Bega had a multicultural upbringing as his mother is Sicilian and his father is from Uganda. Bega spent time in Miami during his teenage years.
"Mambo No. 5" became an instant worldwide hit, charting in the top 5 across Europe and in the USA, where it became a popular stadium anthem at sports events. It was also used by the British television broadcaster, Channel 4 for their coverage of Test Match cricket between 1999 and 2005. Interestingly, the original version by Perez Prado was also featured in a popular Guinness commercial of that year.
In 1999 he released the album A Little Bit Of Mambo which included Mambo No. 5 and the hits "1+1=2", "I Got a Girl" and "Tricky". On December 13, 1999, this album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. To date, he has sold almost 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. He followed this up in 2001 with Ladies And Gentlemen.
He recorded the song "Baby Keep Smiling" with Compay Segundo.
In the video game Tropico, Lou Bega is one of the characters a player can choose as his dictator persona. He was included as part of a licensing deal that also saw one of Bega's songs integrated into the German release of Tropico.
His third studio album, Lounatic, was released in late 2005. The first music video released was "You wanna be Americano" followed by "Bachata".
Official Homepage: http://www.lou-bega.com/
mambo #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
I must stay deep, 'cause talk is cheap
I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita
And as I continue you know they're getting sweeter
So what can I do? I really beg you, my Lord
To me 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 is all I need
A little bit of Tina is 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
Mambo Number 5!
Jump up and down and move it all around
Shake your head to the sound
Put your hands on the ground
Take one step left and one step right
One to the front and one to the side
Clap your hands 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 is all I need
A little bit of Tina is 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
Trumpet!
The trumpet!
Mambo Number 5!
Ha ha ha!
A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita is all I need
A little bit of Tina is 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
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
Mambo Number 5!
The song "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega is a fun, upbeat tune about a man's flirtatious encounters with several women. In the opening lines, he announces that this is Mambo Number 5 and then proceeds to invite everyone in the car to ride with him to the liquor store around the corner. He mentions that the guys want some gin and juice, but he is not interested in that and would rather have a beer bust like he had last week. He then talks about his interest in several women, including Angela, Pamela, Sandra, and Rita, and how they continue to get sweeter as he flirts with them.
The chorus is essentially a repetition of the names of the women he's interested in, that he needs a little bit of each of them in his life to keep him happy. He even describes the specific physical attributes he likes about each of them, such as Tina being what he sees and Sandra in the sun. The song also includes instructions for a dance, encouraging listeners to jump up and down, move it all around, and shake their heads to the beat.
The underlying theme of the song is the light-hearted pursuit of love and the appeal of having multiple romantic interests. It is a catchy, humorous song that is easy to dance to and has been enjoyed by audiences for years.
Line by Line Meaning
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mambo Number 5.
An introduction to the song.
One, two, three, four, five
Counting off to start the song.
Everybody in the car, so come on let's ride
Invitation for everyone to have fun together.
To the liquor store around the corner
Where they're headed to buy some drinks.
The boys say they want some gin and juice
What the boys want to drink.
But I really don't wanna
Lou Bega doesn't feel like drinking gin and juice.
Beer bust, like I had last week
A previous experience Lou had drinking beer heavily.
I must stay deep, 'cause talk is cheap
Lou needs to stay focused and do his own thing regardless of what others might be saying.
I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita
Lou likes these women that he has named.
And as I continue you know they're getting sweeter
The women he likes keep getting better and sweeter as he spends more time with them.
So what can I do? I really beg you, my Lord
Lou is pondering what to do about his attraction to these women.
To me flirting is just like a sport
Flirting comes easily to Lou, like a sport he enjoys playing.
Anything fly, it's all good, let me dump it
Lou is open to anything new and exciting with these women.
Please set in the trumpet
Lou requests the trumpet player to play their instrument in the song.
A little bit of Monica in my life
He wants some time with Monica.
A little bit of Erica by my side
He wants to spend time with Erica too.
A little bit of Rita is all I need
Lou only needs a little time with Rita to be satisfied.
A little bit of Tina is what I see
He has an interest in Tina.
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
He enjoys Sandra sitting outside in the sun.
A little bit of Mary all night long
Lou is interested in Mary all night long.
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
Jessica is here and Lou has a little interest in her.
A little bit of you makes me your man
Lou has interest in the listener and wants to be their man.
Jump up and down and move it all around
Lou is encouraging the listener to dance and have fun with him.
Shake your head to the sound
Follow the sound and move your head to the rhythm.
Put your hands on the ground
Make some movements to the ground with your hands as a part of the dance.
Take one step left and one step right
Lou provides dance instructions to one step on either side.
One to the front and one to the side
Lou provides dance instructions to one step in the front and one to the side.
Clap your hands once and clap your hands twice
Lou instructs the listeners to clap once and then twice.
And if it looks like this, then you're doing it right
He suggests if you're doing the dance moves he described correctly, it should look right.
Trumpet! The trumpet! Mambo Number 5! Ha ha ha!
Lou celebrates the addition of the trumpet to the song.
I do all to fall in love with a girl like you
Lou would do anything to fall in love with someone like the listener.
'Cause you can't run and you can't hide
Lou is suggesting that the listener should stop resisting and cannot escape their love.
You and me gonna touch the sky
Together, Lou and the listener can have a great experience full of adventures and excitement.
Mambo Number 5!
Repetition of the title of the song.
Contributed by Tristan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@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