| "Rumble in the Jungle" | ||||
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| Single byFugees featuringA Tribe Called Quest,Busta Rhymes andJohn Forté | ||||
| from the albumWhen We Were Kingssoundtrack | ||||
| Released | January 7, 1997 (1997-01-07) | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Length | 5:09 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Rumble in the Jungle" onYouTube | ||||
"Rumble in the Jungle" is a song recorded for the 1996documentary filmWhen We Were Kings, which depicts the 1974boxing match betweenMuhammad Ali andGeorge Foreman that the song is named after:The Rumble in the Jungle. The song was written and performed by Americanhip hop groupFugees along with fellow hip hop artistsA Tribe Called Quest,Busta Rhymes, andJohn Forté. Additional writers credited on the song areBenny Andersson,Björn Ulvaeus,Stig Anderson, andChip Taylor since "Rumble in the Jungle"samples recordings written by them. The lyrics of the song focus mostly on Ali and his life, as well as the boxing match itself.
Produced byWyclef Jean andLauryn Hill of the Fugees, "Rumble in the Jungle" was released on January 7, 1997, as the first single from the soundtrack, becoming a chart hit in several countries. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number three on theUK Singles Chart, becoming the Fugees' fourth consecutive top-three hit. It also entered the top 40 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden. In the United States, it appeared on theBillboardHot R&B Airplay chart, on which it peaked at number 71.
"Rumble in the Jungle" was written for the 1996documentary filmWhen We Were Kings, which focuses on AmericanboxerMuhammad Ali and the buildup to the 1974Rumble in the Jungle boxing match withGeorge Foreman, which took place inKinshasa,Zaire.[1] The song was written byFugees membersWyclef Jean,Pras, andLauryn Hill along with guest vocalistsBusta Rhymes,John Forté, andA Tribe Called Quest membersQ-Tip andPhife Dawg; Jean and Hill additionally produced the song.[2]
The song'sbassline is taken from "The Name of the Game" (1977) by Swedishpop groupABBA, soBenny Andersson,Björn Ulvaeus, andStig Anderson are given writing credits;[3] this was the first time ABBA had granted permission to officially sample one of their recordings.[4] One of Hill's verses is also based on "Angel of the Morning", penned byChip Taylor in 1967.[2] "Rumble in the Jungle" is about Ali's background and his fight with Foreman, containing descriptions of inner-city life, and plays during the biopic'sclosing credits.[1]
The song was serviced to Americanrhythmic contemporary radio on January 7, 1997.[5] On January 25, 1997, it debuted and peaked at number 71 on theBillboardHot R&B Airplay chart.[6] In the United Kingdom, a re-issue of "Fu-Gee-La" was originally scheduled for release, but once the film and song were released in America,import copies began to permeate the British music market, eventually selling enough units to appear at number 81 on theUK Singles Chart.[7] This threatened the potential sales of "Fu-Gee-La", so its release was suspended to allow for the proper release of "Rumble in the Jungle" on March 3, 1997.[3][8] The song subsequently reappeared on the UK Singles Chart, entering at number three to become the Fugees' fourth consecutive top-three hit.[7] Elsewhere in Europe, the song peaked at number 10 in Ireland, number 12 in Iceland, number 13 in Finland, and number 36 in Sweden.[9][10][11] In Oceania, the song reached the top 20 in New Zealand, peaking at number 13 on June 1, 1997.[12]
A music video directed byMarc Smerling andMark Woollen was made for the song.[13] It features snippets from the film interspersed with clips of the seven vocalists rapping the song in aboxing ring. The video premiered onMTV worldwide on January 14, 1997.[14] It was subsequently added toMTV2's playlists on the week ending January 19 and toThe Box's playlists the following week.[15][16]
UK and Australian CD single[17]
European CD and cassette single[18][19]
Personnel are lifted from the US promo CD liner notes.[2]
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Weekly charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | January 7, 1997 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Mercury | [5] |
| United Kingdom | March 3, 1997 |
| [8] |
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