Forgive me, the theatre?ĪLESSI: I somehow feel like an American cop isn't the stereotype that I'd get cast as after that video. Are either of you interested in the theater? Oh, wait. They usually wind up playing American cops at one point or another. SIMON: There's an old tradition of some Oxford people that are in show business. OUT OF THE BLUE: (Singing) Left its seeds while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE SOUND OF SILENCE") Our favorite song to perform is actually kind of quite choral-esque version of "The Sound Of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Yeah, I want to dance with somebody, with somebody who loves me. OUT OF THE BLUE: (Singing) Oh, I want to dance with somebody. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY") And there's a Whitney Houston number as well this year. Christina Aguilera comes in at one point.
Then this year we have quite a lot of funk.
If you look at the album from the group a couple years ago, it's really rocky. NICKHOLLS: Well, I think it definitely depends on the particular year groups. SIMON: And what kind of music do you favor or is it always, you know, Shakira and twitching your hips? So here we are 14 years on - a new group obviously. We were formed 14 years ago actually by an American who came over from Yale University to Oxford for a year, who we're still in contact with very much. SIMON: Tell us about your group Out of the Blue, if you could.ĪLESSI: Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group from Oxford University. We've had other people who've called us rhythmless white boys.
We've had lots of people who've praised our hips because obviously they don't expect boys from Oxford to dance. NICKHOLLS: I guess, oh, gosh, how do you describe the dance moves? We just keep doing things until we agree they don't look so bad that we couldn't possibly perform them, and then just stick to that.ĪLESSI: It's definitely more about the enthusiasm than it is the accuracy. SIMON: Now if I could get you gentlemen to describe the dance moves and tell us how you managed to keep your regimental ties still knotted too. OUT OF THE BLUE: (Singing) I won't deny, you know my hips don't lie, and I'm starting to feel it's right. SIMON: Loosely - interesting choice of words.
But yeah, quite clearly, we're not professionally trained dancers nor do we have a professional choreographer. We just kind of watch Shakira's videos, loosely try and copy some of those movements and put our own spin on them. So all the choreography is done within the group. SIMON: Your vocals are terrific, but I'm guessing, having seen this video, that you don't have a professional choreographer?ĪLESSI: (Laughing) We don't. And they provide incredible support and palliative care for children with severely life-limiting diseases as well as bereavement care for their family. They're actually the first children's hospice ever in the world founded in 1982. We have worked the last eight years as a group with a wonderful children's hospice in Oxford called Helen & Douglas House. SIMON: All right, let's get the dutiful stuff out of the way first. Gentlemen, thanks very much for being with us. Ollie Nickholls and Marco Alessi join us from the BBC studios in Edinburgh. SIMON: These Oxford blokes have now produced a pretty saucy video of their own. I never really knew that she could dance like this. (SOUNDBITE OF YOU TUBE VIDEO, "HIPS DON'T LIE - CHARITY SINGLE - OUT OF THE BLUE - SHAKIRA") They put their own touch to Shakira's song. She was referring to an a cappella group called Out of the Blue. You know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right. They have managed to get the attention of one of the biggest pop stars in the world. That's how young British scholars say pleased, by the way. A group of undergrad students at Oxford must be pretty chuffed right now.