"We Like to Party!" (subtitled "The Vengabus" for its release as a single) is a song by Dutch

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

group

Vengaboys Vengaboys ( ) is a Dutch Eurodance music group based in Rotterdam consisting of lead and female vocalist Kim Sasabone, female vocalist Denise van Rijswijk and male vocalists Robin Pors and Donny Latupeirissa. Created by Dutch producers Wessel va ...

. It was released in the Netherlands in May 1998 as the fourth single from the band's debut album, '' Up & Down – The Party Album'' (1998). Following its success in

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

, it was given a worldwide release on 9 November 1998. "We Like to Party!" became one of the band's most successful hits, topping the chart in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, reaching number two in Australia and the Netherlands, and becoming a top-five hit in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is also the band's highest-charting song in the United States, climbing to number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and in Canada, where it peaked at number 10.

Composition

"We Like to Party!" is a

song that runs for 3 minutes and 41 seconds. It is written in the key of A♭ major and maintains a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 136 beats per minute in common time.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor William Cooper described it as a "bouncy

eurodisco Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is a genre of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the middle 1970s, incorporating elements of pop music, pop and rock music, rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...

hit", and noted further that it was "reminiscent of Aqua's '

Barbie Girl "Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 by Universal and MCA as the third single from the group's debut studio album, ''Aquarium''. The song was written by band members Søren Rasted, Cl ...

', with its singalong

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

, cutesy female vocal squeal, and wacky synth beats."

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 musi ...

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 advertis ...

'' wrote, "This wildly energetic foursome (two gals, two guys) from the Netherlands is pretty much a household name throughout Europe, where this infectious pop gem has been a constant on radio and in clubs. Already, 'We Like To Party!' has gone platinum and double-platinum in Belgium and the act's homeland, respectively. Here, the song could meet a similar fate, especially since it features a sugar-soaked sing-along chorus that hangs out in your head until you beg for relief. That said, people who embraced Aqua's 'Barbie Girl',

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

's 'Romeo And Juliet', and Los Del Rio's '

Macarena "Macarena" is a song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, originally recorded for their 1993 album '' A mí me gusta''. A dance remix by the electropop group Fangoria was a success in Spain, and a soundalike cover version by Los del Mar became ...

' will be lining up for this latest slice of energetic pop. Are you listening, radio? (It's already hit No. 1 on the playlist of dance leader WKTU New York.) Conversely, this will be a no-brainer for club jocks, who continue to make major noise with the group's sweat-soaked debut, ' Up and Down'." An editor from '' Daily Record'' called it "cheesy

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

from Europe's top selling boy-girl band who are already lining up a massive summer single." Jim Farber from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' commented, "Attention, lovers of cheeseball club music. The Vengaboys' hit 'We Like to Party!' combines a campy disco beat, party-girl vocals, and a killer

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

in the form of a ship horn in full blare. What began as a beach anthem in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

, Spain, is becoming a Stateside smash on the increasingly Euro-driven U.S. charts. And why not? It's too willfully silly to resist." In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue remarked its "unmistakeable Vengaboys sound", describing it as "a fast-paced energetic track".

Commercial performance

The single proved to be a higher seller than "Up and Down" in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number three in March 1999, eventually selling 474,000 copies, making it the 29th-biggest hit of the year. The song additionally reached number one in Flemish Belgium, number two in Australia and the Netherlands, number three in Ireland, number four in Germany and Switzerland, number six in Austria and Italy, number nine in New Zealand and number 10 in Canada and Walloon Belgium. It additionally reached the top 20 in France. The song became the group's biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 26 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and selling 405,000 copies.Billboard - 25 December 1999 - 1 January 2000 - Page 34 "Vengaboys' "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" sold 405,000 units"

Music video

The accompanying

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

for "We Like to Party" was directed by Wendelien van Diepen. It first aired in March 1999. The video features all four Vengaboys members and other tourists travelling to various destinations in Province of Barcelona,

Piera Piera () is a municipality that covers a large portion of the southeastern corner of the comarca of Anoia in Catalonia, Spain, on the left bank of the Anoia river. The agricultural land, mostly non-irrigated, is used for the cultivation of cere ...

and

Gavà Gavà () is a municipality in the Baix Llobregat comarca, in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It borders the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Viladecans and Castelldefels. Gavà has a beach and two population centers: the ci ...

, in a 1930s style mini-bus, the "Vengabus" (a 1933 Chevrolet series O Bus), where they end up in a nightclub in

La Barceloneta, Barcelona La Barceloneta () is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The neighborhood was built in the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciut ...

. A new "silent" version of the video was released in January 2022 via the band's official YouTube channel. It features isolated vocals and dubbed ambient sound effects based on the visuals.

Track listings

* Dutch CD single # "We Like to Party!" (airplay) – 3:42 # "We Like to Party!" (BCM XXL) – 6:21 * Dutch maxi-CD single # "We Like to Party!" (airplay) – 3:44 # "We Like to Party!" (BCM remix) – 4:04 # "We Like to Party!" (more airplay) – 5:49 # "We Like to Party!" (original) – 4:06 # "We Like to Party!" (BCM XXL) – 6:21 # "We Like to Party!" (Baunz mix) – 4:45 # "We Like to Party!" (Full Schwingg) – 4:36 # "We Like to Party!" (D.J. Vanhaze Hitmix) – 7:01 * French CD single # "We Like to Party!" (airplay mix) – 3:42 # "We Like to Party!" (more airplay mix) – 5:49 * UK CD1 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (more airplay mix) – 5:49 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (

Klubbheads Klubbheads is a team of dance music producers and DJs from the Netherlands. They have more than 40 aliases for their recordings, including Hi_Tack, DJ Disco and Drunkenmunky.IMO Records "Klubbheads Biography" IMO Records Retrieved on 1 Marc ...

remix) – 6:05 # "We Like to Party!" (

Tin Tin Out Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating ...

remix) – 6:30 * UK CD2 and cassette single # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (airplay mix) – 3:42 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

remix) – 6:38 # "Up and Down" (BCM radio) – 3:28 * Australian and New Zealand CD single # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (airplay edit) – 3:44 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Klubbheads mix) – 6:07 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (more airplay) – 5:50 # "Up and Down" (video mix) – 3:40 # "Up and Down" (Tin Tin Out mix) – 8:14 * US maxi-CD single # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (airplay) – 3:42 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Klubbheads mix) – 6:05 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (BCM remix) – 4:03 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (more airplay) – 5:49 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Full Schwingg) – 4:36 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (DJ Disco mix) – 4:31 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Baunz mix) – 4:45 # "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (BCM XXL) – 6:21 * US 2×12-inch single :A1. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (extended club mix) – 5:49 :A2. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (DJ Disco mix) – 4:31 :B1. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Jason Nevins club mix) – 7:07 :C1. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Klubbheads mix) – 6:05 :C2. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Baunz mix) – 4:45 :D1. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (BCM mix) – 6:21 :D2. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Jason Nevins dub mix) – 5:50

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

In popular culture

* The song's popularity was revived when used in 2004 as the main theme for

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...

' " Mr. Six" advertising campaign. * In 2022, Pangina Heals and Janey Jacké " lipsynced for the world" to the song on the third episode of the first season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World.'' *In 2024, the song was added to the popular video game ''

Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:We Like To Party 1998 songs 1998 singles Colorado Rockies Crazy Frog songs English-language Dutch songs Music videos shot in Spain Positiva Records singles Songs about buses Songs about New York (state) Songs about parties Songs about San Francisco Songs written by Dennis van den Driesschen Songs written by Wessel van Diepen Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Vengaboys songs