Double Dutch (song)

For the Frankie Smith song, see Double Dutch Bus.

"Double Dutch"
Single by Malcolm McLaren
from the album Duck Rock
B-side	"She's Looking Like a Hobo"
Released	24 June 1983 (1983-06-24)[1]
Recorded	1982
Genre	World music
Length	3:38 (7" version) 5:53 (album version)
Label	Charisma
Songwriter(s)	Malcolm McLaren Trevor Horn Big Jack Lerole Petrus Manele Lulu Masilela Dingane Vilakazi
Producer(s)	Trevor Horn
Malcolm McLaren singles chronology
"Soweto" (1983) "Double Dutch" (1983) "Duck for the Oyster" (1983)

"Double Dutch" is a 1983 single by Malcolm McLaren. It is taken from his debut album Duck Rock. "Double Dutch" is the follow-up to his successful debut single, "Buffalo Gals", and reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, making it his highest-charting single release.^[2] The album version is a slight re-edit of the single, with part of the original middle eight moved to the end of the track.

The song concerns the skipping game of the same name, with McLaren's narration mentioning several New York double Dutch troupes by name, notably the Ebonettes, whose name is also used as a chant in the chorus. The music video for the song features McLaren and troupes from the American Double Dutch League performing in a school gymnasium.

The South African Mbaqanga group, The Boyoyo Boys, sued McLaren for music plagiarism^[3] over the similarity of "Double Dutch" to their own 1975 hit "Puleng".^[4] After a lengthy legal battle in the UK, the matter was settled out of court, with payment made to the South African copyright holders, songwriter Petrus Maneli and publisher Gallo Music,^[5] but Trevor Horn and McLaren retained their songwriting credits. However, it appears sometime later Manele, Vilakazi, Lerole and Masilela have been added to Double Dutch as credited composers.^[6]

The track was heavily sampled by house music group Dope Smugglaz on their 1999 track "Double Double Dutch".^[7]

The lyrics of the song are referenced in Liz Phair's song "Whip-Smart".^[8]

The song was featured in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.^{[citation needed]}

Track listings

7"

1. "Double Dutch" – 3:40
2. "She's Looking Like a Hobo" – 3:31

7" (US)

1. "Double Dutch" – 3:20
2. "Radio Show (D'Ya Like Scratchin')" – 3:46

12"

1. "Double Dutch" (with the Ebonettes) – 8:21
2. "She's Looking Like a Hobo" (with the World's Famous Supreme Team) – 2:58
3. "D'Ya Like Scratchin'" (with the World's Famous Supreme Team) – 3:45

12" (US)

1. "Double Dutch" (long version) – 8:25
2. "Hobo Scratch (She's Looking Like a Hobo)" – 9:15

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9]	14
Ireland (IRMA)[10]	7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11]	10
UK Singles (OCC)[2]	3
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12]	47
West Germany (GfK)[13]	14

References

1. "News". Record Mirror: 6. 18 June 1983. Retrieved 15 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
2. "Malcolm McLaren: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
3. "Criminal record: How Malcolm McClaren ripped off SA musicians". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
4. The Boyoyo Boys (21 August 2020). "Puleng". Youtube. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
5. "Malcolm McLaren". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
6. "Criminal record: How Malcolm McClaren ripped off SA musicians". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
7. Dope Smugglaz bio at Last.fm
8. Kot, Greg (September 15, 1994). "Snappy Sequel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 186. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Double Dutch". Irish Singles Chart.
11. "Malcolm McLaren – Double Dutch". Top 40 Singles.
12. "Malcolm McLaren Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Malcolm McLaren – Double Dutch" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.