"Jambo Bwana" (in Swahili "Hello Sir") is a Kenyan pop song also popular in Tanzania. It was first released in 1982 by Kenyan band Them Mushrooms, and later covered by a number of other groups and artists, including Mombasa Roots, Safari Sound Band, Khadja Nin, Adam Solomon, Mani Kollengode, [1] [2] and the German group Boney M. Some versions come under different titles, such as "Jambo Jambo" and "Hakuna Matata".
"Jambo Bwana" has been largely adopted as a hotel pop song, targeting a tourist audience. Its lyrics includes several common phrases and greetings in Swahili, such as habari gani? nzuri sana ("how are you doing? very well") and hakuna matata ("no problem, no worries"). The original version by Them Mushrooms also included lines celebrating Swahili language, reggae music, Africa, and "mushroom soup" (a reference to psilocybin mushrooms). [3]
"Jambo Bwana" by Them Mushrooms was a huge commercial success, selling over 200,000 copies between 1982 and 1987 and getting platinum certification in Kenya. As a consequence of this popularity, many other bands covered the songs, in some cases with a similar success; the version by Safari Sound Band, in particular, is one of the most played songs in tourist venues in East Africa. [4] The use of the Swahili phrase "hakuna matata" in Disney's "The Lion King" might be a reference to the chorus of the song. [4]
Them Mushrooms released the song in several of their albums, and both their version and cover version of the songs are found in many compilation of African pop music, including those dedicated to parties and children (such as the African Playground CD published by Putumayo Kids).
The song was featured in the 2019 film Where’d You Go Bernadette, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Cate Blanchett.
Some of the covers of "Jambo Bwana" come under different titles and have modified lyrics. The Boney M. version, released in 1983, is entitled "Jambo - Hakuna Matata" and lyrics are in English and almost completely different; only the "jambo bwana" and "hakuna matata" lines have been preserved. The Safari Sound Band version "Jambo Jambo" has the central part of the lyrics changed, with references to reggae and mushrooms being replaced by other tourist-oriented common Swahili phrases such as Kenya ni nchi nzuri ("Kenya is a beautiful country"). In 2016, a cover was made by Kenyan musician Mani Kollengode. [1]
Artist | Title | Album | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Them Mushrooms | "Jambo Bwana" | 1982 | Released on several albums, including Jambo Bwana and Songs from Kenya (Them Mushrooms) and African Playground (Putumayo compilation) | |
Boney M. | "Jambo - Hakuna Matata" | 1983 | Only released as a single, with lyrics in English | |
Mombasa Roots | "Jambo Bwana" | Msa Mombasa | 1987 | |
Bo Katzman & the Katz Kids | "Jambo Bwana" | Katz Kids Singed Wälthits | 1990 | |
Safari Sound Band | "Jambo Jambo" | Mambo Jambo (2001), The Best of African Songs , and others | 1999 | Simplified lyrics |
Love Whip | "Jambo Bwana" | Bouncehall | 2003 | |
Adam Solomon | "Jambo Bwana / Hakuna Matata" | Mti Wa Maisha | 2004 | |
Klaus Hallen | "Jambo Bwana / Lala Salama" | Samba Collection | ||
Khadja Nin | "Jambo Bwana" | Based on Safari Sound Band's lyrics | ||
Mani Kollengode [1] | "Jambo Bwana" | 2016 | An English rendition |
"Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Boney M. | ||||
Released | September 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Genre | Pop, Disco | |||
Length | 4:06 (1st mix) 3:39 (Final mix) | |||
Label | Hansa Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Teddy Kalanda-Harrison, Peter Bischoff-Fallenstein | |||
Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Boney M. - Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems) (Official Video)" on YouTube |
In 1983, German group Boney M. released "Jambo - Hakuna Matata". Liz Mitchell provided the song's lead vocals, backed by Reggie Tsiboe, Frank Farian, Marcia Barrett, Cathy Bartney, Madeleine Davis, and Judy Cheeks. The single was intended to be included in the group's untitled seventh album, to be released in the fall of 1983, but didn't happen.
Several mixes of "Jambo" were made. The 4:06 mix (as featured in the accompanying music video) was only released in Spain and Portugal. A 3:39 edit was released elsewhere. The full 7:44 version was only released on the Spanish and Portuguese 12" singles - the German 12" single (despite crediting the timing 7:42 on the label) was actually an edit of 5:35. In France, an even shorter edit 5:15 was released.
Boney M. are a disco group that specialises in R&B, reggae, disco and funk. The group was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with differing personnel.
