wrote around 1600 songs.
Early life an ...
, a.k.a. Father Abraham. The single, first released in November 1977, reached the #1 position in 16 countries.
(While held off the top spot in the UK by "
You're The One That I Want
"You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produc ...
", the single broke a record for most consecutive weeks at number two, which was only equaled in 1991 by Right Said Fred's "
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a 1991 song by British group Right Said Fred, released as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the chart ...
".) Kartner subsequently recorded different versions of the song in different languages and he made an album, ''Father Abraham in Smurfland'', which was also a success.
As work on a second Smurf album stalled during 1979 due to creative differences between Mr Kartner and his Dutch record company Dureco, the latter – which owned the music rights to the Smurfs output – decided to take matter into own hands and started producing its own Smurf-related records, produced by music promoter Frans Erkelens and composer Barrie Corbett (who had a European hit in 1975 with ''If You Go'' as half of the duo Barry & Eileen). Together, they produced numerous Smurf albums, some of which coincided with the
Hanna-Barbera cartoon series which was produced in the early 1980s. Again, many of these albums were released in different languages. In 1984, the album ''
Best of Friends'' by The Smurfs – produced for the American market – received a nomination for a
Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
The Grammy Award for Best Children's Album (from 2020: Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album) is an honor presented since 2012 at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honor ...
.
The third wave of Smurf mania occurred in the second half of the 1990s, and again it had a Dutch link. This time it was Dutch production team Cat Music who were asked by
EMI Music in the Netherlands to produce a Smurf album with "smurfed up" versions of current hits. The first single was a new version of the
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
hit ''No Limit'', which went to Number One in the Netherlands in early 1995. Local branches of EMI in Europe requested their own Smurf albums (see below), all produced by Cat Music and mostly sung by local (uncredited) artists.
Czech Republic
There are some Smurf records released in Czech Republic. The first releases was released in 1988 and 1989, followed by 1996 to 2000, and again in 2011 and 2012. One of the albums, which was released in 1996, is the best selling album ever in Czech Republic between 1994 and 2006.
Finland
Since 1996,
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
Finland has released a total of 19 Smurf CDs (mostly featuring "smurfy" versions of pop hits). The first of them sold 170,000 copies in Finland. One album has sold
multi-platinum, one album has sold
double-platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
, eight albums have sold
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
, five albums have sold
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and one single has sold
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
. The total of their certified sales exceeds 800,000 copies.
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
A hit parade is a list of tunes that are most popular at any given time.
Hit Parade or hitparade or The Hit Parade may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hit Parade'' (film), a 1953 West German musical film
* ''Hit Parade'' (TV series), a ...
'', the 1995 album''
Tekkno ist cool'' (double platinum) and the 1996 ''
Alles Banane
Alles may refer to:
Places
* Alles, Asturias, Spain — a parish in the municipality of Peñamellera Alta
People with the surname
* Fred Lind Alles (1851–1945), U.S. businessman and politician
* R. I. T. Alles (1932–2013), Sri Lankan e ...
'' volume 3, ''Megaparty'' volume 2 and ''
Voll der Winter'' volume 4.
Hungary
From 1996 to 2011, fourteen "Hupikék Törpikék" (the Hungarian name for "The Smurfs") albums were released. The songs on these albums are covers of popular songs, sang in Hungarian, with lyrics related to the cartoon "The Smurfs".
Italy
In
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, most of the Smurfs cartoon anthems were sung by
Cristina D'Avena
Cristina D'Avena (born 6 July 1964) is an Italian actress, singer and television personality. She has sold nearly 7 million copies of her albums.
D'Avena was selected to join the prestigious Institute of Antoniano choir, following her debut, ...
.
Japan
In Japan, was the opening theme song to the
Japanese dub of the ''Smurfs'' television series. It was released on 45 vinyl by
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
in 1981 exclusively in Japan. The song was written by and its music is by composers
Pierre Kartner
Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner (11 April 1935 – 8 November 2022) was a Dutch musician, singer-songwriter and record producer who performed under the stage name Vader Abraham (''Father Abraham''). He wrote around 1600 songs.
Early life an ...
, "Corbett", and "Linlee". It features vocals by Yoshio Maruyama and Masaki Kobayashi who are credited as . Included on the back of the album were dancing instructions for a special Smurf dance.
Netherlands
The success of the Smurfs music in the Netherlands started with the Dutch artist
Father Abraham, whose single '' 't Smurfenlied'' (The Smurf Song) stayed at the number 1 position on the Dutch charts for seven consecutive weeks, and the follow-up single ''Smurfenbier'' reached #5. More Smurf records followed in the decades, with
Irene Moors
Irene Moors (born 18 June 1967, Alkmaar) is a Dutch comedian, TV personality, singer, and host.
Career
Her career took off in 1989 with RTL 4's '' Telekids'', co-starring Carlo Boszhard, turning them both into TV icons of the Netherlands.
