First of all, interesting Google Gemini AI advertisement at the beginning of the MV.
Anyway, I didn’t expect the song to be fully in English. I still have no idea what “Boompala” is even supposed to mean. I’m assuming it’s just one of those catchy, nonsensical words meant to stick in your head when said out loud, kind of like “Boomshakalaka.”
This also has to be one of the longest title tracks I’ve heard from them in a while, but they really went all in on making “Boompala” memorable because outside of the two short verses, the song is basically just the “Boompala” chorus and post-chorus repeated many times.
Structurally, the entire song leans super heavily into Macarena. The intro literally opens with the original Macarena melody and lyrics before transitioning into an abbreviated chorus built around repeating “Boompala.” After verse 1, it goes straight into the main chorus and then a post-chorus that’s essentially the iconic Macarena hook rewritten with different English words. The exact same sequence repeats after verse 2. Then the outro circles back again to the same melody and lyrics from Macarena, just like the intro.
That’s ultimately why this feels more disappointing to me compared to other hugely popular sampled songs like IVE’s After Like. Even though After Like sampled I Will Survive, the actual chorus melody and vocal progression feel distinct enough that the two songs still come across as separate identities. Outside of the sampled instrumental, they don’t really overlap much structurally or melodically.
Boompala, on the other hand, screams Macarena from beginning to end. The problem is that it feels like a more muted version of the original, which makes it less groovy, energetic, and danceable. I actually listened to Macarena pretty recently during Bruno Mars’ tour when DJ Pee Wee (Anderson .Paak) played it during the opening set, and the entire crowd was going crazy. That experience honestly made the comparison feel even starker to me. They made Boompala so similar to Macarena that it becomes almost impossible not to subconsciously compare the two throughout the entire song. Half the choreography referencing the original Macarena dance made it feel even less distinct.
I think they should’ve taken more creative liberties with the sample instead of making it sound like a mere remake of the global mega hit from the 90s.
submitted by /u/betterthan88
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