"Cult of Snap" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group Snap!. It was released in September 1990 as the third single from their debut studio album, World Power (1990). The song reached No. 1 in Spain for four weeks and it also peaked at No. 2 in Austria and Zimbabwe. Snap! performed the song on the British TV show Top of the Pops.

"Cult of Snap"
Single by Snap!
from the album World Power
B-side"Blasé Blasé"
Released10 September 1990 (1990-09-10)[1]
Genre
Length3:59 (radio edit)
LabelLogic
Songwriter(s)
  • John "Virgo" Garrett III
  • Durron Butler
  • Penny Ford
  • Benito Benites
Producer(s)
  • Benito Benitez
  • John "Virgo" Garrett III
Snap! singles chronology
"Ooops Up"
(1990)
"Cult of Snap"
(1990)
"Mary Had a Little Boy"
(1990)
Music video
"Cult of Snap" on YouTube

The song was re-recorded and included on their 2003 remix album The Cult of Snap! featuring Roy Malone.

Chart performance

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"Cult of Snap" was a major hit on the charts on several continents. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Spain for four weeks and was a top 10 hit also in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single reached number eight in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on September 23, 1990.[2] Outside Europe, "Cult of Snap" peaked at number two in Zimbabwe, number 15 in New Zealand and number 27 in Australia.

Critical reception

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AllMusic editor Andrew Hamilton remarked the "choppy rhythms" of "Cult of Snap" in his review of World Power.[3] American magazine Billboard described it as an "African-infused house jam".[4] Marisa Fox from Entertainment Weekly felt it is "a dark song, with African drumbeats and chanting."[5] Pan-European magazine Music & Media found that rapper Turbo B "raps like he's shouting orders over a monotone techno beat, spiced up with oriental and African samples."[6] David Giles from Music Week concluded, "The best record from this outfit yet. Snap tap into a slightly salsa-based groove that stands out a mile among all the Funky Drummers, and decorate it with rapping. Afro-harmonies, and oriental melodies. A huge hit."[7] NME noted its "tribal rhythms and chanting", "to stomp away the evenings to" on Ibiza.[8] A reviewer from Newcastle Evening Chronicle named it one of the best songs from the album.[9]

Music video

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A tribal music video was released to promote the song. It sees the band members belly dancing and charming a snake. The video was directed by Liam Kan.[10] He also directed the music video for the group's previous single, "Ooops Up".

Track listings

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  • 7-inch single (Logic 113 596)
  1. "Cult of Snap" (World Power Radio Mix) — 3:59
  2. "Blasé Blasé" — 4:32
  • CD maxi (Logic 663 596 )
  1. "Cult of Snap" (World Power Mix) — 6:30
  2. "Cult of Snap" (Album Version) — 5:18
  3. "Cult of Snap" (World Power Radio Mix) — 3:59
  4. "Cult of Snap" (E-Version) — 5:54
  • German Remix CD (Logic 663 639)
  1. "Cult of Snap" (The Modno 2000 Mix) — 5:25
  2. "Cult of Snap" (The Virtual Dub Mix) — 4:39
  3. "Cult of Snap" (The Elektra Mix) — 5:25

Charts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 8 September 1990. p. 33.
  2. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 23 September 1990 - 29 September 1990". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  3. ^ Hamilton, Andrew. "Snap! - World Power". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Album Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. 2 June 1990. p. 80. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. ^ Fox, Marisa (26 April 1991). "Dance Now!!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 6 October 1990. p. 18. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  7. ^ Giles, David (22 September 1990). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Groove Check". NME. 22 September 1990. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Snap: World Power". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 12 June 1990. page 14.
  10. ^ "snap - cult of snap ( viva tv )". YouTube. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 October 1990. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  15. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Snap!". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 239. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Top 10 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 December 1990. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  19. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Snap".
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Snap!" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  21. ^ "Snap! – Cult Of Snap" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  23. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Top 10 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. 4 May 1991. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  25. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  26. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  27. ^ "Snap! – Cult of Snap". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  29. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  31. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 of 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. 22 December 1990. p. 60. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 January 2020 – via World Radio History.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  33. ^ "I singoli più venduti del 1990" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  34. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 January 2015.