MIAMI (Billboard) – "Lambada" by French group Kaoma became a worldwide smash in 1990, reaching No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Latin Songs chart for seven straight weeks.
The song's ascent was aided by the lambada dance craze that preceded the song's release, as well as two cheesy 1990 movies -- "Lambada" and "The Forbidden Dance" -- that sought to capitalize on the popularity of the Brazilian dance style.
Fast-forward 20 years and the sounds of "Lambada" are back with not one but three charting songs featuring the melody of the 1990 hit. First up was Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina's soulful dance track "Stereo Love," which entered the Hot 100 last October at No. 92 and peaked in January at No. 16, spending 28 weeks on the chart.
Then there's Don Omar's "Taboo," a Portuguese/Spanish version of the original that peaked at No. 9 on Hot Latin Songs in May.
Finally, there is Jennifer Lopez's hit "On the Floor," featuring Pitbull, which sports the melodic hook of "Lambada," with Lopez singing new English lyrics to the original melody. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in May and has generated U.S. digital track sales of 2 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Good music revives every so often," says Rogelio Alfonso, PD for Miami's Clear Channel-owned WMGE (Mega 94.9), which plays all three tracks, as do several other Miami stations, including top 40 WHYI (Y-100). "Plus, danceable Brazilian music is super catchy."
And as it turns out, Kaoma's "Lambada" wasn't the first recording of the song. The original version is "Llorando se Fue," written and performed by Bolivian folk group Kjarkas, which used an Andean flute instead of an accordion.
Kaoma took credit for the composition and gave it Portuguese lyrics and the beat and instrumentation of the lambada, an urban Brazilian rhythm known for its sensual, hip-to-hip grinding dance. When the song became a smash, the original writers, brothers Gonzalo and Ulises Hermosa, successfully sued for a share of the royalties.
Today, all versions of the song, including Omar's and Lopez's, cite the brothers as the writers of the song, although the roster of co-writers of "On the Floor" includes Pitbull and RedOne, while "Taboo" includes Omar.
As for Maya's "Stereo Love," it doesn't quote the trademark lambada accordion hook; writers changed the note sequence just enough so that it would evoke the melody rather than replicate it.
The success of "Stereo Love" was surprising, says Patrick Moxey, president of Ultra Records, which released the track in North America. "Working a record with an accordion hook into all these different formats and sell copies? That doesn't happen very often."
The danceable yet melancholic accordion hook of "Lambada" has proved to be timeless. In the original Kaoma video, the protagonists were two children -- a blond girl and a black boy, both around 10 -- who escape their parents' watchful eyes to dance. Twenty years later, Omar's video for "Taboo" continues the story, borrowing images from the original clip and hinting that he's the boy, all grown up.
For those who ever danced to this track, it's a powerful image.
(Editing by Chris Michaud)
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