# Lambada (song)

"Lambada", also known as "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)", or "Llorando Se Fue (Lambada)" (both meaning "crying, they went away" in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively), is a song by French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma. It features guest vocals by Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz and was released as the first single from Kaoma's 1989 debut album, Worldbeat. The accompanying music video, filmed in June 1989 in Cocos beach in the city of Trancoso, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, featured the Brazilian child duo Chico & Roberta.
Sung in Portuguese, it is a cover of the 1986 hit "Chorando Se Foi", by Márcia Ferreira, itself based on the Cuarteto Continental version of "Llorando se fue" (the first upbeat version of the song introducing the accordion), released in 1984 through the Peruvian record label INFOPESA and produced by Alberto Maraví; both songs were adapted from the 1981 Bolivian original song by Los Kjarkas.
At the time of release, "Lambada" was regarded as the most successful European single in the history of CBS Records, with sales of 1.8 million copies in France and more than four million across Europe. Overall, "Lambada" sold five million copies worldwide in 1989 alone, according to the New York Times. However, Kaoma did not credit the original songwriters, Los Kjarkas, leading to successful plagiarism lawsuits.

## Background and release

The lyrics and music of Kaoma's "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" were an unauthorized translation of the song "Llorando se fue", originally composed, performed and recorded by the Bolivian Andean folk group Los Kjarkas in 1981. The song's lyrics and music had been lawfully registered by the founding members of Los Kjarkas, Gonzalo and Ulises Hermosa, in 1981 at the Bolivian Institute of Culture (IBC) and in 1985 at Germany's Music and Authors Society (GEMA). The unauthorized copy by Kaoma, which was credited to fictitious composer Chico de Oliveira, led to a successful 1990 lawsuit by Los Kjarkas against Kaoma's producer Jean-Claude Bonaventure. In 1991, a French court ruled that co-writers Márcia Ferreira and José Ari were the authors of the Portuguese translation for Kaoma's version. Nowadays, "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" is credited to the Hermosa brothers (as authors), Alberto Maraví, Márcia Ferreira and José Ari.
According to Gonzalo, Los Kjarkas had based "Llorando Se Fue" on a small, nostalgic Andean melody. Their song was written in a sad and slow Afro-Bolivian Saya rhythm.
Prior to Kaoma's 1989 release of the song, several covers of "Llorando se fue" had been released as dance tracks:
* 1984 – Cuarteto Continental from the LP Fiesta de Cumbias
* 1984 – Armonia 10 from the LP El Chinchorro, Vol. 2
* 1984 – Sexteto Internacional from the LP Mas Sexteto
* 1984 – Tropical Pingüino
* 1984 – Wilkins from the album Una Historia Importante – 15 Grandes Exitos
* 1984 – Chacalón y la Nueva Crema from the EP Llorando se fue/Llorando y sufriendo
* 1984 – Grupo Trebol from the LP Tropical Andino
* 1985 – Freddy Roland from the LP Chicha Up
* 1985 – Juan "Corazón" Ramón from the album Cada Día Mejor
* 1985 – Don Medardo y sus Player from the album Lo Mejor del Año, Vol.4
* 1985 – Vico y su Grupo Karicia from the LP Voz y sentimiento
* 1986 – Márcia Ferreira
* 1986 – Los Graduados from the album Flor de un día
* 1986 – Pastor López from the album Cumbia Universal
* 1987 - Paulinho do Sax
* 1987 – Sonora Andacollo from the album Norte Tropical – Lambada
* 1988 – Los Hermanos Rosario from the album Otra Vez
* 1988 – Ana Morena from the compilation album Baila Baila Baila, Vol. 2
* 1988 – Tropicalismo Apache from the album Exitos Quemantes
* 1989 – Los Flamers from the album Gran Reventon Gran, Vol. 5
In 1984, an upbeat version of "Llorando Se Fue", introducing the accordion, was released by the Peruvian group Cuarteto Continental, whose arrangements (produced by Alberto Maraví) were later copied by Kaoma. The first Portuguese translation and recording of "Llorando Se Fue" – as "Chorando Se Foi" – was released by Brazilian singer Márcia Ferreira in 1986 under her third album.
The French managers Olivier Lorsac (aka Olivier Lamotte d'Incamps) and Jean Georgakarakos formed the band Kaoma in France after Lorsac was exposed to lambada in March 1988 during his visit to Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. Lorsac and Georgakarakos bought the musical rights to over 400 lambada songs from the Brazilian music publisher Continental. Lorsac admitted he and Georgakarakos had heard a "remarkably similar" song by the Hermosa brothers, later recognized by French court to be Márcia Ferreira's hit cover version. In France of 1989, Kaoma's song was used in a television advertisement for Orangina.

## Chart performance

"Lambada" became a worldwide summer hit, selling over five million copies in 1989 and was part of the Lambada dance craze. It reached No. 1 in several European countries, as well as No. 4 on both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart, No. 5 on the Australia ARIA Singles Chart, and No. 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As of 1991, combined sales of the album and the single have reached one million records sold in Italy. "Lambada" was the 37th best-selling single of the United Kingdom during 1989. In France, it topped the chart for 12 weeks and sold 1.8 million copies.

