Talk:Boney M.

Was original name "Bonny M"?
I am sure I have heard that they were originally going to be called Bonny M - the familiar name just happened due to a spelling error. Any one know any more on this? ACEOREVIVED (talk) 11:23, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

From my recent noseying around boney m - it seems the producer whom formed them was inspired by the name of an Australian TV show called Boney. So it is written. 82.28.173.202 (talk) 15:54, 2 June 2021 (UTC)


 * Bone I am ( auf deutschsprachlich ist das eigentlich [etwas nicht gut] Gevatterman — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A0A:A548:E967:0:EC03:E5ED:B93D:187C (talk) 11:20, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

I Found Out
I only just found out about Boney M because of PBS documentary called "Touching The Void" in wich a stranded climber suffering from exposure and starving can't stop "Brown Girl In The Ring" (laa lala lala) from repeating in his head. He HATES the song. :) A great survival story, check it out.  [09:45, 18 July 2005 67.175.129.212]

"Painter Man"
The song Painter Man was written by Pickett and Phillips of the band The Creation and was a hit for them long before Boney M covered it. I am unconvinced that it is about Andy Warhol as it would have been written in the early 60's. Maybe Boney M dedicated it to him but I think the text of the article needs to be checked and confirmed - LC  [09:43, 12 December 2005 217.205.224.154]

Farian controversy
That bit about some of the group members not singing themselves seems written from an American perspective. In Europe it was widely published in the 1970s that Bobby was merely miming to Farian's voice. Boney M was one of the earliest groups known to do this, but it wasn't very controversial then and didn't hinder their success, as far as Europe is concerned anyway. Farian may have repeated this fact in 2003, but it wasn't news then. Similarly, the Milli Vanilli "scandal" was mainly an American thing. In Germany, it was considered acceptable that "producer music" just works this way: Studio musicians play and sing the music, and later some photo models are casted to present it on television, who may or may not be completely different people than the original musicians, who remain laregely anonymous. When the "revelation" that Milli Vanilli worked this way too reached us from the United States, the reaction was mostly "so what". The "controversy" paragraph ought to be rewritten to reflect these different perceptions. Regards Anorak2 11:56, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

It could be argued that there are substantial differences between the cases of Milli Vanilli and Boney M. This article (and that on Maizie Williams) implies that whilst the voices of Williams and Farrell were often not included in the final mixes by Farian, I think it's understood that they did actually sing live and in studio recordings.

Milli Vanilli, on the other hand, could be considered a far more elaborate "deception". Yes it was true that the fact they were (unlike Boney M) hugely successful in the US market and also won a Grammy played its part in creating the scandal. But unlike Williams and Farrell of Boney M, the two members of Milli Vanilli never sung a note either on record or in concert whilst they were Milli Vanilli. And it went further than that too. Everton4Life 10:43, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

The fact that this group were more actors than singers is very relevant. That they were miming to Farian's voice is surely controversial. I doubt that most people realized that this was going on at the height of the group's fame. More importantly the article reads as if these people were singing. It is true that their voices were not completely excluded, but the majority of the vocal effects were pre-recorded by Farian.101.98.138.52 (talk) 08:50, 11 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Rubettes in 1974 were an early example of a singer miming over another singer's voice, on the single Sugar Baby Love the falsetto vocal was recorded by session singer Paul Da Vinci.

§

"Felicidad" link
I'm not sure about the linking of Felicidad to Feliz Navidad. True: both songs were sung by Boney M, but as I remember, both are different songs. Regards clintie [12:38, 25 January 2006]

FOPAS deleted
Is the fact that some office workers dressed up and performed a Boney M hit at their Christmas party *really* worthy of mention in Wikipedia.....? ChrisTheDude 14:15, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

I have deleted this paragraph, if they are notable they can have a page of their own and perhaps a link to it from here, but I doubt theyre noteable Htaccess 11:15, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Popularity outside the West - wording
"Boney M...became one of the few western bands at that time which became well-known outside of Europe and the USA, including Africa, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia." I have some issues with the precise wording of that sentence.

