Conga (song)

"Conga" is the first hit single released by the American band Miami Sound Machine, led by Gloria Estefan, on their second English-language album, Primitive Love. The song was written by the band's drummer Enrique Garcia. The song first appeared on August 31, 1985, as part of the album. The single was released in Australia on September 9, 1985.

"Conga" became a worldwide success and is recognized as the Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan's signature song. The single reached the top 10 in various countries, including the United States and the Netherlands.

Background
According to Gloria Estefan in an interview in the Netherlands television show RTL Late Night, Conga was written after the band had performed "Dr. Beat" in a club called Cartouche in Utrecht, the Netherlands. "Conga" is written in the key of E minor.

In 2001, "Conga" was re-recorded as a new remix titled "Y-Tu-Conga". It includes additional lyrics taken from "Dr. Beat" and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You". It was released on Estefan's fourth compilation album and released as a promo single in Spain.

A version of "Conga" arranged with Brazilian rhythms and instrumentation and renamed "Samba" is included in Estefan's 2020 album Brazil305. A remix of "Conga" featuring Leslie Grace and Meek Mill was released in 2021 as a Bacardi sponsored and Boi-1da produced single.

Commercial performance
The single was released in 1985 and became a worldwide hit, reaching number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and winning the Grand Prize at the 15th annual "Tokyo Music Festival" in Japan. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA in the U.S. for shipments of 500,000 copies. However, it wasn't a hit in the United Kingdom, failing to chart on the top 75.

In Billboard magazine's year-end chart in 1986, "Conga" finished at number 40.

Music video
The video is set in the fictional Miami night club "Copacabana", hosting a reception for an unspecified ambassador. The classical pianist serenading the crowd proves to be a complete bore, and the MC hastily asks Gloria and the Miami Sound Machine to perform "Conga" in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the reception. Even though Gloria protests that this is not an appropriate setting for the sexually charged song, she performs it anyway. Despite the initial shock of his wife, "Conga" becomes a hit with the ambassador the club as the other attendees break out into a frenzied dance. Clips of the original video feature in the video of Estefan's 2020 reworking of the song, "Samba".