The Ouraine Dance

"The Ouraine Dance" is a single by Kuboian-based singer and actress Emily Merletta, released under the alias of Ouraine, a character she voiced in the animated television series of the same name. It served as the lead single for the show's second studio album Everybody Dance. The song is based around "The Humpty Dance", a 1990 single by American hip hop group Digital Underground, with new and altered lyrics by Chloe Wallace. It was released in February 1997.

The song reached number two on the Karuboia charts. A Dutch-language version of the song titled "De Ouraine-dans" was also released in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number ten.

Lyrics
"The Ouraine Dance" is based around, samples and interpolates Digital Underground's 1990 single "The Humpty Dance", although some of the lyrics have been changed to make the song more appropiate for children and to fit the show's theme. As the character of Ouraine, Merletta raps two verses; the first is almost identical to the first verse from "Digital Underground", whilst the second verse features her citing her actions and accomplishments she has achieved both throughout the series and during her early childhood.

The pre-chorus in particularly is mostly borrowed from the hook from "Digital Underground" with some adjustments; the line "the Humpty Dance is your chance to do the hump" is changed to "the Ouraine Dance is your chance to do the dance", the line "do the Humpty Hump" is changed to "do the Ouraine dance" and the "do me, baby" ad lib is replaced by the other characters on the show talking. The chorus, meanwhile, features new entirely written lyrics, and also features the instrumental becoming more complex.

Composition
"The Ouraine Dance" is in the key of E minor and has a tempo of 102 beats per minute.

Reception
A writer for British newspaper The Daily Telegraph criticised the song as a publicity stunt, and only marginally more bareable than 1993 single "Mr. Blobby".

Kuboian CD single

 * 1) "The Ouraine Dance"
 * 2) "What I'm All About"
 * 3) "The Ouraine Dance" (karaoke version)
 * 4) "The Ouraine Dance" (video)

Kuboian cassette single

 * 1) "The Ouraine Dance"
 * 2) "The Ouraine Dance" (karaoke version)

Dutch cassette single

 * 1) "De Ouraine-dans"
 * 2) "Ik ben het, Ouraine!"