In ...
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
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
hit ''
No Limit
No Limit may refer to:
Music Record labels
*No Limit Records, a record label founded by Master P
* No Limit Forever Records, a record label founded by Romeo Miller, son of Master P
Albums
* ''No Limit'' (Art Pepper album), 1977
* ''No Limit'' ...
'', also went platinum and topped the Dutch charts for six weeks in 1995.
Norway
In 1978, actor/comedian
Geir Børresen
Geir Børresen (16 November 1942 – 25 July 2022) was a Norwegian actor and entertainer.
Biography
Børresen was born in Oslo on 16 November 1942. He made his film debut in '' Liv'' in 1967, and made his stage debut at Nationaltheatret i ...
recorded a Norwegian version of Father Abraham's "The Smurf Song", which went on to top the Norwegian singles lists for 7 weeks in 1978/79. The accompanying album, "I Smurfeland" became even more popular, for a long time the best-selling Norwegian album of all time (270,000 copies sold in Norway.) until overtaken by Åge Aleksandersen's "Levva Livet" in 1984. There were also two sequel albums released throughout 1979, and those three albums sold a total of 380,000 copies. One of his albums has a song done to the tune of the Silly Song from ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)'', and even has the same title, ''Tullesang''.
Poland
Since 1997, 13 Smurf albums called ''Smerfne Hity'' were released in Poland. The first album, released in 1997, sold quadruple-platinum and four others sold platinum. In the first four years, during which nine albums have been released, their sales exceeded 1,160,000 copies.
United Kingdom
In the UK the Smurfs have had five Top 20 singles. The first was the #2 "The Smurf Song" in June 1978, followed by the #13 and #19 hits "Dippety Day" and "Christmas in Smurfland" in September and December of the same year. Eighteen years later they scored two Top 10 hits with "I've Got A Little Puppy" (#4) and "Your Christmas Wish" (#8) in September and December 1996. Their #4 hit was unusual in that it used the music of the song "
I Want To Be A Hippy" by
Technohead
Greater Than One is an English electronic music band, founded by husband and wife Michael Wells and Lee Newman in 1985. They released many albums under this name, and also under the names Tricky Disco, GTO, John + Julie, Church of Extacy, Sign ...
, the original having lyrics about drug usage and
rave music
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mu ...
.
In terms of albums they have had six Top 30 hits. The first, in November 1978 was ''
Father Abraham in Smurfland'' which reached #19. After a wait for 18 years they had two Top 10's in 1996, ''The Smurfs Go Pop!'' (July, #2) and ''Smurf's Christmas Party'' (November, #8). February 1997 saw another #2 hit ''The Smurfs Hits '97 – Volume 1'' and seven months later came a #15, ''Go Pop! Again''. A greatest hits album in April 1998 broke into the Top 30 at #28.
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
Rilo Kiley ( ) was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Dave Rock.
The group released their debut album ''Take-Offs and Landings' ...
. It appeared on both their debut album, ''
The Initial Friend E.P.'', and on the soundtrack to the movie ''
Desert Blue
''Desert Blue'' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman, starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 197 ...
.'' 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
''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records, and became the first rap LP to top the ''Billboard'' album chart. It is one of Columbia ...
"; in "
Turn Me Loose" as recorded by the collaboration of
Eminem and
Limp Bizkit; and in the song "I'm Through With White Girls" written by
Jim Diamond and recorded by the band
The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick C ...
. The rapper
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
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
The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Inger ...
, which is also featured on the video game ''
NBA Live 08
''NBA Live 08'' is the 2007 installment of the ''NBA Live'' series by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Windows and PlayStation Portable. This is the first '' NBA'' video game to include all three n ...
''. The band
Flobots
Flobots is an experimental rap rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2005 by Jamie Laurie. The band's origins date back 5 years earlier to a similar project by Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut ''Fight ...
mentions the Smurf in their song "The Effect."
Parodies
* Comedy Band
The Barron Knights
The Barron Knights are a British humorous pop rock group, originally formed in 1959 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire,Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), ), p. 32 as the Knights of the Round Table.
C ...
' 1978 UK #3 hit single ''A Taste Of Aggro'', a
medley of parodies, included a version of The Smurf Song featuring, in place of the Smurfs, a group of bank robbers from
Catford
Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green and Catford South wards. The population of Catford, includ ...
who have escaped from
Dartmoor Prison
HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor. The prison is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and is operated by ...
.
* In 1979 the pop impresario
Jonathan King
Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...
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 hoax story that some Smurfs toys had been painted using lead paint, and that young children had been falling ill from placing them in their mouths.
*
Oasis refused permission for the release of the song "Wondersmurf", a parody of their song "
Wonderwall."
Notes
External links
The Smurfs official siteHappy Smurfday: Official Smurfs 50th Anniversary site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smurfs, The
Novelty and fad dances
Songs about fictional characters
Songs about comics