"Bamboléo" is a 1987

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

song by Gitano-French band

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings (originally Los Reyes) are a musical group founded in 1979 in Arles, France. The band, whose members have Catalans, Catalan heritage, play a blend of Catalan rumba, flamenco, Salsa music, salsa, and Pop music, pop. They perform mos ...

, from their eponymous album. The song was written by band members Tonino Baliardo, Chico Bouchikhi (J. Bouchikhi), Nicolas Reyes and Venezuelan composer

Simón Díaz Simón Narciso Díaz Márquez (August 8, 1928 – February 19, 2014), also known as tío Simón, was a Venezuelan singer, actor, TV host, comedian, and Grammy Award-winning composer of Music of Venezuela, Venezuelan music. Some of his most popula ...

. It was arranged by Dominique Perrier. "Bamboleo" could be translated as "wobble", "swing" or "dangle" in Spanish. The now iconic song has been a worldwide hit for the Gipsy Kings and has since been covered by many artists, both in Spanish and in other languages.

Origin

The word ''bamboleo'' means "wobble", "sway" or "dangle" in Spanish. The song's refrain, "bamboleo, bambolea, porque mi vida yo la prefier vivir así", translates to: "Swaying, swaying, because I prefer to live my life this way." Part of the song is an adaptation of the 1980 Venezuelan folk song " Caballo Viejo" by

. The refrain is based on Bamboleô by

André Filho Antônio André de Sá Filho, known as André Filho (21 March 1906 – 2 July 1974) was a Brazilian actor, violinist, mandolinist, banjo player, guitarist, pianist, composer and singer. He worked with some of Brazil's most notable performers of th ...

, recorded by

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

in 1931.

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...

performed the song as "Caballo Viejo (Bamboleo)", and Umboza's song "Sunshine", their biggest hit in the UK, is based on a sample of "Bamboléo". The Gipsy Kings included the song again on their album ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' as track 3. The final track on the same album (track 18) also uses the song in a medley of hits as "Bamboléo – Volare – Djobi Djoba – Pida Me La – Baila Me". In 2006 the Tony Evans Dancebeat Studio Band recorded the samba version for the album ''Latin Heat 2 - Dancebeat 4'' (Tema International Ltd).

Track listing

1987 *A-side: "Bamboléo" – 3:28 *B-side: "Quiero Saber" – 4:09 1988 12" UK version *A-side: "Bamboléo" *B-side: "Bamboléo" (single version) – 3:25 / "Quiero Saber" – 4:10 1988 US version *A-side: "Bamboléo" – 3:28 *B-side: "Bamboléo" (LP version) – 3:28 1988 long 12" version *A-side: "Bamboléo" (Latin single) – 3:45) *B-side: "Bamboléo" (Latin extended version) – 7:17

Charts

UK: 87, in July 1989 (sometimes wrongly referred to as "Bambolero")

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamboleo 1987 songs 1987 singles Gipsy Kings songs Songs in Spanish Elektra Records singles