Alma Cogan was Britain's most successful female recording artist of the 195… Read Full Bio ↴Alma Cogan was Britain's most successful female recording artist of the 1950's. Born in London in 1932, her early recordings were mainly ballads, in the style of Anne Shelton. But by 1954, this was to all change. Her first major hit was "Bell Bottom Blues", and she scored her only number one in Britain with "Dreamboat" in 1956. Novelty songs were extremely popular at the time, and Alma recorded a number of these, including "I Can't Tell A Waltz From A Tango", "Twenty Tiny Fingers" and "Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo". She was known for the giggle in her voice when she sang and was affectinaltely known as The Girl With A Laugh In Her Voice. Her extravagant dresses were also a trademark. Her final UK hit was "Cowboy Jimmy Joe" in 1961, but was fast becoming an International Artist, with hits in Sweden, Germany, Israel and Japan - she had a number one hit in Japan with "Just Couldn't Resist Her With Her Pocket Transistor" which was at the top spot for over six months. As the novelty numbers were fast becoming old-fashioned by the start of the 1960s, she recorded a number of jazz standards and pop records, including five songs written by the Beatles - these recordings can be found on a number of CDs. Famed for her showbiz parties, with guests like Cary Grant, Noel Coward and the Beatles, she was never out of the public eye until ovarian cancer tragically cut her career short. She died on the 26th October 1966, aged just 34.

Mambo Italiano
Alma Cogan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A girl went back to Napoli
Because she missed the scenery,
The native dances and the charming songs.
But wait a minute, something's wrong.

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Go, go, go, you mixed up Siciliano.

All you Calabrese-a, do the mambo like-a crazy with a

Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella.
Hey mambo, no more the mozzarella.
Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Try an enchilada with da fish-a-bacala. And then-a

Hey goombah, I love-a how you dance the rumba,
But take-a some advice Paisano,
Learn how to mambo.
If you gonna be a square you ain't-a gonna go nowhere-a,

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Gioviano.
ho kess-a deech-a you get happy in the feets-a when you
Mambo Italiano.

Shake-a baby, shake-a, 'cause I love-a when you take-a me

Mama say, "You stop-a or I'm gonna tell your papa." And then

Hey jadrool, you don't-a have to go to school,
Just make-a wit' the beat bambino.
It's a like-a vino.
Kid, you good-a-lookin' but you don't-a know what's cookin' till you

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up Siciliano.
it's-a so delish'-a ev'rybody can capice-a how to
Mambo Italiano.

'ats nice!
(Uhh!)

Overall Meaning

In Alma Cogan's popular song "Mambo Italiano," the lyrics tell a story of a girl who returns to Napoli because she misses the scenery, the native dances, and the charming songs. However, something seems wrong in this scenario until she breaks out into the mambo dance. The lyrics then turn into a chorus of sorts, encouraging everyone to do the mambo Italian style, shaking their feet and dancing with joy. The playful tone of the song is punctuated by phrases such as "Hey Mambo" and "Go Go Go," further adding to the upbeat nature of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

A girl went back to Napoli
A girl returned to Naples

Because she missed the scenery,
She missed the beautiful surroundings

The native dances and the charming songs.
She missed the traditional dances and captivating songs

But wait a minute, something's wrong.
However, there's a problem

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Addressing someone to dance the Italian Mambo

Go, go, go, you mixed up Siciliano.
Encouraging a mixed-up Sicilian to dance fervently

All you Calabrese-a, do the mambo like-a crazy with a
A request to the Calabrese to dance the Mambo crazily

Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella.
Preferring the Mambo to the Tarantella dance

Hey mambo, no more the mozzarella.
Trying something other than Mozzarella

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Addressing someone to dance the Italian Mambo

Try an enchilada with da fish-a-bacala. And then-a
Suggesting the dish of enchilada with baccalà and then dance the Mambo

Hey goombah, I love-a how you dance the rumba,
Impressed by how someone dances the Rumba

But take-a some advice Paisano,
Offering advice to someone as a fellow Italian

Learn how to mambo.
Encouraging someone to learn how to dance the Mambo

If you gonna be a square you ain't-a gonna go nowhere-a,
If someone is square, they won't be able to achieve anything

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Addressing someone to dance the Italian Mambo

Go, go, Joe, shake like a Gioviano.
Encouraging Joe to shake and dance like someone from Genoa

ho kess-a deech-a you get happy in the feets-a when you
Saying that one will get happy in their feet when they dance this way

Mambo Italiano.
Dancing the Italian Mambo

Shake-a baby, shake-a, 'cause I love-a when you take-a me
Inviting someone to dance and enjoy it

Mama say, "You stop-a or I'm gonna tell your papa." And then
Referencing the strictness of mothers when children dance at home

Hey jadrool, you don't-a have to go to school,
Addressing someone and saying they don't have to go to school

Just make-a wit' the beat bambino.
Enabling someone to learn to dance with the rhythm

It's a like-a vino.
Suggesting dancing is similar to drinking wine

Kid, you good-a-lookin' but you don't-a know what's cookin' till you
Complimenting someone's looks but not knowing what they're capable of until they dance the Mambo

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano.
Addressing someone to dance the Italian Mambo

Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up Siciliano.
An energetic exclamation towards a mixed-up Sicilian

it's-a so delish'-a ev'rybody can capice-a how to
The Mambo dance is so deliciously enjoyable that everyone can understand how to dance it

Mambo Italiano.
Dancing the Italian Mambo

'ats nice!
Expressing pleasure and excitement over the dancing

Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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