First of all, "Europe and the USA"? Not Australia or Canada? And even at the time, western bands were quite well-known in Japan -- look at all the "live in Japan" albums that were standard for hard rock bands, like Deep Purple or Judas Priest. Maybe the sentence should read "one of the few western bands at that time which became well-known outside the West."

Also, couldn't "Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka" just be shortened to "South Asia" or "the Indian subcontinent"?

-- drumwolf  [19:22, 25 April 2006 63.206.223.196]

Corrections made
I've made changes to the article in response to the "Painter Man", Farian controversy, "Felicidad" link, and non-Western regions comments above. Wasted Time R 12:43, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Charts
I deleted the sentence claiming that they are the only pop group to have two singles on the all time best seller chart in the UK — This is an impossible claim without a quantity (top 10, top 50, etc.) and needs citation. 68.174.85.46 13:44, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Children of paradise
Any idea about the story behind "childeren of paradise" —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rav 672 (talk • contribs)


 * It seems to be a biblical reference to Adam and Eve and the story of original sin and their being banished from paradise. In essence, we are also Children of Paradise.  Consider the verse:


 * We are children of paradise
 * When the lord created us all his work was through
 * Then the children of paradise
 * Did the only thing they really shouldn't do


 * Seems to be a reference to the snake tempting Eve with the apple. As does:


 * We are the children of paradise
 * Who didn't obey
 * When we followed the wrong advice
 * We wandered astray


 * I always took it to be a 'message' song. It was released round the same time as their We Kill The World song which had an ecological message.


 * -- clintie 14:07, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Worldwide Sales
I have changed the claim that says they sold 150 millions albums as the source given states 150 records, not albums (so this would include albums, singles, EPs, etc). However, I still find the figure of 150 million a little hard to believe, especially since the band were not really successful in the US apart from a minor hit that grazed the top 30. I know the band were huge in Europe in the late 70s, but the figure quoted is not from a reputable source as it seems to be their management or promotion company which hardly makes them unbiased. If you want to cite a reliable source for sales figures, it has to be from a certifiable and unbiased source (such as the BPI, RIAA, etc). MassassiUK 22:17, 29 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Yes, this is a totally unrealistic figure and needs to be properly cited from an impartial source. Boney M's management company are not an impartial source so the information about worldwide sales should not be included in the article until a more reputable source can be found. It is still okay to include information about any silver/gold/platinum awards for sales of individual records though, as long as they can be verified from an official source.79.65.52.66 17:57, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

"Die Band hat bis heute rund 150 Millionen Platten verkauft" Source: https://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/mummy-cool-boney-m-saengerin-marcia-barrett-im-interview-fotostrecke-161500.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.14.55.120 (talk) 16:22, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

"The bottom line on Boney M's balance sheet boasts worldwide sales of more than 100 million records and tapes." (status 1981) Source: Billboard magazine from 1981-09-24 www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1981/1981-10-24-Billboard-Page-0135.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.183.255.8 (talk) 09:24, 21 February 2022 (UTC)

"Copyright"?

 * January 2007 was the date Zanillya Farrell (daughter of Bobby Farrell) and Yasmina Ayad-Saban (ex-wife of Farrell) renewed the copyright to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10 year period.

This makes no sense. A name can't be copyrighted, not even here in Germany. If anything, it can be trademarked.--87.164.89.163 (talk) 13:41, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

One way ticket
What about the song called "One way ticket" or "One way ticket to the blues" ?? I can't find anything in Wikipedia about this song, which was also created by Boney M. too (you can listen it here)

83.23.182.216 (talk) 16:19, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Quick reply; it wasn't Boney M. but Eruption (band), it was however produced by Frank Farian, correct.

