# Pump It
**"Pump It"** is a 2005 song by the American group The Black Eyed Peas, released on their album *Monkey Business* through [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records)[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8). Its signature element is a sample of guitarist [Dick Dale](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-dale)'s 1962 surf-rock recording "[Misirlou](https://www.edgepedia.org/misirlou)", the instrumental later known to film audiences as the opening theme of *Pulp Fiction*[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/) • [3](https://songsense.io/black-eyed-peas/pump-it). Issued as an international single in 2006, the track became one of the group's most widely licensed songs, appearing in film trailers and commercials and functioning as a high-energy party and sports anthem[4](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/) • [3](https://songsense.io/black-eyed-peas/pump-it).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and album | The Black Eyed Peas, from *Monkey Business*, ℗ 2005 Interscope Records[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8) |
| Central sample | Dick Dale's 1962 recording "Misirlou", itself an adaptation of a traditional Middle Eastern song[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/) |
| Principal credits | Produced and engineered by will.i.am, who also performs vocals and drum programming; vocals by Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8) |
| Composers | William Adams, Allan Pineda, Thomas Van Musser, Stacy Ferguson, and Nicholas Roubanis[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8) |
| Single release | International single in 2006[4](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/) |
| Music video | Directed by Francis Lawrence; prominently features Honda Civics[5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/5/3/popscreen-black-eyed-peas-black-eyed/) |
| Screen uses | Commercials for the film *Big Momma's House 2* and the trailer for *Cars*[6](https://www.popisms.com/Song/27197/Pump-It-Black-Eyed-Peas-2006) |
## The Misirlou sample
The riff that drives "Pump It" comes from "Misirlou", a melody of eastern Mediterranean origin that Dick Dale and His Del-Tones recorded in 1962[4](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/). Dale's version is an adaptation of a traditional Middle Eastern song, and [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino) chose it to soundtrack the opening credits of his 1994 film *Pulp Fiction*, which made the recording familiar to a new generation[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/) • [3](https://songsense.io/black-eyed-peas/pump-it). After *Pulp Fiction*, the tune appeared widely in movies, television shows, and commercials, and the [Black Eyed Peas](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-eyed-peas) built "Pump It" around it[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/). The Radio UAS history of the melody describes Dale's riff as incorporated "practically structurally" into the song, carrying a Mediterranean melody into twenty-first-century hip-hop and electronic pop[4](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/).
The composer credit for Nicholas Roubanis on the track reflects the sampled melody's earlier songwriting lineage[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8).
## Production and credits
The YouTube release metadata lists will.i.am as vocalist, producer, engineer, bass vocalist, and drum programmer, with Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap as vocalists[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8). Jason Villaroman and Tal Herzberg served as engineers, and Mark "Spike" Stent handled mixing[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8). The five registered composer-lyricists are William Adams (will.i.am), Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap), Thomas Van Musser, Stacy Ferguson (Fergie), and Nicholas Roubanis[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8).
A contemporary *Music Connection* review of *Monkey Business* noted that the album "slams open" with Dale's distinctive surf guitar sampled from "Misirlou", set within a spectrum spanning hip-hop, funk, pop, soul, and Tagalog[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/00/2005/Music-Connection-2005-06-20.pdf).
## Music video
The video was directed by [Francis Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-lawrence)[5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/5/3/popscreen-black-eyed-peas-black-eyed/). In a 2006 review, a Harvard Crimson staff writer described its unnervingly smooth cinematography, compulsive editing, and a choreographed breakdance fight between the group and a rival gang in a garage setting, with Honda Civics conspicuously displayed throughout[5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/5/3/popscreen-black-eyed-peas-black-eyed/). The reviewer connected the car placement to the group's tour sponsorship by the [Honda Civic](https://www.edgepedia.org/honda-civic), which was advertised on both the Civic Hybrid website and the band's own site, and concluded that the four-minute clip felt more like a car commercial than a music video[5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/5/3/popscreen-black-eyed-peas-black-eyed/).
## Chart history and media use
The song was used in commercials for the film *Big Momma's House 2* and in the trailer for Pixar's *Cars*[6](https://www.popisms.com/Song/27197/Pump-It-Black-Eyed-Peas-2006). Pitchfork's Dick Dale retrospective counts it among the post-*Pulp Fiction* afterlife of "Miserlou" and calls "Pump It" a 2006 hit[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/).
Spotify chart data compiled by kworb shows the track's later streaming life: a peak of number 115 in the United Kingdom with 43,676 daily streams, number 183 in France, number 122 in Ireland, number 32 in Estonia, number 94 in [Lithuania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lithuania), and number 91 in Iceland, with chart entries recorded from 2016 through 2026[8](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/track/6btyEL6NwUa97Nex9cZFvo.html).
## Legacy
"Pump It" is the most prominent hip-hop adaptation of "Misirlou", a melody that had already traveled from Mediterranean communities through Greek and emigrant musicians, surf rock, and Hollywood before reaching global pop[4](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/). SongSense's analysis credits the song with cementing the Black Eyed Peas' status as global superstars and with becoming a ubiquitous party and sports anthem[3](https://songsense.io/black-eyed-peas/pump-it). For many listeners the sample is the point of first contact with Dale's recording, introducing the 1962 surf original to audiences two generations removed from it[2](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/).
## References
1. [Pump It – The Black Eyed Peas (official audio, YouTube/Universal Music Group metadata)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77gTBvX0K8)
2. [How Dick Dale Changed the Sound of Rock Guitar, Pitchfork (2019)](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-dick-dale-changed-the-sound-of-rock-guitar/)
3. [Meaning of "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas, SongSense](https://songsense.io/black-eyed-peas/pump-it)
4. [Misirlou: la melodía que cruzó un siglo para entrar a Pulp Fiction, Radio UAS (2026)](https://radio.uas.edu.mx/2026/09/15/113519/)
5. [Popscreen: Black Eyed Peas, The Harvard Crimson (2006)](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/5/3/popscreen-black-eyed-peas-black-eyed/)
6. [Pump It performed by Black Eyed Peas – Pop Culture References, Popisms](https://www.popisms.com/Song/27197/Pump-It-Black-Eyed-Peas-2006)
7. [The Black Eyed Peas, Music Connection (June 2005)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/00/2005/Music-Connection-2005-06-20.pdf)
8. [Black Eyed Peas – Pump It, Spotify Chart History, kworb](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/track/6btyEL6NwUa97Nex9cZFvo.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Discographies and musical catalogues › Production and songwriter credit lists › Songs recorded by lists › Songs recorded by bands and groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license