History
The song Mambo
The history of modern mambo begins in 1938, when a danzón called "Mambo" was written by Orestes and Cachao López. The song was a danzón, descended from European social dances like the English country dance, French contredanse and Spanish contradanza, but it used rhythms derived from African folk music.
Contradanza and charanga
The contradanza had arrived in Cuba in the 18th century, where it became known as danza and grew very popular. The arrival of black Haitians later that century changed the face of contradanza, adding a syncopation called cinquillo (which is also found in another contradanza-derivative, Argentine tango).
By the end of the 19th century, contradanza had grown lively and energetic, unlike its European counterpart, and was then known as danzón. The 1877 song "Las alturas de Simpson" was one of many tunes that created a wave of popularity for danzón. One part of the danzón was a coda which became improvised overtime. The bands then were brass (orquestra tipica), but was followed by smaller groups called charangas.
The most influential charanga was that of Antonio Arcano, who flourished in the late 1930s. It was Arcano's cellist, Orestes Lopez, whose "Mambo" was the first modern song of the genre. His brother, bassist and composer Cachao López, is often described as "the inventor of the mambo".
Mambo dance
In 1943, a musician named Perez Prado came up with the dance for the Mambo music, the Mambo dance. He introduced it at La Tropicana night-club in Havana in 1943. He also became the first person to market his music as Mambo. After Havana, Prado moved his music to Mexico, and then New York City. Along the way, his style became increasingly homogenized in order to appeal to mainstream American listeners.
Following in the footsteps of Prado came a wave of mambo musicians, such as Enrique Jorrín. Some experimented with new techniques, such as faster beats and the use of side steps in the dance; this latter innovation formed the foundation of cha-cha-cha, and was the result of Jorrin's experimentation. Cha-cha-cha was very pop-oriented, especially after Arthur Murray further simplified the dance. Mambo remained popular throughout the United States and Cuba until the 1960s, when a combination of boogaloo and pachanga (both modified forms of mambo) were created.
New York Mambo dancers
Some of New York's biggest mambo dancers and bands of the 50s included:
Augie & Margo
Michael Terrace & Elita
Carmen Cruz & Gene Ortiz
Larry Selon Vera Rodriguez
Mambo Aces
Killer Joe Piro
Paulito and Lilon
Louie Maquina
Pedro Aguilar ("Cuban Pete")
Machito
Tito Puente
Tito Rodriguez
Jose Curbelo
Palladium and the Mambo mania
By the mid-1950s mambo mania had reached fever pitch. In New York the mambo was played in a high-strung, sophisticated way that had the Palladium Ballroom, the famous Broadway dance-hall, jumping. The Ballroom soon proclaimed itself the "temple of mambo," for the city's best dancers--the Mambo Aces, "Killer Joe" Piro, Augie and Margo Rodriguez, Paulito and Lilon, Louie Maquina and Pedro "Cuban Pete" Aguilar--gave mambo demonstrations there and made a reputation for their expressive use of arms, legs, head and hands. Augie and Margo became the highest paid dance duo in the world and still dance in Las Vegas 50 years later (2006).
Mambo bands
There was fierce rivalry between New York bands. The bands of: Machito; Tito Puente; Tito Rodriguez; and Jose Curbelo. They delighted habitués such as Duke Ellington,Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Lena Horne and Afro-Cuban jazz pioneer Dizzy Gillespie. The shows were popular with Afro-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Upper East Side WASPs, and Jews and Italians from Brooklyn. Class and color melted away in the incandescent rhythm of the music. Even jazz musicians such as Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt fell under the mambo's charm, as can be heard on the many Latin recordings they made in the 1950s.
Mambo losing popularity
In 1954 the cha-cha-cha, a kind of mambo created by the Cuban violinist Enrique Jorrín, a member of the Orquesta America Charanga, swept through Havana and New York. Easier to dance than the mambo, with a squarish beat and a characteristic hiccup on the third beat, it spread to Europe, before being dethroned in the early 1960s by the pachanga and then the boogaloo.
Return of the mambo
The 1990s saw a resurgence of mambo in popular culture. In 1992, the Warner Brothers hit film "The Mambo Kings", starring Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas, received numerous acting and music award nominations such as Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and others. Music greats Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and others appeared in the film, to the delight of music fans. The soundtrack received wide acclaim. The mambo revival continued in 1995 when Guinness used Perez Prado's track Guaglione in an advertising campaign featuring the dancing of Dublin actor Joe McKinney. The song was released as a single and reached number 2 in the UK charts. In 1999, Lou Bega released a cover version of Mambo No. 5, another Prado original, which became a hit across Europe.
