Bongo Bong

"Bongo Bong" is the first solo single by Manu Chao, from his debut album, Clandestino. It is a remake of "King of Bongo", a track from Manu Chao's previous band, Mano Negra. The title and lyrics are taken from the 1939 jazz song "King of Bongo Bong" by Black American trumpeter Roy Eldridge. It also uses the background music from Black Uhuru's song "Bull ina di Pen", from their 1984 album, Anthem. The song is part of a medley with "Je ne t'aime plus" on Clandestino. Moreover, the music has been reused for other songs, such as "Mr. Bobby", which was first released on this single before being re-recorded for Chao's second album, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, and "Homens", from the same record.

The song is about a bongo player from the Congo.^[2]

Track listing

European CD single

1. "Bongo Bong" – 2:38
2. "Je ne t'aime plus" (with Anouk) – 2:02
3. "Mr. Bobby" – 2:57
4. "Mentira..." – 4:37
5. "Bienvenido a Tijuana" – 2:43

European maxi-CD single

1. "Bongo Bong" – 2:38
2. "Je ne t'aime plus" (with Anouk) – 2:02
3. "Mr. Bobby" – 2:57
4. "Bienvenido a Tijuana" – 2:43

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Robbie Williams version

In 2006, English singer Robbie Williams recorded a version of the song that combined "Bongo Bong" with "Je ne t'aime plus", which appeared on his 2006 album, Rudebox. It was released as a single of its own in 2007. The track was produced by Mark Ronson and included vocals by Lily Allen.

Track listing

European CD single

1. "Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus" – 4:48
2. "Lovelight" (Dark Horse Mix) – 6:25

Personnel

• Robbie Williams – lead vocals
• Lily Allen – backing vocals
• Tiggers – guitars
• Vaughan Merrick – Moog synthesizer
• Dave Guy – trumpet
• Neil Sugarman – tenor saxophone
• Ian Hendrickson-Smith – baritone saxophone
• Raymond Angry – Rhodes piano, keyboards
• Mark Ronson – keyboards, guitar, bass, drum programming, percussion
• Serban Ghenea – mixing

Charts

References

1. ^ Buckley, Peter (1999). The Rough Guide to Rock. 2nd ed. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-8582-8457-6. Stand-out tracks on this constantly surprising album include "Bongo Bong", an English-language lightweight reggae, the title track itself and the unstoppably danceable "Luna Y Sol".
2. ^ https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/bongo/ "Its words tell a simple story: 'Mama was queen of the mambo. / Papa was king of the Congo. / Deep down in the jungle / I start bangin' my first bongo.'"
3. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 48. 27 November 1999. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510
4. ^ "Major Market Airplay: Italy". Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 43. 23 October 1999. p. 27.
5. ^ "Major Market Airplay – Week 21/2000". Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 21. 20 May 2000. p. 21. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
6. ^ "Border Breakers Top 100 1999". Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 13. Retrieved 21 January 2026. – via World Radio History.
7. ^ Racca, Guido. "2014". Musica e dischi Top 100 Year-End 1960 – 2018 (in Italian). pp. 108–110. ISBN 9781980329121.
8. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2000" [Year-end chart 2000] (in German). Austriancharts.at.. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
9. ^ "Border Breakers Top 100 2000". Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52. 23 December 2000. p. 13. Retrieved 21 January 2026. – via World Radio History.
10. ^ "Jahrescharts – 2000" [Year-end chart 2000] (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived 9 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
11. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000" [Swiss Year-End Hit Parade 2000] (in German). Hitparade.ch.. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
12. ^ "Romanian Top 100" Archived 28 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Please see "Issue 7" of the year 2007
13. ^ Turkish Airplay Chart Archived 5 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine