Who Let the Dogs Out? (2024)

"If your kids have been out barking on the streets late at night, this Bahamian band are to blame with this silly Notting Hill Carnival anthem."

— Daily Record ^[1]

"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song released by Bahamian junkanoo band Baha Men in 2000. It peaked at No. 2 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart and became a huge hit in Australia, New Zealand, and reached the Top 40 in the United States. It also won the Grammy for "Best Dance Recording" at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The song remains the first and only hit made by the band, making them one-hit wonders.

Lyrics

[Intro]
For one zillion dollars
The question is:
Who let the dogs out?

[Skit]
Hey!
Who let the dogs out?!
Who let the dogs out?!

[Chorus]
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)

[Verse 1]
Well the party was nice, the party was pumping (Hey, Yippie-Yi-Yo)
And everybody having a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie-Yi-Yo)
Until the fellas started name-calling (Yippie-Yi-Yo)
And the girls respond to the call, I heard a woman shout out

[Chorus]
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)

[Bridge]
Last year in the dance you had a ball
Called me mealybug and sketel
Get back gruffy, back scruffy
Get back, you flea-infested mongrel!

[Verse 2]
Gonna tell myself, “Hey man no get angry” (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)
To any girls calling them canine, hey! (Yippie, Yi, Yo)
But they tell me, “Hey Man, It's part of the Party!” (Yippie Yi, Yo)
You put a woman in front and her man behind (Yippie, Yi, Yo), I heard a woman shout out

[Chorus]
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)

[Bridge]
Say, a doggy is nutting if he don't have a bone!
(Oh, doggy hold ya' bone, oh doggy hold it)
A doggy is nutting if he don't have a bone!
(Oh, doggy hold ya' bone, oh doggy hold it)

[Chorus]
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)

[Bridge]
Last year in the dance you had a ball
Called me mealybug and sketel
Get back gruffy, back scruffy
Get back you flea-infested mongrel!

[Verse 3]
Well, if I am a dog, the party is on
I gotta get my groove cause my mind done gone
Do you see the rays coming from my eye
Walking through the place
That Diji man is breakin' it down?
Me and my white short shorts
And I can't see color, any color will do
I'll stick on you, that's why they call me Pitbull
Cause I'm the man of the land
When they see me, they say Woo!

[Chorus]
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who, who, who, who)

Why It Really Lets the Dogs Out

1. For starters, the song itself is extremely repetitive to the point where it can get on your last nerves and you won't feel like listening to it again, with the song title being said more than 20 times, and if you only count "Who", it's said more than 110 times!
2. Another major issue is the fact it lacks any melody. In fact, there is nothing more than an obnoxious rhythm and all the band does is basically shout the song title and "Who, who, who, who" over and over in the chorus, then follow up with some awful reggae-inspired verses.
3. Speaking of the chorus, it's repeated throughout the whole song and is incredibly annoying, which is very weird since it's supposed to be the catchy part of a song.
   • Sometimes it feels like the song only has a chorus and nothing else.
4. Generally speaking, the group's vocals come off as atrocious and irksome.
5. Besides the lyrics being nonsensical and repetitive, they can even be unintelligible without taking a look at lyric websites like Genius, due to the band's accent.
6. The song is very sexist and is literally comparing ugly women to dogs that shouldn't go outside.
7. The production is abysmal and outdated even for 2000s music standards, with an obnoxious rhythm that barely adds in energy to the song.
8. The music video is pretty poor and just features the band with other people dancing.

The Only Redeeming Quality

1. It can be hilarious to some people, due to how bad it is.

Reception

While the song had a great impact and also managed to win a Grammy, it has been criticized and considered by most critical analyses as "terrible" and even one of the most irritating tracks ever recorded.

• In 2007, Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 on their "Top 20 Most Annoying Songs" list. ^[2]

• In 2008, Spinner ranked it number 1 on their "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever" list. ^[3]

• Music critic and YouTuber Anthony Fantano considered it as one of the worst and most annoying songs of all time in his video "LET'S ARGUE: The Most Annoying Song of All Time", due to the obnoxious rhythm, the grating vocals and the horrendous chorus (check the "Videos" section).

Trivia

• The song gained popularity thanks to its appearance in "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" ^[4] and the soundtrack album.
• It's a cover of the hit single "Doggie", originally made by Trinidadian musician and composer Anslem Douglas.

Videos

Official music video

This song is mentioned here (2:18)

Review by YouTuber Todd in the Shadows

References

Comments

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