Papa Loves Mambo

Last updated
"Papa Loves Mambo"
Single by Perry Como
B-side "The Things I Didn't Do"
ReleasedSeptember 1954
RecordedAugust 31, 1954
Genre Pop
Length2:38
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s) Al Hoffman
Dick Manning
Bix Reichner
Producer(s) Joe Reisman
Perry Como singles chronology
"Hit and Run Affair"
(1954)
"Papa Loves Mambo"
(1954)
"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"
(1954)

"Papa Loves Mambo" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and Bix Reichner and released in 1954. [1]

Contents

The best-known version was recorded by Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres's orchestra in New York City on August 31, 1954. The U.S. release peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard chart in January 1955. [2] The recording was part of a wave of popular mambo music in the U.S. alongside songs like "They Were Doin' the Mambo" and "Mambo Italiano". [3] [4]

Other recordings

The Perry Como version was originally planned to be used in the 1985 movie Back to the Future as the song that played when Marty McFly enters the 1955 version of Hill Valley, but was scrapped by the producers in favor of The Four Aces' version of "Mister Sandman". Instead, "Papa Loves Mambo" plays on Biff Tannen's car radio as he drives to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in the 1989 sequel Back to the Future: Part II . [9]

The Perry Como version was also featured in the Season 13 episode of The Middle titled "The Par-Tay." The Nat King Cole version was featured in the first episode of Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. The episode was titled "Persons of Interest" and was telecast on June 28, 2022.

The Perry Como version was also featured in the 2007 action game "Bioshock", published by 2K.

The Perry Como version was also featured as the credits song for the 2010 film Red

A Snippet of the Perry Como version is also found during a montage of failed attempts in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven

The song is also featured in the movie "No Clue".

Chart positions

Chart (1954/1955)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [10] 1

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"Paradise" is a 1931 song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Gordon Clifford. It was first sung by Pola Negri in RKO Pictures' 1932 film A Woman Commands, and has since been heard in many other films, including a memorable performance by Gloria Grahame, in the 1949 Nicholas Ray film A Woman's Secret.

"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American success. It was published by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd. Like most compositions published in the period, its main refrain is preceded with what were then called "sectional verses" or "introductory verses" which are usually omitted from early recordings and modern performances.

References

  1. Hoffmann, Al; Manning, Dick; Reichner, Bix; Como, Perry (1954). Papa loves Mambo: as performed by Perry Como. Roba Digital Sheets. ISBN   978-3-8418-0046-6.
  2. Macfarlane, Malcolm; Crossland, Ken (2015-05-07). Perry Como: A Biography and Complete Career Record. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-0024-6.
  3. Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the Postwar Era. Internet Archive. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-313-34191-5.
  4. None (2003). Inside Cuba : the history, culture, and politics of an outlaw nation. New York : Marlowe & Co. p. 139. ISBN   978-1-56924-484-5.
  5. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  6. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  8. "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  9. "Back to the Future: Part II - Trivia". TV Tropes. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. "Perry Como – Papa Loves Mambo" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 9, 2013.