Papa was king of the Congo
Deep down in a jungle
I started playing my first bongo
Every monkey like to be
In my place instead of me
‘Cause I’m king of the Bongo
Baby, I’m king of the Bongo Bong
Most of you only know Manu Chao from his ridiculous, yet catchy song “King of the Bongo” that came out in the 90’s. While his name may not be wildly recognized in the United States, on an international level this Paris-born, Barcelona based artist is one of the world’s hippest and most popular musicians.
His experimentation with world music, combined with rock, Latin music, and electronica, has made him a force to be reckoned with. Chao’s lyrics touch on a variety of issues from the nonsensical and silly (“King of the Bongo”) to poverty, love, and world politics. He sings at least seven languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, English, Arabic, and Wolof, sometimes using all of them in the same song.
Performance wise, he delivers one of the best live shows you’ll ever witness. See it for yourself this summer when he brings his “La Ventura” tour to the U.S. on a nine-date roll.
Manu Chao 2011 Tour Dates:
August
31 — Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues
September
2 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
4 — New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
5 — New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
7 — Charlotte, N.C. @ The Fillmore
9 — Miami, Fla. @ Bayfront Park
11 — Atlanta, Ga. @ Masquerade Music Park
13 — Chicago, Ill. @ Congress Theater
18 — Austin, Texas @ Austin City Limits Festival
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