Bongo Bong

"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.

"Bongo Bong"
Single by Manu Chao
from the album Clandestino
B-side	"Je ne t'aime plus" "Mr. Bobby" "Mentira..." "Bienvenido a Tijuana"
Released	1999
Genre	Reggae[1]
Length	2:38
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Manu Chao
Producer(s)	Manu Chao Renaud Letang
Manu Chao singles chronology
"Bongo Bong" (1999) "Clandestino" (2000)
Music video
"Bongo Bong" on YouTube

The song is about a bongo player^[2] from the Congo.^[3]

Track listing

European CD single

1. "Bongo Bong" – 2:38
2. "Je ne t'aime plus" (with Anouk) – 2:02
3. "Mr. Bobby" – 2:57
4. "Mentira..." – 4:37
5. "Bienvenido a Tijuana" – 2:43

European maxi-CD single

1. "Bongo Bong" – 2:38
2. "Je ne t'aime plus" (with Anouk) – 2:02
3. "Mr. Bobby" – 2:57
4. "Bienvenido a Tijuana" – 2:43

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4]	4
France (SNEP)[5]	40
Germany (GfK)[6]	7
Italy (Musica e dischi)[7]	3
Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[8]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9]	27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10]	42
Poland (Music & Media)[11]	18
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12]	45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13]	15

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14]	38
Germany (Official German Charts)[15]	57
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16]	97

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[17]	Platinum	100,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18]	Gold	30,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Robbie Williams version

"Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Rudebox
B-side	"Lovelight" (Dark Horse Mix)
Released	22 January 2007
Recorded	2006 New York City, US
Genre	Pop
Length	4:48
Label	Chrysalis EMI
Songwriter(s)	Manu Chao Anouk Khelifa
Producer(s)	Mark Ronson
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Lovelight" (2006) "Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus" (2007) "She's Madonna" (2007)

In 2006, English singer Robbie Williams recorded a version of the song that combined "Bongo Bong" with "Je ne t'aime plus", which appeared on his 2006 album, Rudebox. It was released as a single of its own in 2007. The track was produced by Mark Ronson and included vocals by Lily Allen.

Track listing

European CD single

1. "Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus" – 4:48
2. "Lovelight" (Dark Horse Mix) – 6:25

Personnel

• Robbie Williams – lead vocals
• Lily Allen – backing vocals
• Tiggers – guitars
• Vaughan Merrick – Moog synthesizer
• Dave Guy – trumpet
• Neil Sugarman – tenor saxophone
• Ian Hendrickson-Smith – baritone saxophone
• Raymond Angry – Rhodes piano, keyboards
• Mark Ronson – keyboards, guitar, bass, drum programming, percussion
• Serban Ghenea – mixing

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus"

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)	14
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[19]	45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	77
Turkey (Turkey Top 20)[21]	4