"Mundian To Bach Ke"
Single by Panjabi MC
from the album Legalised / Beware
B-side"Mundian Breaks"
Released25 November 2002 (2002-11-25)
RecordedBirmingham, United Kingdom
Genre
Length3:49
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC singles chronology
"Backstabbers"
(2002) 		"Mundian To Bach Ke"
(2002) 		"Jogi"
(2003)
Music video
"Mundian To Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys)" on YouTube

"Mundian To Bach Ke" (IPA: [mʊɳɖɪãː tõː bətːʃ keː]), also titled "Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)" or "Beware", is a bhangra music song produced by British musician Panjabi MC, with vocals and lyrics by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua. The song was produced by Panjabi MC in Birmingham, England, for his 1998 album Legalised.

Following its release as a single in November 2002, "Mundian To Bach Ke" achieved worldwide success, topping the singles charts in Italy and Wallonia and charting highly in many other countries. A remix of the song, released in 2003 and featuring American rapper Jay-Z, also charted highly in North America and Australia. The song sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.[1]

Lyrics and music

"Mundian To Bach Ke" (1998)
A 23-second sample of "Mundian To Bach Ke"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In addition to features of bhangra music, "Mundian To Bach Ke" also uses the bass line and part of the beat from "Fire It Up" (1997) by Busta Rhymes,[2] which in turn is based around a sample from the television theme song for Knight Rider,[3] written by Glen A. Larson and Stu Phillips, as an underlying element and lyrics originally written by Channi Singh. The lyrics of the song are in Punjabi. The music video of this song was shot in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chart performance

"Mundian To Bach Ke" was released as a single in Germany on 25 November 2002.[4] It sold over 100,000 in the first two days alone and debuted at number two on the German Singles Chart.[5][4] On the Italian Singles Chart, the song reached number one for three weeks.[6] In the UK, it was issued through Instant Karma and debuted at its peak of number five on the UK Singles Chart; it was the first bhangra song to reach the UK top 10.[7][8] The remix, featuring American rapper Jay-Z, also reached number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 10 in Canada, and number 12 in Australia.[9][10][11]

The Washington Post estimated that there may have been 10 million units sold worldwide. However, given that many of these copies may have been bootlegged, an exact number is not known, though sales are at least in the millions.[1]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[63] Gold 25,000*
Germany (BVMI)[64] Platinum 500,000‡
Greece (IFPI Greece)[29] Gold 10,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[65] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Germany 25 November 2002 CD
[4]
United Kingdom 13 January 2003
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Instant Karma [67]
Australia 9 June 2003 CD Ministry of Sound [68]

In popular culture

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References

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  13. ^ Mundian To Bach Ke (French CD single liner notes). Panjabi MC. Scorpio Music. 2002. SHT S0140-1.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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