Mambo No. 5 facts for kids

"Mambo No. 5" is an instrumental mambo and jazz dance song originally composed and recorded by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949 and released the next year.

The song was used in German artist Lou Bega's sampling of the last 30 seconds 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	19 April 1999
Genre	Latin pop
Length	5:14 (extended version) 3:39 (radio edit)
Label	Ariola Records
Songwriter(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 (A Little Bit of...)" (1999) "I Got a Girl" (1999)

Lou Bega's cover was a summer hit during 1999 in most of Europe, including Great Britain, as well as in North America and Oceania. In France, it set a record by staying at number one for 20 weeks. The song reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 2 November 1999, giving Bega his only top-40 hit in the United States.

Music video

The music video, directed by Jorn Heitmann, features Lou Bega singing and dancing with flappers. An alternate music video aired on Disney Channel, featuring clips from various Disney films and television series, with newly recorded lyrics by Bega dealing with the featured characters.

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-inch 45 rpm single

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

Charts

Certifications

Chart performance

On 9 September 2001, the song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bob the Builder's second number-one single on the listing after "Can We Fix It?". In doing so, Bob became the first novelty act to top the UK chart with more than one single. Following the 11 September attacks, the song was banned from UK radio due to its lyrics about building renovation. It earned a Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 12 October 2001 for shipping over 400,000 units. At the end of 2001, it was ranked as the UK's 17th-best-selling single.

In Ireland, the song first appeared on the Irish Singles Chart at number 13 on 13 September and peaked at number four the following week, staying there for three weeks in total. It remained in the top 50 for the next 10 weeks. At the end of the year, the song came in at number 42 on Ireland's year-end chart.

"Mambo No. 5" debuted at number three on the Australian Singles Chart on 4 November 2001 and reached number two on 18 November, held off the top spot by Alien Ant Farm's cover of "Smooth Criminal". After staying at number two for another week, the song began to descend the chart, spending nine more weeks in the top 50. It was Australia's 26th-most-successful hit of the year and shipped over 70,000 copies, allowing it to receive a Platinum certification from ARIA.

Track listing

Enhanced CD single and maxi-single

1. "Mambo No. 5"
2. "Super Spud" (Spud's Dub)
3. "Mambo No. 5" (karaoke music)
4. "Mambo No. 5" (video CD ROM)

Charts

Certifications

Ome Henk parody

Dutch children's TV character Ome Henk, took a parody of the song to #9 titled "Mambo Nr 6". The lyrics referred to the 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.

Legacy

• The original recording by Pérez Prado was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
• 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 Clinton–Lewinsky scandal with the chorus, "A little bit of Monica in my life".
• The Lou Bega version has become an unofficial anthem for the England cricket team after it was used by UK broadcaster Channel 4 as the theme for their live coverage of England Test matches between 1999 and 2005, becoming particularly famous during the 2005 Ashes series (when England won the trophy for the first time in 18 years), and is still played today by the England cricket fans' 'Barmy Army'. In February 2021, Channel 4 won the TV broadcast rights to England's tour of India, and after 16 years Mambo No. 5 returned to the airwaves as the theme music for Channel 4's live coverage and highlights.

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics (Lou Bega version)

See also

In Spanish: Mambo No. 5 para niños