Shaft - Mucho Mambo (1999)

It's funny how music is recycled to adapt it to new times and trends (Simon Cowell would probably say '...making it current and relevant...'. 'Sway' is the English version of '¿Quién será?', a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. The most famous version is that of Dean Martin recorded in 1954. Since then the song has been recorded and remixed by many artists - amongst them Shaft, who released it to huge success in 1999.

Shaft - Mucho Mambo (1999)
ES#1, POR#1, NZ#1, UK#4, SWE#6, NOR#7, NL#13, FIN#15, BRZ#22, AUS#28, DE#45, CH#71, FR#79



Lyrics:

When the Rumba rhythm starts to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like the lazy ocean laps the shore, hold me close
Sway me more

cha cha cha cha cha!
cha cha cha cha cha cha cha
cha cha cha cha cha
cha cha cha cha cha cha cha

When the Rumba rhythm
When the Rumba rhythm starts
When the Rumba rhythm starts to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like the lazy ocean laps the shore, hold me close
Sway me more

Other versions:

Originals:

1953 – Pablo Beltrán Y Su Orchestra (in Spanish)
1954 – Dean Martin, on Capitol Records

Pablo Beltrán Ruiz - ¿Quién será? (1953)



Dean Martin - Sway (1954)
UK#6, US#15



English versions

1954 – Eileen Barton, backed with 'When Mama Calls'
1959 – Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado
1960 – Bobby Rydell
1961 – Ben E. King, from Spanish Harlem
1963 – Cliff Richard, from When In Spain
1963 – Julie London, from Latin in a Satin Mood
1997 – Brent Spiner, from the soundtrack of the movie Out to Sea
1998 – Anita Kelsey, from the movie Dark City
1999 – Shaft 'Mucho Mambo'
2003 – Michael Bublé, from his self-titled album Michael Bublé
2003 – Peter Cincotti, from his self-titled album Peter Cincotti
2004 – Arielle Dombasle, from her 2004 album Amor Amor
2007 – Puppini Sisters, Betcha Bottom Dollar
2009 – Haifa Wehbe, a Lebanese pop star
2010 – Paul Byrom of Celtic Thunder, Irish folk gan roup
2011 – Hooshmand Aghili, Iranian Singer
2011 – Donald Braswell II, on his 2011 album, Unchained.
2011 - 1950 & The Chu Chi Girls ft Hayley Jo, The Chu Chi sway

Language versions

1954 – Pedro Infante, ¿Quien será? in the movie "Escuela de vagabundos" – Original Version (in Spanish)
1954 – Olavi Virta 'Keinu kanssani' (in Finnish)
1959 – The Peanuts 'Quién Será' (キエンセラ? in Japanese)
1968 – Teresa Teng, titled '盼望' (in Mandarin)
1973 – Sten & Stanley 'Äntligen' (in Swedish)
1976 – Ajda Pekkan 'Kim Ne Derse Desin' (in Turkish)
1990 – Bjork 'Í dansi með þér' (in Icelandic)
1999 – Götz Alsmann 'Zuckersüß' (in German)
1999 – Komár László 'Mexikói Karnevál' (in Hungarian)
2000 – Athena – Macera, ('Tam Zamanı Şimdi' in Turkish)
2002 – Pedro Fernandez, ¿Quien será? (in Spanish)
2004 – Arielle Dombasle, titled "Quién Será (Sway)" (in Spanish)
2005 – Aaron Kwok, titled "飛" ("Sway") (in Cantonese)
2005 – Nguyễn Hưng 'Ai Sẽ Là Em' (in Vietnamese)
2005 – Walid Soroor, titled 'Yar Nazanin' (in Persian)
2006 – Anjelika Varum, titled 'Румба' ('Rumba' in Russian)
2007 – Koor in album Wust El Balaad, as بحبك ('Bahebak' in Arabic)
2007 – Rula Zaki (in Egypt), titled "قلبي دق" ('Qalbi Daq' in Arabic)
2010 – Rula Zaki (in Arabic)
2010 – Mohsen Namjoo, in the song دور ایرانو خط بکش ('Dowr-e Iran-o Khat Bekesh' in Persian)
2010 – Shahkar Binesh Pazhooh, in the song وسط قلبم ('Vasat-e Ghalbam' in Persian)