Sandstorm

Album: Before The Storm (1999)
Charted: 3 83
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Finnish DJ Darude's first hit single was a result of a collaboration with his fellow countryman JS16 of the Bomfunk MC's. The song initially conquered the Finnish charts holding the #1 spot on the nation's Dance Chart for seventeen consecutive weeks. Word spread to the rest of Europe about the track, and it eventually took off globally becoming the best selling 12-inch single worldwide in 2000.
  • This was the one of the first songs to find an audience through the internet. It was initially promoted with a 60 second slip of the track being posted on the web, then got airplay in discos and clubs before it was finally released to a waiting audience.
  • In June 2000 Darude became the first Finnish artist ever to reach a top 3 position on UK's single chart.
  • Wanderlei Silva, a mixed martial artist, uses "Sandstorm" as his theme song.
  • The song appeared in the movie Fun With Dick and Jane starring Jim Carrey.
  • If you've ever appealed to an internet forum for help identifying a song post 2007, you've likely fallen victim to the "Sandstorm" meme. That year, a YouTuber soundtracked his gameplay footage from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare with the song and it became a popular tune in the online gaming community, specifically for League of Legends players on Twitch. The meme grew as a trolling joke throughout the web, where any song from a video would be misidentified as "Darude - Sandstorm" in the comments.
  • To celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Sandstorm," many Finnish radio stations and shopping centers played the song simultaneously at 9:15 am on May 8, 2025.

Comments: 1

  • Doug from IndianaSandstorm from 1960
    https://youtu.be/wQyIiU3MGuw
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.