Song:Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)
Album:The Best Of Lou Bega: Mambo Mambo
This 1999 reworking of the Perez Prado classic Mambo No. 5 was a worldwide hit and the only big hit for German singer Lou Bega. He was born David Lubega Apr. 13, 1975 in Munich, Germany. His father was from Uganda and he moved to Germany in 1972. Bega started out as a teen rapper. It was on a trip to Miami that he learned about Cuban music. When he returned to Munich, he decided to mix his modern sound with vintage Cuban music. Bega and his manager Goar Biesenkamp signed with Syndicate Musicproduction owned by producers Frank Lio (Achim Kleist) and Donald Fact (Wolfgang von Webenau). They had success in Germany but Mambo No. 5 was their only international success. It's an odd record because it samples the original Mambo No. 5 and Bega created original lyrics and a contemporary rhythm section was added. That's why I don't call it a remake or a cover. I guess it's a hybrid. The use of the original is significant enough that it got Prado contemporary fans he never would have attracted on his own. That's a nostalgia record and Bega modernized it. The record was a hit in Europe first and then RCA picked it up in the US. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album A Little Bit Of Mambo was certified 3XPlatinum. Not surprisingly, Bega was never able to recreate the magic of Mambo No. 5 and it turned out to be his only big hit. You can get it on this Collectables budget comp. Bega released two albums on RCA. Since then he has released albums in Europe and he still performs. A lot of artists never get that one big hit so I'm sure he is thankful for that. Here's the video for Mambo No. 5 (A Little Of...) by Lou Bega.
I liked the song, but i also liked the video with all the women. Guilty pleasure of mine.
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