Clap Your Hands

 

This edition of clapping hands spans three decades of music. Let’s start with a song from the disco era. In 1977, a French producer duo had the idea of incorporating flamenco rhythms into disco beats. Santa Esmeralda turned it into a global hit, which younger listeners will only recognise from the final sword fight scene between Kiddo and O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill.

The American singer-songwriter Sam Beam, also known as Iron & Wine, has also drawn inspiration from flamenco. Although castanets rather than clapping hands set the rhythm, this video is worth featuring here.

One of The Temptations’ absolute classics from the sixties simply has to feature in this series.