Chacarron Macarron
{{Infobox song
| name = Chacarron
| cover = Chacarron.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Andy's Val Gourmet on the cover of the CD single
| type = single
| artist = El Chombo featuring Andy's Val Gourmet
| album =
| released = 2005{{cite web|first= Thom |last= Jurek |title= El Chombo – Overview |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= 23 July 2021 |url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/el-chombo-mn0000165498/biography}} / 2006 (UK)
| recorded = 2003
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Panamanian reggaetón
| length = 2:46 {{small|(radio edit)}}
3:00 {{small|(re-recorded version)}}
4:19 {{small|(extended version)}}
| label = Warner, Substance Records
| writer = {{hlist|Rodney S. Clark|Andres Henry de la Cruz|Wilfred Sanchez{{cite AV media notes|title= Chacarron |others= El Chombo |year= 2007 |type= liner notes |publisher= Ministry of Sound |access-date= September 20, 2021 |url= https://www.discogs.com/release/8238729-El-Chombo-Chacarron/images}}}}
| producer = Rodney S. Clark
| chronology = El Chombo
| prev_title = El Gato Volador
| prev_year = 1998
| next_title = Dame Tu Cosita
| next_year = 2018
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|MlW7T0SUH0E|"Chacarron Macarron"}}}}
}}
"Chacarron" (often known as "Chacarron Macarron" or "Shark Around"{{Citation |title=Chacarrón (Shark Around) by Andy's Val Gourmet - Track Info {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/chacarr%C3%B3n-shark-around-mt0026634160 |access-date=2024-01-29 |language=en}}) is a song by Panamanian artists Rodney Clark (El Chombo) and Andres de la Cruz (also known as Andy's Val Gourmet).
It is a reworking of the original version from 2003 by Andy's Val Gourmet, who is credited as 'Andy's Val' on the release.{{cite web|title= Andy's Val – Chacarron |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= 23 July 2021 |url= https://www.allmusic.com/song/chacarron-shark-around-version-originale-mt0040764805}} A cover by Yahari appears as the first track of their 2005 album Las + Bailables de .... Yahari.{{cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/las-bailables-de--yahari-mw0000208453 |title= Yahari – Las + Bailables de .... Yahari |website= AllMusic |accessdate= 1 May 2014}}
El Chombo and Andy's Val Gourmet's version reached the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart in December 2006.
The song was included on the compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 65 of the UK series.{{Cite web |title=Now That's What I Call Music! 65 (UK) |url=http://destinyxnowmusic.freehostia.com/nowmusic/nowuk65.html |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=destinyxnowmusic.freehostia.com}} It was used as walk up music before at bats by José Reyes when he played for the New York Mets,{{cite news|first= Ben |last= Shpigel |title= It's All Good. No, It's Better Than That. |newspaper= The New York Times |date= 19 September 2006 |access-date= 14 February 2022 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/sports/baseball/its-all-good-no-its-better-than-that.html}} and is also included in the 2021 dance video game Just Dance 2022.{{cite news|first= Ryan |last= Craddock |title= Just Dance 2022 Launches on Switch Today, Here's The Full Song List |work= Nintendo Life |date= 4 November 2021 |access-date= 18 November 2021 |url= https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/11/just-dance-2022-launches-on-switch-today-heres-the-full-song-list}}
Andy's Val Gourmet died of cardiac arrest on September 11, 2023, as announced on El Chombo's Instagram.{{Cite web |last=americanpost |date=2023-09-12 |title=DJ Andy's Val, the voice behind "Chacarron," dies at 47 |url=https://www.americanpost.news/dj-andys-val-the-voice-behind-chacarron-dies-at-47/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=American Post |language=en-US}}
Composition and lyrics
"Chacarron" is a Panamanian reggaeton song which samples "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow during the bridge sections.{{cite web | url=https://www.whosampled.com/sample/1057/Andy%27s-Val-Chacarron-(Shark-Around)-Kurtis-Blow-The-Breaks/ | title=Andy's Val's 'Chacarron (Shark Around)' - Discover the Sample Source | website=WhoSampled }} The song is known for its mostly unintelligible lyrics.
Internet popularity
The song gained attention online when the chorus was used on a YTMND page by the name of "Ualuealuealeuale" which was created in 2005 by a user named MowtenDoo. It contained a .gif of Batman played by Adam West being drugged in a scene from the 1966 series' first episode. The page also gained popularity on YouTube with a reupload of it gaining millions of views.{{cite web|first= Bryan |last= Menegus |title= Who Killed YTMND? |website= Gizmodo |date= 29 August 2016 |access-date= 7 November 2021 |url= https://gizmodo.com/who-killed-ytmnd-1785765611}}{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Caroline |date=2006-11-09 |title=The Chacarron sensation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2006/nov/09/thechacarronsensation |access-date=2024-10-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
"Chacarron Macarron" became a popular viral on the Internet owing to its nonsensical lyrics and odd music video. The lyrics mostly consist of gibberish.{{Cite web |last=McAlpine |first=Fraser |date=December 11, 2006 |title=BBC - Chart Blog: El Chombo - 'Chacarron' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2006/12/el_chombo_chacarron.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924110326/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2006/12/el_chombo_chacarron.shtml |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}} The "uale" noise earned de la Cruz (Andy Val) the nickname of "The Mute" ("El Mudo" in Spanish), but due to a mispronunciation, he also earned the nickname of "El Mundo", and the song was subsequently used in numerous viral videos and YouTube poops during the mid-2000s, late 2000s and onward. One particular video involved a loop of Nintendo character Mario headbanging from a Singapore Airlines advertisement.{{cite magazine|first1= Dan |last1= Ozzi |first2= Kyle |last2= Kramer |title= You Can't Spell "Remember" without "Meme": A Look Back at the Viral Hits of 2005 |magazine= Vice |date= 18 September 2015 |access-date= 7 November 2021 |url= https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-memes-of-2005/}} The song was also used as part of the Hurr-Durr JavaScript trojan in 2009.
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Chart (2005–2007) !scope="col"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Finland|2|artist=El Chombo|song=Chacarron|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 7, 2018}} |
| {{singlechart|Scotland|14|date=20061217|rowheader=true|accessdate=April 25, 2016}} |
| {{singlechart|Sweden|41|artist=El Chombo|song=Chacarron|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 7, 2018}} |
| {{singlechart|UK|20|date=20061217|rowheader=true|accessdate=April 25, 2016|refname="UK"}} |