"Around the World (La La La La La)" is a song by German-based international Eurodance group ATC (an abbreviation of "A Touch of Class"). The song is a cover of the Russian hit "Pesenka" by Ruki Vverh! and uses the song's melody with additional English lyrics. Both songs feature the phrase "la la la la la" in a call and response format. Released in May 2000 as ATC's debut single, the song is their most successful, reaching the top 20 in most countries where it was released, including Austria, Germany, Poland, Romania and Switzerland, where it topped the charts.
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Background and release
"Around the World (La La La La La)" was released as ATC's debut single from their debut album, Planet Pop, on 22 May 2000 in Germany. It was produced and recorded by German producer Alex Christensen with its melody almost entirely based on "Pesenka" by Ruki Vverh!. The single reached number one on the German Singles Chart for six weeks in 2000. It also reached number one in Austria, Poland, Romania, and Switzerland and the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
On 6 November 2000, the song was released in the United Kingdom but did not chart. In August 2002, it was re-released in a newly remixed version, peaking at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Around the World (La La La La La)" was serviced to radio stations on 16 January 2001 and peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Music video
The music video for "Around the World" was filmed in 1999, and part of it was filmed in a pedestrian tunnel near Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin in Berlin.
A yellow Melkus RS 1000 with a blue license plate containing the text "ATC" features in the video. It appears both as a miniature slot car and as an original. It is seen drifting and dashing through the tunnel. During the final chorus, Sarah Egglestone and Tracey Elizabeth Packham are lying on the hood while it is driving. In between shots of the car moving, the group members can be seen dancing in a bluish-grey room on a small stage surrounded by water resembling a swimming pool and playing with the cars in the same room.
R3hab version
In 2019, Dutch DJ R3hab released a cover version titled "All Around the World (La La La)". The band was credited on the release as A Touch of Class, though it features new vocals by an uncredited guest vocalist.