Country Spain As Rodolfo Chikilicuatre Languages Spanish, English | Artist(s) David Fernández Ortiz With Disco, Gráfica | |
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Composer(s) Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and Friends | ||
"Baila el Chiki-chiki" ([ˈbaila el ˈtʃiki ˈtʃiki], "Dance the Chiki-chiki") is a song by Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and Spain's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, in Belgrade, Serbia. The song was pre-qualified for the final round where it scored 55 points in total, placing 16th.
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Background
The song is a parody of reggaeton music filled with jokes and references to the "¿Por qué no te callas?" incident between Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the king of Spain Juan Carlos I and Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Original Version). Reportedly the lyrics of the song changed due to some political allusions, as the EBU does not allow political remarks in any song in the competition.
The final version of the song features allusions to some prominent Spanish figures, including Pau Gasol, Fernando Alonso, Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas and Pedro Almodóvar. It also alludes to the 1995 Spanish hit single "La Macarena", Michael Jackson and RoboCop.
National final
In the national final of the Spanish selection Salvemos Eurovisión, the song beat the favourite, Coral, with her song "Todo Está En Tu Mente", placed second.
Eurovision final
As a member of the "Big 4", Spain automatically qualified for the Eurovision final, held on 24 May 2008.
Rodolfo Chikilicuatre was accompanied on stage by Disco and Gráfica, two comedic dancers that also accompanied him in the national final. One of them, Gráfica, played by fellow actress Silvia Abril, dances clumsily without knowing the basic dance steps. Another three dancers (Leticia Martín, María Ángeles Mas and Cecilia López) were chosen through the special casting show Dansin Chiki Chiki to join them in Belgrade.
Beyond Eurovision
"Baila el Chiki-Chiki" has also been performed by Rodolfo alongside popular figures such as King África, Tata Golosa, Dustin the Turkey, among others.