“Expo 2000” is a song by Kraftwerk. It was originally an a cappella jingle commissioned for the Hannover Expo 2000 World’s Fair in Germany, which was subsequently developed into longer pieces with music and additional lyrics. The original Expo theme was a typically Kraftwerk vocoder-voice singing the phrase “Expo 2000” in six languages. In total, […]
Music of The World (13)
“No Tengo Dinero” (“I Have No Money”) is the debut single of Danish musical group Los Umbrellos, considered to be their signature song. It was released in May 1997. Based on the theme of 1960 film Never on A Sunday by Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis, the lyrics were written by Jay and Richie Balmorian and […]
Music of The World (12)
“Oye Cómo Va” (“Listen to how”) is a 1962 cha-cha-cha by Tito Puente, originally released on El Rey Bravo. The block chord ostinato pattern that repeats throughout the song was most likely borrowed by Puente from Cachao’s 1957 mambo “Chanchullo”, which was recorded by Puente in 1959. The song achieved worldwide popularity in 1970, when […]
Music of The World (11)
“Mi Tierra” (My Homeland) is a 1993 song by Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, released as the first single from her first Spanish language album, Mi Tierra (1993). It is written by her with Estefano, based on inspirations by Estefan. The song is a tribute to Gloria’s homeland Cuba—the principal reason for the […]
Music of The World (10)
“Mas, que Nada!” (Brazilians use Mas que nada (in a literal translation: just nothing) colloquially to disagree with someone. A fitting English translation might be a sarcastic “Yeah, right!” or “No way!”) It is a song written and originally recorded in 1963 by Jorge Ben on his debut album Sambo Esquema Novo. Sergio Mendes covered […]
Music of The World (9)
“Voyage, voyage” is a song by French singer Desireless, released as the first single from her debut studio album, Francois (1989). It was written by Jean-Michel Rivat and Dominique Dubois, and produced by the former. Since “Voyage, voyage” is sung exclusively in French, its chart success came as a surprise as it managed the rare […]
Music of The World No. 8
“Quiéreme Mucho” (Also known as ‘Yours’) is a criolla-bolero composed in 1911 by Gonzalo Roig with lyrics by Ramón Gollury and Agustín Rodríguez. The song was inspired by Roig’s wife, Blanca Becerra, and premiered in Havana in 1911 without much success. In 1917, it was included in the sainete El servicio militar obligatorio and performed […]
Music of The World (7)
“Begin the Beguine” is a popular song written by Cole Porter. Porter composed the song in 1935 on a Pacific cruise aboard Cunard’s ocean liner Franconia. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee, produced at the Imperial Theatre in New York City. The Beguine is a dance and […]
Music of The World (6)
“Chanson D’Amour” (‘Love Song’) is a song written by Wayne Shanklin. It was originally recorded by in 1958 by the husband and wife team of Art and Dotty Todd where reached No. 6 on the Billboard. The Manhattan Transfer remade “Chanson D’Amour” for their 1976 Coming Out album. The song came to the group’s producer […]
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“Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue” (“A Bench, a Tree, a Street”) was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 performed in French by singer Severine, representing Monaco. The song is a classic French ballad, with the lyric focusing on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams. The opening lines […]