Mambo No. 5
Lou Bega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three, four, five
Everybody in the car, so come on, let's ride
To the liquor store around the corner
The boys say they want some gin and juice
But I really don't wanna
Beer-bust like I had last week
I must stay deep because talk is cheap
I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita
And as I continue, you know they getting sweeter (uh)
So what can I do? I really beg you, my Lord
To me is flirting is just like a sport
Anything fly, it's all good, let me dump it
Please set in the trumpet
A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita's all I need
A little bit of Tina's what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man (ah)
(Hey)
Mambo Number Five (ah)
Jump up and down and move it all around
Shake your head to the sound
Put your hand on the ground
Take one step left and one step right
One to the front and one to the side
Clap your hand once and clap your hands twice
And if it looks like this then you're doing it right
A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita's all I need
A little bit of Tina's what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man (ah)
(Ah)
Trumpet, the trumpet
Mambo Number Five, hahaha
A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita's all I need
A little bit of Tina's what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man (huh)
I do all to fall in love with a girl like you
'Cause you can't run and you can't hide
You and me gonna touch the sky
(Hey)
Mambo Number Five (ah)
The song Mambo No.5 by Lou Bega is an upbeat party anthem that celebrates the joy of love and the excitement of flirting. The lyrics of the song begin by announcing that this is Mambo Number Five and quickly jump into an invitation for everyone in the car to come along for a ride to the liquor store. The boys in the car want some gin and juice, but the singer doesn't want to drink too much as he had a bad experience last week. He then begins to flirt with various women by name, including Angela, Pamela, Sandra, Rita, and Erica. He acknowledges that he enjoys flirting and considers it a sport. The chorus mainly consists of the repeated line "Mambo No.5" and talks about how he likes different women and how they all make him feel. The song encourages people to jump up and down and move to the rhythm of the music.
One interesting fact about the Lou Bega's Mambo No.5 is that the song is based on a Cuban mambo, which was composed by Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949. Also, Lou Bega actually did not write the song, but he added his own lyrics and produced it. Another fact is that Mambo No.5 became an immediate hit when it was released in 1999, and it topped the charts in many countries around the world. The song has been used in several films and TV shows, including Bruce Almighty and Dancing with the Stars. The music video for the song features various dancers, and it is known for its bright colors and upbeat energy. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, such as Shakira and the Chipmunks. Additionally, Lou Bega frequently performs the song in concert, and it is always a crowd-pleaser.
Chords (source: ultimate-guitar.com):
Intro: Bb
Verse: Bb - F - Gm - Eb
Chorus: Bb - F - Gm - Eb
Line by Line Meaning
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mambo Number Five
The introduction to the song, announcing the Mambo Number Five
One, two, three, four, five
Counting up to five in rhythm with the music
Everybody in the car, so come on, let's ride
Inviting everyone to join in and ride along
To the liquor store around the corner
Going to the nearest liquor store
The boys say they want some gin and juice
The boys express a desire for gin and juice
But I really don't wanna
The singer doesn't want to drink gin and juice again
Beer-bust like I had last week
Drinking too much beer and experiencing a hangover from last week
I must stay deep because talk is cheap
The singer doesn't only talk, but he also takes action
I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita
The singer appreciates and likes these specific women
And as I continue, you know they getting sweeter (uh)
As the singer talks to these women, he's growing closer to them and they're becoming even more attractive
So what can I do? I really beg you my Lord
The singer asks for advice or guidance to help him with his romantic pursuits
To me, flirting is just like a sport
Flirting is a game or competition to the singer
Anything fly, it's all good, let me dump it
He's open to anything or anyone and is willing to give it a try
Please set in the trumpet
Asking the trumpet to play and accompany the music
A little bit of Monica in my life
The singer desires a small taste or experience of Monica's presence in his life
A little bit of Erica by my side
The singer would like a small amount of Erica's company
A little bit of Rita's all I need
The singer only wants a small amount of Rita's attention
A little bit of Tina's what I see
The singer is attracted to Tina and would like to see more of her
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
The singer thinks Sandra is attractive when she's in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
The singer would like a little bit of Mary's company all night long
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
The singer is present and attentive to Jessica
A little bit of you makes me your man (ah)
The singer is interested in the listener, and believes that by spending a little time with him, he can become her man
Jump up and down and move it all around
Getting up and moving along to the music
Shake your head to the sound
Moving in time with the music
Put your hand on the ground
Putting one's hand on the ground as part of the dance moves
Take one step left and one step right
Taking one step to the left followed by one step to the right
One to the front and one to the side
Taking one step to front and one step to the side
Clap your hand once and clap your hands twice
Clapping both hands once, then twice
And if it looks like this then you're doing it right
An instruction to watch the singer and copy the dance moves correctly
Trumpet, the trumpet
Encouragement to the trumpet to play again
Mambo Number Five, hahaha
Repeating and celebrating the Mambo Number Five
I do all to fall in love with a girl like you
The singer does everything to fall in love with the listener
'Cause you can't run and you can't hide
The singer believes the listener can't escape his love
You and me gonna touch the sky
The singer has lofty plans for himself and the listener
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Damaso Perez Prado, Lou Bega, Zippy Davids
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EarthyMGD
Let’s take a moment of silence for the people who haven’t found this song yet
@milky694
I listened to this as a toddler ...
@midoriaomori6685
@@milky694 I thought everyone did as a toddler 😶
@frogyisdope9200
wait i thought everyone has known this song since their childhood lmao
@yulia.t
That was me back in the days that i couldn't find this at all and then one day this song was in my tv and i fucking jumped from happiness that i finally found this song
@mohammedal-mukhtar2426
😂😂👌
@krispyboi2519
Everybody gangsta until Mambo No. 6 drops as the 2020 finale
@cavalierliberty6838
I would love that.
@keomarahmat
There will be mambo no 6 ?
@cavalierliberty6838
@@keomarahmat the highly awaited sequel