| "Bongo Bong" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Manu Chao | ||||
| from the album Clandestino | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Reggae[1] | |||
| Length | 2:38 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Manu Chao | |||
| Producer(s) | Manu Chao & Renaud Letang | |||
| Manu Chao singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Bongo Bong" on YouTube | ||||
"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.
In 2006, a cover version by Robbie Williams, combining "Bongo Bong" and "Je ne t'aime plus" in one track, appeared on his album Rudebox and was released as a single of its own in 2007. German singer Lou Bega covered the song on his 2021 album, 90s Cruiser. It has also been remixed by breakbeat artists Cut & Run, drum and bass duo Ed Solo, Deekline, the band Noisia, and German singer Max Raabe.
- ^ 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".