Baha Men, Who Let the Dogs Out

(Albums the World Forgot #6, 2010)


Baha Men, Who Let the Dogs Out (2000, Artemis)

Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who? That was the question on everyone’s lips in the summer of 2000 as Baha Men’s sunny dance-pop gem Who Let the Dogs Out? took the world by storm. But while you couldn’t watch a sports montage or children’s movie trailer without hearing the Bahamian group’s ubiquitous hit, one question remained unanswered: just who did let the dogs out?

The accompanying album Who Let the Dogs Out promised all the answers. After all, the title was not a question but seemingly a statement of fact, implying that we would finally be told “who let the dogs out.” However, aside from the title track (and closing number Who Let the Dogs Out? [Barking Mad Mix]) no mention is made of the titular dogs or who released them. This hardly matters, though, as you are quickly caught up in the album’s infectious feel-good vibe, a seamless mix of songs about parties (Get Ya Party On), beach parties (Getting Hotter) and dance parties (Shake it Mamma). A particular highlight is You All Dat, a tune about partying so great that Baha Men decided to release it again on their subsequent album, the millennium-celebrating 2 Zero 0-0 (released in 2001).

Who Let the Dogs Out made Baha Men overnight superstars, their sudden rush to the top culminating in their 2001 Grammy win for ‘Best Dance Recording’. However, the Men were uncomfortable about beating industry heavyweights like Eiffel 65 and began to feel that their success was undeserved. They also felt that Who Let the Dogs Out? had been overexposed and lost much of its intended meaning. They swiftly became disillusioned with the mainstream music industry, and opted instead to provide music for obscure low-budget flicks like Garfield: The Movie and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. Around this time they also recorded a smattering of tracks for the Disneymania compilation albums, a series designed to give exposure to artists on the underground label Walt Disney Records.

But even this was too much for the group, and in 2004 they released the sombre album Holla! before retreating from the public eye indefinitely. So, while we may never know who let the dogs out, there is no doubt that it was Baha Men’s swift rise to the top that let the demons in.