Bongo Cha Cha Cha

Background

"Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was written by Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie and Werner Müller, with the German version originally conducted by Müller and performed by Valente and her brother Silvio Francesco (as the duo Caterina und Silvio) in the Paul Martin movie Du bist wunderbar. Soon set to Italian lyrics by Giuseppe Perotti (under the pseudonym Pinchi), the song is one of the first examples of German- and Italian-language cha cha cha, a Latin American dance of Cuban origins successfully imported also in Europe since the 1950s.^[1][2][3][4]

By 1959, Valente had signed a recording contract with Decca Records, thanks to the success achieved internationally and in particular in the United States,^[3] where her singles had reached the top ten and her television appearances were warmly received by the public.^[5] The release of "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was also a great success and was included in the Miss Personality album (titled Personalità in Italy), released in 1960. The single has been published in many countries including Germany, Yugoslavia, Australia, United States and Greece.^[6]

A Serbo-Croatian cover of the song was recorded by Ljiljana Petrović in 1962, and a Bulgarian one by Raina Deneva in 1964.^[7]

Revival

In 2013, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was included on the soundtrack to the French film Elle s'en va (On My Way), directed by Emmanuelle Bercot and starring Catherine Deneuve.^[8]

In 2019, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha", in its Italian version, was included on the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Far from Home, directed by Jon Watts, in the segment when Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his schoolmates land in Venice, Italy; the song went viral, gaining renewed popularity. In 2021, it went viral again via the social media platform TikTok, thanks to its use for a trend that has collected over 250 million views, started from Latin countries and South America, and later in Italy and Germany.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Amid the 2021 resurgence in popularity, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was remixed by British group Goodboys in a house version which charted in several countries, as well as sampled in the Russian single "Na chile" by GeeGun featuring Egor Kreed, The Limba, Blago White, OG Buda, Timati, Soda Luv and Guf.^[7] In 2022, it was used in a Mecca Bingo advertisement^[13] and was covered by Maltese singer Emma Muscat (with accompaniment by the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg) for the compilation album TikTok Classics – Memes & Viral Hits.^[14]

Track listings

7" single "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" (Italy, 1959)

A. "Bongo Cha Cha Cha"

(Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie, Werner Müller and Giuseppe Perotti)

B. "Guardando il cielo"

(Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie, Werner Müller and Giuseppe Perotti)

Decca Records 45-C 16535

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. Lyrics by Giuseppe Perotti and vocals by Caterina Valente are uncredited.^[16]

Charts and certifications