# Bongo cha cha cha

"Bongo Cha Cha Cha" is a 1959 song by French-Italian singer Caterina Valente, published as a single in Italian and included in German in the EP Caterina und Silvio (sung with her brother Silvio Francesco). The song became a big international hit, being translated into several languages including Spanish, French and English. It saw a resurgence in popularity after being featured in the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far from Home and going viral on TikTok in 2021.

## Original version
### Background

"Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was written by Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie, and Werner Müller, with Italian lyrics by Giuseppe Perotti (under the pseudonym Pinchi) and conducting by Müller. The song is one of the first examples of Italian-language cha cha cha, a Latin American dance of Cuban origins successfully imported also in Europe since the 1950s. The German version was originally performed by Valente in the Paul Martin movie Du bist wunderbar.
In 1959, Valente had signed a recording contract with Decca Records, thanks to the success achieved internationally and in particular in the United States, where her singles had reached the top ten and her television appearances were warmly received by the public. The release of "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was also a great success and was included in the Miss Personality album, released in 1960. The single has been published in many countries including Germany, Yugoslavia, Australia, United States and Greece.

### Revival

In 2013, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was included on the soundtrack to the French film Elle s'en va (On My Way), directed by Emmanuelle Bercot, starring Catherine Deneuve.
In 2019, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was included on the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Far from Home, directed by Jon Watts. The song went viral, gaining renewed popularity. In 2021, the song, in its Italian version, went viral again via the social media platform TikTok, thanks to its use for a trend that has collected over 250 million views, started from Latin countries and South America, and later in Italy and Germany.
In 2022, "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was used in a Mecca Bingo advertisement.

### Track listings

7" single "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" (Italy, 1959)
    A. "Bongo Cha Cha Cha"
       (Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie, Werner Müller and Giuseppe Perotti)
    B. "Guardando il cielo"
       (Ernst Bader, Ralf Arnie, Werner Müller and Giuseppe Perotti)
    Decca Records 45-C 16535

## Goodboys version

In the wake of the TikTok revival, a house version remix of "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" was produced by the British house music group Goodboys, which peaked at number 23 in the Italian charts and number 6 in the Hungarian charts, as well as reaching number 1 in the Hungarian airplay. The song has totalled nearly 100 million streams on Spotify, and was added to the Switzerland Spotify chart in August 2021.

### Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. Vocals by Caterina Valente and lyrics by Pinchi are uncredited.
* Goodboys – primary artist, producer
* Ernst Bader – composer
* Ralf Arnie – composer
* Werner Müller – composer
* Adrià Alemany García – keyboards, mixing, percussions, producer, programmer
* Ethan Shore – keyboards, percussions, programmer
* Joshua Alexander Grimmett – keyboards, percussions, programmer
* Sam Wills – mastering

### Charts and certifications

Chart performance for "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" :
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
| Czech Republic (ČNS IFPI) | 73 |
| Hungary (MAHASZ) | 6 |
| Hungary Airplay (MAHASZ) | 1 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 23 |
Certifications for "Bongo Cha Cha Cha" :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Italy (FIMI) | Platinum | 70,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||