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)	Lou Bega, Dámaso Pérez Prado, Zippy Davids
Producer(s)	Goar B, Frank Lio, Donald Fact, Peter Meisel
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]

With its worldwide success, the song became the subject of a 7-year copyright trial between Prado's estate, Peermusic, and Lou Bega's producers. Bega had only used riffs (which by German law cannot be registered for copyright) from Prado's original and written the entire lyrics, so Bega's producers went to court in order to gain access to all the song's proceedings from Peermusic representing Prado's estate. However, after 7 years the Federal Court of Justice of Germany ruled in favor of Peermusic and Prado's estate in 2008, based upon the fact that Bega's producers had sought a royalty agreement with Peermusic prior to releasing the song. Because of Bega's significant contributions to his version, the court's final ruling declared it a new song co-written by Prado and Bega.

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 Mickey Mouse Works 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 (Official German 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 100,000 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 New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] 3× Platinum 45,000 Sweden (GLF)[47] 3× Platinum 90,000 Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[48] 2× Platinum 100,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Platinum 1,000,000[50] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

Release history

Country	Release date
Germany	19 April 1999
Worldwide	17 August 1999
Re-recorded	1 January 2009

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.^[51]
• 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.
• Dutch children's TV character Ome Henk, took a parody of the song to #9 titled "Mambo Nr 6". The lyrics referred to a medicine prescribed to him, which causes hallucinations of the girls he mentions in the song. A parody of commercials for the fictional product is also heard.

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"^[52] featured on the 2000 four disc set album Z100 Morning Zoo Yard Sale: 15 Years Of Crap!,^[53] referring to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, wherein DJ JR Nelson imitates the voice of Bill Clinton.^[54] The song is commonly mis-attributed to "Weird Al" Yankovic,^[55] Paul Shanklin, and The Woody Show. Also released was "Combo No. 5"; the parody takes on ordering combo dinners from a Chinese take-away.
• ApologetiX released "Micah No. 5", with lyrics concerning the Christmas story.

Legacy

• The original recording by Pérez Prado was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.^[56]
• "Mambo No. 5" was ranked sixth in a 2007 poll conducted by Rolling Stone to identify the 20 most annoying songs.^[57]
• 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.^[58]
• In the Philippines, the song has gained popularity when Tinidora (played by Jose Manalo) of Kalyeserye, a live soap opera within the Juan For All, All For Juan segment of noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!, dances to its tune with a ladder.

References

1. "ESTILO MUSICAL Mambo" (in Spanish). American Sabor. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 637. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 2009-06-17.
4. "Lou Bega awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
5. "Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...) (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
6. "Australian-charts.com – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. "Ultratop.be – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. "Adult Contemporary - Volume 69, No. 23, September 27, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
11. "Dance/Urban - Volume 69, No. 25, October 11, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
12. "Top Singles - Volume 69, No. 22, September 20, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
13. Danyel Smith, ed. (1999). Billboard 31 July 1999. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
14. Danyel Smith, ed. (1999). Billboard 14 august 1999. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
15. "Lou Bega: Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
16. "Lescharts.com – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in French). Les classement single.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". GfK Entertainment Charts.
18. "Mambo no. 5 in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2009-08-05. Only results when searching "Mambo no. 5"
19. "The best-selling singles of 1999 in Italy". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 11 July 2013.
    3. Mambo no. 5 (A little bit of…) - Lou Bega [#1, 1999/00]
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Lou Bega search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
22. "Charts.org.nz – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". Top 40 Singles.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". VG-lista.
24. Danyel Smith, ed. (1999). Billboard 17 July 1999. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
25. "Swedishcharts.com – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". Singles Top 100.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)". Swiss Singles Chart.
27. "Archive Chart: 1999-09-04" UK Singles Chart.
28. "1999 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
29. "1999 Austrian Singles Chart". Austriancharts. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
30. "1999 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart". Ultratop. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
31. "1996 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart". Ultratop. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
32. "Top Singles - Volume 70, No. 8, December 13, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
33. "1999 French Singles Chart". SNEP. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
34. "Single top 100 over 1999" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
35. "1999 Swiss Singles Chart". Hitparade. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
36. "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
37. "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
38. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
39. "Austrian single certifications – Bega, Lou – Mambo Nr.5" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Bega, Lou in the field Interpret. Enter Mambo Nr.5 in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
40. "French single certifications – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
41. "Les Singles Diamant :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
42. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lou Bega; 'Mambo Nr. 5 (A Little Bit Of ...)')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
43. "Certificaciones – Lou Bega" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
44. "Certificaciones del 2000 :" (in Spanish). AMPROFON. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
45. "Dutch single certifications – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
46. "New Zealand single certifications – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5". Recorded Music NZ.
47. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
48. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lou Bega; 'Mambo No. 5')". Hung Medien.
49. "British single certifications – Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Mambo No. 5 in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
50. Myers, Justin (20 December 2014). "Strictly million-sellers only! Lou Bega finally mamboes his way to a million sales in the UK!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
51. "Max Raabe und Palast Orchester - News, Bilder, Konzerte und Videos 2013 - Neuigkeiten". Palast-orchester.de. 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
52. "Bill Clinton Bimbo Number 5 - YouTube". YouTube. 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
53. "Z100 Morning Zoo Yard Sale: 15 Years Of Crap! by Various Artists - BlueBeat.com: Play Free Music". BlueBeat Music. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
54. "Z100 Morning Zoo Yard Sale: 15 Years Of Crap! album interior tracklist". Bruce Springsteen Lyrics. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
55. "Ask Al - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Q&As". Ask Al. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
56. "Latin GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". Latin Grammy Award. Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2001. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
57. Staff (July 2, 2007). "The 20 Most Annoying Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
58. "The politics of music - It's showtime at the convention". Archives.cnn.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-01.