"Rico Mambo" is a 1984

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by the American band Breakfast Club. Written by the band's lead singer Dan Gilroy and originally produced by drummer

Stephen Bray Stephen Pate Bray (born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Madonna, being a member of the band Breakfast Club, and for winning the 2017 Grammy Award for the ...

, it was re-recorded for the band's eponymous 1987 album with production by Deodato.

Early releases

Breakfast Club signed with ZE Records, first issuing the "Rico Mambo" in 1984 as a standalone single with "Walk It Off" as a

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. Distributed by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

, the single saw release as both 7″ and 12″ singles on five continents, but failed to chart anywhere. With its inclusion on the successful ''Breakfast Club'' in 1987, the new version of the song saw release in Europe and Australia by

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...

on both 7″ and 12″ singles, this time with "Tongue Tied" as a b-side. It again failed to chart.

Later popularity

In 1989, ZE Records re-released the 1984 "Rico Mambo" as part of the ''Zetrospective: Dancing in the Face of Adversity'' compilation. Reviewer

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

praised the album as "the first postmodern dance music—dance music with a critical spirit", but dismissed "Rico Mambo" as "cheesy". The 1984 version of "Rico Mambo" was first released in the Philippines in 1985 and became one of Maricel Soriano's signature dance numbers. In 2007, the Philippine CPDRC Dancing Inmates performed "Rico Mambo" at their prison in Cebu first in OctoberÁine Mangaoang. ''Dangerous Mediations: Pop Music in a Philippine Prison Video.'' Bloomsbury, 2019
p. 195.
and again in November,"PBB Celebrity Housemates (Restored after 3 years!!!)"
(13 November) an
"'Rico mambo' 2"
(7 October 2007) at YouTube.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023. the latter as part of the television series '' Pinoy Big Brother'' with contestants Riza Santos, Megan Young,

Gaby dela Merced Gabrielle Dela Merced (born June 10, 1982) better known as Gaby, is a Filipina Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Euro ...

Victor Basa Victor Emmanuel Basa (born June 6, 1985) is a Philippines, Filipino model, actor, radio V.J., television host and former ex-housemate of ''Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2''. Victor is the middle child of three, with a younger brother an ...

and

Mcoy Fundales Marco "Mcoy" Fundales (born 3 November 1977) is a Filipino musician, writer and actor. He was the former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the popular Pinoy rock band Orange and Lemons. He is currently the lead vocalist of the band Kenyo. His ...

. Both videos use the 1984 recording of the song. It has been one of the prisoners' most-viewed routines with over a million views on YouTube for each of the videos. In 2019 a "Club Mix" and a "Club Mix Radio Edit" of the 1984 version were released on music streaming services."Rico Mambo (Club Mix)"
an
"Rico Mambo (Club Mix Radio Edit)"
at Spotify.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.

References

1984 songs 1984 singles 1987 singles Song recordings produced by Stephen Bray MCA Records singles {{1980s-pop-song-stub