## Music video

The accompanying music video for "Lambada" directed by Olivier Lorsac, was filmed in June 1989. in stage on Tago Mago Island (Ibiza, Spain) in the Mediterranean Sea and on Cocos Beach in the city of Trancoso, Bahia, Brazil. It featured the Brazilian child duo Chico & Roberta as love interests. As a semi-plot, Roberta's father does not want her to hang out with Chico, but Loalwa mends the situation among the three.

## Track listings

7-inch single
* "Lambada" – 3:28
* "Lambada" (instrumental) – 3:48
* "Lambada" (DJ Petro Panayoti aka Mixmaster Remix) 1989 – 4:50
12-inch maxi
* "Lambada" (extended version) – 6:44
* "Lambada" (instrumental version) – 3:48
* "Lambada" (DJ Stigma-Berveni Remix) – 3:55
* "Lambada" (DJ Petro Panayoti Club Remix) 2019 – 6:00

## Certifications and sales

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000$^^$ |
| Belgium | — | 300,000 |
| Brazil | — | 700,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| Colombia | — | 500,000 |
| France (SNEP) | Platinum | 1,800,000 |
| Germany (BVMI) | 2× Platinum | 1,000,000$^^$ |
| Japan (RIAJ) Physical single | 2× Platinum | 200,000$^^$ |
| Malaysia | — | 80,000 |
| Mexico | — | 750,000 |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| Portugal (AFP) | 2× Platinum | 80,000$^^$ |
| Spain 1989 sales | — | 200,000 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) digital | Gold | 30,000$^‡$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Platinum | 50,000$^^$ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 400,000$^^$ |
| United States | — | 2,000,000 |
| Summaries |||
| Europe 1989-1990 sales | — | 4,000,000 |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## "Lambada 3000" (Gregor Salto remix)

In July 2009, a new Summer remixed version of the track by house and latin jazz DJ Gregor Salto called "Lambada 3000" (billed as Gregor Salto & Kaoma) was released in the Benelux. Loalwa Braz, the original singer of the song, was asked to provide new vocals for the remix. The track became Salto's second Top 20 hit in the Dutch Top 40, and third entry in the chart, peaking at #12. Its music video was filmed in May 2009, in Curaçao and premiered in June 2009.

### Charts

| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) | 8 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 12 |

## Cover versions, samples and mentions

In France, "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" was covered by another music group, Carioca, which peaked only at No. 22 on 9 September 1989 and remained in the charts for nine weeks. It was also covered, around that time, by other Brazilian singers, such as Fafá de Belém, whose 1985 album Aprendizes da Esperança was an early example of the lambada music genre. In the same year, a cover by Regina appeared on the album Lambada Tropical (credited to Chico Mendés) and on the compilation albums Max Mix 9 and Hits '89.
In December 1989, the renowned Egyptian singer and composer, Amr Diab, introduced a fresh perspective to Lambada's melody. He released “Leily” from the album Shawakna, reimagining the melody with a unique oriental essence. His innovative approach introduced new melodic elements, harmoniously blended with contemporary arrangements.
The song "Sochna Kya" from the 1990 Hindi film Ghayal copied the melody of "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)".
Also in 1990, American experimental rock band Sun City Girls covered the song with the title "The Shining Path", for their album Torch of the Mystics.
Japanese singer Akemi Ishii released a cover version in Japanese on 21 March 1990, which peaked at No. 16 on the Oricon charts and was re-recorded in 2011.
Turkish singer Cengiz Coşkuner recorded a version of "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)", with lyrics written by Ülkü Aker, and it featured on his album Seni Gidi Seni & Kapris Yapma, which was also released in 1990. Another Turkish singer, Rüya Çağla, wrote and recorded a version for use as the title track of her album Lambada, also released in 1990.
In 1990, Hong Kong DJ Aling Choi Ling Ling released a cover version "人生嘉年華" ("Carnival of Life") in Cantonese.
The song was used in 1994 in the Arcade video game 'Best of Best' by the Korean company SunA.
Jamaican musician Elephant Man released "Hate Mi" in 2004, which copies the melody of "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)".
Brazilian singer-songwriter Ivete Sangalo recorded a version of "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" for her 2005 album As Super Novas, released as its third single, becoming no. 1 in Brazil; she also recorded the song on her second live album in 2007.
Mexican singer Mariana Seoane recorded "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" in Spanish for her 2007 album Está de Fiesta... Atrévete!!.
Japanese band Seikima-II's frontman Demon Kakka recorded "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" in Japanese/Spanish for his 2008 album GIRLS' ROCK Hakurai.
Jennifer Lopez's 2011 single "On the Floor" samples either "Lambada" by Kaoma or the original "Llorando Se Fue" by Los Kjarkas. "On the Floor" reached No. 3 in the Billboard Hot 100.
Don Omar's 2011 single Taboo (Don Omar song) samples either "Lambada" by Kaoma or the original "Llorando Se Fue" by Los Kjarkas.