"Hakuna matata" is a Swahili language phrase. In English, it means "no trouble" or "no worries" and "take it easy". The 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios animated film The Lion King brought the phrase to Western prominence in one of its most popular songs, in which it is translated as "no worries". The song is often heard at Disney's resorts, hotels, and amusement parks.
Malaika Nakupenda Malaika is a Swahili song written by Tanzanian artist, Adam Salim in 1945 and recorded for the first time by Kenyan musician, Fadhili William. This song is possibly the most famous of all Swahili love songs in Tanzania, Kenya and the entire East Africa, as well as being one of the most widely known of all Swahili songs in the world. Malaika in this context means "angel" in Swahili, and this word has always been used by the Swahili speakers to refer to a beautiful girl.
Matatā is a town in New Zealand.
Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King and its franchise. Timon was played through his many appearances by Nathan Lane, Max Casella, Kevin Schon, Quinton Flynn, Bruce Lanoil in the Wild About Safety shorts and Kingdom Hearts II, while Pumbaa is voiced by Ernie Sabella, and was portrayed by Tom Alan Robbins in the original cast of the Broadway musical. In the CGI remake, the characters are portrayed by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, respectively. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella first came to audition for the roles of the hyenas, but when the producers saw how well they worked together, they decided to cast them as Timon and Pumbaa.
There have been seven theme park live adaptations of The Lion King at Disney Parks since the Disney animated feature film The Lion King was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1994. These have included a parade, two theater-in-the-round shows, and four stage shows.
"Mushroom" is a song by the German krautrock band Can, from their 1971 album Tago Mago. It's the shortest song on the album, with a duration of 4 minutes and 8 seconds. A video was made for the track which has been shown on MTV.
"Hakuna Matata" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. The music was written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is based on Timon and Pumbaa's catchphrase in the movie, Hakuna matata, a Swahili phrase meaning "No worry(ies)".
Jambo is a gorilla who used to reside at Jersey Zoo.
Ten Thousand Lightyears is the seventh studio album by Boney M. and the first to feature new member Reggie Tsiboe, who had taken over Bobby Farrell's role as the band's leading man in early 1982.
Kalimba de Luna – 16 Happy Songs is a compilation album by Boney M. released in late 1984. On the strength of two carbon-copy cover versions, "Kalimba de Luna" and "Happy Song" which gave Boney M. their first Top 20 hits in Germany in three years, this compilation was rush-released in November 1984. Besides the 12" versions of the two singles, the latter marking Bobby Farrell's return to the band but neither featuring Liz Mitchell or Marcia Barrett, the compilation includes 3-minute edits of tracks from albums Boonoonoonoos and Ten Thousand Lightyears as well as non-album singles "Children Of Paradise"/"Gadda Da Vida" (1980), "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1981), "Going Back West" (1982) and "Jambo - Hakuna Matata " (1983), as well as a new remix of "Calendar Song" from the Oceans Of Fantasy album. Just like in the case of 1980 compilation The Magic Of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits, many of these edits were to re-surface on a number of hits compilations in the future, the latest being 2007 Sony-BMG release Hit Collection.
The "Happy Song" single was originally released under the name 'Boney M. with Bobby Farrell & the School-Rebels' and this compilation as 'Boney M. with Bobby Farrell'.
The Complete Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG/CMC Records in Denmark in late 2000.
Them Mushrooms is a musical band from Kenya, playing mostly Chakacha, some Benga and also some reggae. They are most famous for the Swahili 1982 song Jambo Bwana. The band is composed of Teddy Kalanda, Henry Ndenge Saha and Ben Mutwiwa. They mainly do covers of previously written hit songs.
John Nzenze was a musician from Kenya. He had performed the twist dance style. Some of his most popular songs were "Angelike", "Julieta Rudi Tuone" and "Habari za Nairobi ".
No Problem may refer to:
Mombasa Roots are a Kenyan afropop/hotel pop musical group. They have recorded some of the most successful hit singles in Kenyan pop music, such as Disco Chakacha and Kata. Their most famous album is Lele Mama.
Safari Sound Band is a Kenyan hotel pop band. In over twenty years of activity, they were certified platinum four times, and their recordings of Swahili classics such as "Jambo Bwana" and "Malaika" are well-known. They have published a number of CDs, featuring cover versions of African evergreens as well as other easy listening Swahili pop tracks. The band consists of six elements. All the band members also sing.
The following list names English words that originate from African languages.
Jambo is a Swahili greeting or salutation. It is similar in meaning to the English word Hello.