# Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5

> A German single crossed Europe, topped the UK chart and passed one million UK sales.

- Owner: Lou Bega (artist); Lautstark/BMG and RCA (labels)
- Kind: Music
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 1999-04-19
- Milestone date: Week of Sep 4, 1999
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 50 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Underdog, Pairing, Dupe economy, Controversy

## Summary

The April single reached European charts before UK imports and US radio. RCA planned an album retail campaign and Bega’s TV appearances. The single topped the UK chart, reached No. 3 in the US and received a Disney rewrite.

## Timeline

- 1999-04-19 — Lou Bega / Lautstark-BMG (Audio) — Lou Bega released Mambo No. 5, adding vocals to a Pérez Prado instrumental.
- Week of Jun 5, 1999 — German singles buyers (Audio) — Music & Media listed Mambo No. 5 at No. 1 in Germany, up from No. 4.
- Week of Jun 5, 1999 — VIVA TV / Cologne (TV) — Music & Media listed Mambo No. 5 in VIVA TV’s heavy rotation.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/mambo-no-5

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5.” Case HIS-01659. Spread Score v1.3: 50/100. Updated 2026-10-24. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01659