El Negro Zumbón

"El Negro Zumbón" (also known as "Anna") is a baião song written by Armando Trovajoli^[1][2] in 1951 for the film Anna, directed by Alberto Lattuada and starring Silvana Mangano.^[3]

In the movie, the song is performed in a night club scene by Mangano, though she is lip-syncing; the lyrics are actually sung by Flo Sandon's.

After the U.S. release of Anna in 1953, the Brazilian beat of "El Negro Zumbón" influenced American Pop music.^[4] It has also been recorded by many Latin American artists.^[4]

Notable recordings

• Amália Rodrigues (1953)
• Caterina Valente with Silvio Francesco (1956)
• Abbe Lane with Tito Puente (1957)
• Connie Francis (1961)
• Chet Atkins (1967)
• Regina Do Santos (1995)
• Pink Martini (2004) - vocals by China Forbes, Timothy Nishimoto, and Dan Faehnle^[5]

Posterity

A clip of the opening of this performance is featured in the film Cinema Paradiso (1988).

In Caro diario (1993), Nanni Moretti dances on a clip of this song broadcast on a TV set.

Notes

• IMDb as well as the Pink Martini liner notes credit this song to Roman Vatro -one of the multiple alternate names of Armando Trovajoli- (music) and Francesco Giordano (lyrics).^[6]

References

1. Moliterno, Gino (2008). "Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema". United States: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810860735. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
2. Lane, John Francis (10 March 2013). "Armando Trovajoli Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
3. "Anna (1951) Full Cast & Crew". IMBd. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
4. Weisbard, Eric, ed. (2007). "Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music". Duke University Press Books. ISBN 9780822340416. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
5. "Hang on Little Tomato". pinkmartini.com. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
6. "Anna (1951) Soundtracks". Retrieved 31 December 2014.

External links

• "Silvana Mangano (el negro zumbon)". YouTube. Retrieved 31 December 2014.