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From album
Clandestino
Manu Chao · 1998 · Track 3
Details
TonalidadAm
Compás4/4
Tempo110 BPM
Duración2:40
CompositorManu Chao
ÁlbumClandestino
Año1998
ISRCFRZ189800013
Credits
Music Manu Chao
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The story behind
The first time you hear *Bongo Bong*, a contagious rhythm grabs you and makes you move your feet almost without realizing it. It's a song that feels like a sound collage, and if you start to break it down, you discover that Manu Chao took bits and pieces from elsewhere to create something entirely new. For example, the rhythmic base has an air that is reminiscent of Black Uhuru's *Bull ina di Pen*, from the 1984 album *Anthem*. And the idea of the "king of the bongo" isn't entirely original, as it's inspired by *King of Bongo Bong*, a 1939 track by jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge. But the most interesting thing is that this version is a reinvention of *King of Bongo*, a song by his previous band, Mano Negra, which came out in 1991. The song itself, according to the lyrics, leads us to imagine a bongo percussionist originally from the Congo.
This single, *Bongo Bong*, was the starting point of Manu Chao's solo career, released in 1998 as a preview of his first album, *Clandestino*. The complete album, recorded in different places around the world with a portable recorder, became a milestone, eventually being included in lists of the best French rock albums and in the compilation *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die*. *Clandestino* also ranked 469th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2020. Furthermore, the music of *Bongo Bong* has served as inspiration for other tracks, such as *Mr. Bobby* and *Homens*, which appeared later. Even in 2006, Robbie Williams made his own version, combining *Bongo Bong* with *Je ne t'aime plus*, which was later released as a single in 2007, with production by Mark Ronson and collaboration from Lily Allen.