"Conga" is the first hit single released by the American band

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music that had featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami ...

, led by

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

, on their second English-language album, ''

Primitive Love ''Primitive Love'' is the ninth studio album and second English-language record by the Miami Sound Machine, released in August 1985, by Epic Records. A 2CD remastered version of the album was scheduled for March 31, 2017 by Vibe on Records, bu ...

''. The song was written by the band's drummer and lead songwriter Enrique Garcia. The song first appeared on August 31, 1985, as part of the album. The single was released in Australia on September 9, 1985. "Conga" became a worldwide success and is recognized as the Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

. The single reached the top 10 in various countries, including the United States and the Netherlands.

Background

According to Gloria Estefan in an interview in the Netherlands television show RTL Late Night,Fragment on YouTube
/ref> Conga was written after the band had performed "Dr. Beat" in a club called Cartouche in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, the Netherlands. "Conga" is written in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

. "Conga" was re-recorded as a new remix in 2001, including samples of "

Dr. Beat "Dr. Beat" is the first international single released by the American band Miami Sound Machine, led by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, on their first English language, but eighth overall, studio album, '' Eyes of Innocence'' (1984). The s ...

" and "

Rhythm Is Gonna Get You "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" is a song written by Enrique "Kiki" Garcia and Gloria Estefan, and released by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine in 1987 as the lead single from the album '' Let It Loose'' (and the European version of the album '' ...

" and was released on Estefan's fourth compilation album. This new song was released as a

promo single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

in Spain and titled "Y-Tu-Conga." A version of "Conga" arranged with Brazilian rhythms and instrumentation and renamed "Samba" is included in Estefan's 2020 album ''

Brazil305 ''Brazil305'' is the fourteenth studio album by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, released by Sony Masterworks on August 13, 2020. It is her twenty-ninth album overall, and consists of re-recorded versions of her greatest hits with Brazili ...

''. A remix of "Conga" featuring

Leslie Grace Leslie Grace Martínez (born January 7, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. For her work as a singer she has received three Latin Grammy Award nominations. She starred as Nina Rosario in Jon M. Chu's film adaptation ''In the He ...

and

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

was released in 2021 as a

Bacardi Bacardi Limited (; ) is one of the largest privately held, family-owned spirits companies in the world. Originally known for its Bacardi brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 an ...

Commercial performance

The single was released in 1985 and became a worldwide hit, reaching #10 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and winning the Grand Prize at the 15th annual "

Tokyo Music Festival The Tokyo Music Festival was an international music contest that ran from 1972 to 1992. It was organized by the Tokyo Music Festival Association. The first edition of the Tokyo Music Festival took place on 13 May 1972 with 12 participating countri ...

" in Japan. The single was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in the U.S. for shipments of 500,000 copies. However, it wasn't a hit in the United Kingdom, failing to chart on the top 75. In ''Billboard'' magazine's year-end chart in 1986, "Conga" finished at number 40. Conga (Single – 1985/1986)
/ref>

Music video

The video is set in the fictional Miami night club Copacabana, hosting a reception for an unspecified ambassador. After a boring piano recital, the Miami Sound Machine is announced as the next featured act (though Gloria insists the setting is not appropriate for the song). Despite the initial shock of his wife, the more upbeat song becomes a hit with the audience and ambassador. Clips of the original video feature in the video of Estefan's 2020 Brazilian themed version, "Samba".

Formats and track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conga (Song) 1985 singles Miami Sound Machine songs Gloria Estefan songs Songs about dancing Number-one singles in Spain RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Enrique Garcia (songwriter) 1985 songs Epic Records singles