Double Dutch (song)


"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. 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.
Mbaqanga group The Boyoyo Boys took legal action against McLaren over the similarity of "Double Dutch" with their own hit "3 Mabone". 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, but Trevor Horn and McLaren retained their songwriting credits.
The track was heavily sampled by British house music group Dope Smugglaz on their 1999 track "Double Double Dutch".
The lyrics of the song are referenced in Liz Phair's song "Whip-Smart".
The song was featured in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.