Mambo No. 5

"Mambo No. 5"
Song by Pérez Prado
Released	1949
Genre	Mambo, jive dance
Length	2:10
Writer	Dámaso Pérez Prado

"Mambo No. 5" is a mambo and jive dance song originally recorded and composed by Cuban Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949.^[1]

The song's popularity was renewed by German artist Lou Bega's sampling and vocal version of the original, released under the same name on Bega's 1999 debut album A Little Bit of Mambo.

Lou Bega version

"Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)"
Single by Lou Bega
from the album A Little Bit of Mambo
Released	April 19, 1999 (See release history)
Format	CD, maxi and 7" 45 rpm single
Genre	Latin pop
Length	5:14 (extended version) 3:39 (radio edit)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Dámaso Pérez Prado, Lou Bega, Zippy Davids
Producer(s)	Goar B, Frank Lio, Donald Fact
Lou Bega singles chronology
"Mambo No. 5" (1999) "I Got a Girl" (1999)

Lou Bega's cover was a hit in the United Kingdom,^[2] and Australia, where it reached number-one in 1999. It stayed at number-one in Australia for eight weeks, ultimately becoming the best-selling single of 1999.^[3] It also topped almost every chart in continental Europe, including Bega's home country, Germany, and set a record by staying at number-one in France for 20 weeks (longer than any stay at the top spot ever on the US or UK charts). The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US on November 2, 1999, giving Bega his only Top 40 hit in the US.^[4]

Music video

The music video, directed by Jorn Heitmann, features Lou Bega singing and dancing with flappers, possibly a homage to the music of the 1920s and 1930s. The video includes clips of old-style movies and newsreels showing trumpets, big bands and the like. The Disney version of the music video features Lou Bega performing against a white background with a live band, and the women's names are replaced with names of classic Disney characters. Footage of old Mickey Mouse cartoons and clips of Lou Bega performing against a checkered background is intercut throughout the video.

Track listings

CD single

1. "Mambo No. 5" (Radio Edit) – 3:39
2. "Mambo No. 5" (Extended Mix) – 5:14
3. "Mambo No. 5" (Enhanced CD-ROM Video) - 3:42

Maxi single

1. "Mambo No. 5" (Radio Edit) – 3:39
2. "Mambo No. 5" (Extended Mix) – 5:14
3. "Mambo" (Havanna Club Mix) – 5:48
4. "Mambo" (The Trumpet) – 6:01

7" 45 rpm single

1. "Mambo No. 5" (Radio Edit) - 3:39
2. "Beauty on the TV Screen" - 4:03^[5]

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (1999-2000) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 1 Canada Dance 30 (RPM)[11] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 1 Eurochart Hot 100[14] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 1 France (SNEP)[16] 1 Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1 Italy (FIMI)[19] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[23] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] 1 U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40[4] 2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] 3 U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary[4] 26 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[4] 26 U.S. Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay[4] 37 U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[4] 1 U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[4] 1 U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks[4] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Australia (ARIA)[28] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[29] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[30] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] 4 Canadian RPM Top Singles Chart[32] 7 France (SNEP)[33] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 1 UK (Official Charts Company) 4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[36] 42 All-time charts Chart Position France (SNEP)[37] 11 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[38] 4× Platinum 280,000^ Austria (IFPI Austria)[39] 2× Platinum 100,000x France (SNEP)[40] Diamond 1,532,000[41] Germany (BVMI)[42] 3× Platinum 1,500,000^ Mexico (AMPROFON)[43] Gold 75,000[44] Netherlands (NVPI)[45] Platinum 75,000^ Sweden (GLF)[46] 3× Platinum 90,000x Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] 2× Platinum 100,000x United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 1,000,000[49] *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

Preceded by "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65	French SNEP number-one single (Lou Bega version) August 28, 1999 – January 8, 2000 (20 weeks)	Succeeded by "Move Your Body" by Eiffel 65
Preceded by "Mi Chico Latino" by Geri Halliwell	UK Singles Chart number-one single (Lou Bega version) August 28, 1999 – September 11, 1999	Succeeded by "We're Going to Ibiza" by Vengaboys
Preceded by "Too Close" by Blue	UK Singles Chart number-one single (Bob the Builder version) September 8, 2001 – September 15, 2001	Succeeded by "Hey Baby" by DJ Otzi
Preceded by "When You Say Nothing at All" by Ronan Keating	New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single (first run) (Lou Bega version) September 11, 1999 – September 25, 1999	Succeeded by "Can You Hear Us" by Neil Finn
Preceded by "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam	Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single September 18, 1999 – November 13, 1999	Succeeded by "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65
Preceded by "Bring It All Back" by S Club 7	New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single (second run) (Lou Bega version) October 16, 1999 – October 23, 1999	Succeeded by "Heartbreaker" by Mariah Carey
Preceded by "Heartbreaker" by Mariah Carey	RIANZ New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single (third run) (Lou Bega version) November 6, 1999	Succeeded by "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65

Release history

Country	Release date
Germany	19 April 1999 (1999-04-19)
Worldwide	17 August 1999 (1999-08-17)
Re-recorded	1 January 2009 (2009-01-01)

Other cover versions

• CKBE-FM David Tyler 1999.
• A Bob the Builder version of the song, with the female names replaced with types of construction supplies and building tasks (timber, saw, waterproofing, tiling) reached number one in the UK, number two in Australia and number four in Ireland in 2001.^[18]
• A ninety-second cover version was created for the Korean rhythm dance game Pump It Up.
• A cover of the original Perez Prado version appeared in Guinness's famous 1998 "Swimblack" advertisement.
• Max Raabe backed by the Palast Orchester included a vintage arrangement version of the song on their 2001 Superhits album.^[50]
• Filipino jazz singer Richard Poon covered the song on the Filipino compilation album 90's Music Comes Alive in 2012.
• Cover versions, with slightly different lyrics in each version, have been heard in Party City commercials.

Parodies

• WHTZ DJ David Brody released a parody version named "Matzah No. 5" which aired on radio stations throughout the country. Performed by "Louie Bagel", the parody takes on various Jewish stereotypes. He also released a parody entitled "Bimbo No. 5"^[51] referring to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, wherein DJ Nelson imitates the voice of Bill Clinton. The song is commonly mis-attributed to both "Weird Al" Yankovic and Paul Shanklin. Also released was "Combo No.5"; the parody takes on ordering combo dinners from a Chinese take-away.

Legacy

• The original recording by Pérez Prado was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.^[52]
• "Mambo No. 5" was ranked sixth in a 2007 poll conducted by Rolling Stone to identify the 20 most annoying songs.^[53]
• This song was initially selected as the theme song of the 2000 Democratic National Convention, but this plan was scrapped due to the possibility of people associating the song with the Monica Lewinsky scandal.^[54]
• On September 11, 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the Lou Bega cover of the song at number 95 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, joking, "Can you imagine how bad Nos. 1 through 4 must have been? Let's all band together and make sure there's never a No. 6!"^[55]

References

Lou Bega Studio albums A Little Bit of Mambo Ladies and Gentlemen Lounatic Free Again Compilation albums King of Mambo Mambo Mambo – The Best of Lou Bega Singles "Mambo No. 5" "I Got a Girl" "Tricky, Tricky" "Mambo Mambo" "Gentleman" "Just a Gigolo" "Bachata" "You Wanna Be Americano" "Conchita" "Boyfriend" "Sweet Like Cola" Related articles Discography