Back4goode (talk) 18:35, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Added a band photo but...
I'm not familiar with the band, so I added a partial photo of the band, as I had access to one, but don't know who the members are. There are a few other photos -one of one of the women in the band, but unless someone leaves me a note on my talk page, I won't try uploading it, since I won't know exactly who it is. (I noticed most members still need photos on their pages too).--Leahtwosaints (talk) 02:08, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Still wondering
Did the members, or did they not, actually sing anything themselves ? Or did they only lip-synch ? The article isn't entirely clear on this. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.113.104.58 (talk) 01:24, 16 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Answer to find on The Talk page of the one who made the question. So see the talk page of above mentioned unsigned membership 76.113.104.58 Musicworldvision (talk) 22:47, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

Longing to return to Zion
The article states that Rivers of Babylon refers to the "Jewish" longing to return to Zion. This is not correct. The song is referring to the Rastafarian longing to return to Zion, i.e. Ethiopia. The Rastas claim to be one of the lost tribes, having been banished to the New World (Babylon). But they're certainly not longing to return to Israel - only to Africa, or Zion! Santamoly (talk) 07:33, 15 December 2013 (UTC)

The song takes words from Psalm 137, which certainly originally referred to refers to the Jewish longing to return to Zion (Jerusalem) after banishment to Babylon (in Iraq). As you say, it is also used by Rastafarians, but that doesn't mean the reference to Jews and Israel is incorrect - just perhaps not full enough.86.185.105.224 (talk) 12:09, 14 October 2019 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Boney M.. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20150707132424/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDcNm6rA2Vo to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDcNm6rA2Vo

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 15:04, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 4 one external links on Boney M.. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090924015932/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx to http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.thetruthherzl.com/2010/07/despair-and-joy-24-hours-around.html
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jH-40LukweU-pTqtUy8NewItYahQD9H43R900
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130823125332/http://www.boneymsite.com:80/ to http://www.boneymsite.com/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 19:58, 5 November 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on Boney M.. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111006094108/http://www.prolificmedia.co.uk/ to http://www.prolificmedia.co.uk/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110102013317/http://www.rte.ie/ten/2010/1230/farrellb.html to http://www.rte.ie/ten/2010/1230/farrellb.html
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.boneymsite.com/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 15:01, 4 June 2017 (UTC)

"Vocal group"?
The article is, I submit, entirely misleading. To refer to Boney M as a "vocal group" omits the very relevant fact that these were largely actors, miming to Farian's voice and other effects. They were not, with one exception, actually singers. Royalcourtier (talk) 01:45, 14 August 2017 (UTC)
 * No that is not the case. The group could sing and although Farian's voice was dubbed over them this was not always done. What is your source for this? Britmax (talk) 06:54, 21 August 2017 (UTC)
 * User Royalcourtier if you have any reliable source, please show us the source, we can debate this "vocal group" . AlfaRocket (talk) 11:38, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

Personnel
Checking for consensus here. Which of these groups should be listed in the Personnel section of the article? It's a messy timeline for this band. —C.Fred (talk) 23:31, 2 September 2019 (UTC)
 * 1) Members who sang on recordings only
 * 2) Members who appeared on stage only
 * 3) Members who sang or appeared on stage
 * 4) Members who appeared only in Farian's versions of the group only
 * 5) Members who appeared in any version of the group

Requested move 23 February 2020

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: not moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) Jerm (talk) 18:32, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

Boney M. → Boney M – Both the proposed name (i.e. no full stop) and the current name (i.e. with full stop) are used by news articles. Books may have used either one as well, but may more likely recently omit full stop. (eBook edition of band member's autobiography uses full stop.) Even if the full stop is part of the band's official name, seems that the one without the full stop is more commonly used. Somehow, Google wouldn't exclude the name with the full stop in search results for some technical reason. Checking sources from this and last year, Billboard uses full stop. PhilStar omits full stop. (More sources listed below.) I think omitting the full stop is more beneficial for most readers, including those preferring to not using it for manual searches. Also, per WP:DIVIDEDUSE, if I'm proven wrong, and if both the proposed and current names are commonly used, then the proposed name is less surprising than the current one because, I think, many people don't expect the full stop to be there. Moreover, per WP:CRITERIA, it's consistent with articles like Melody (Japanese singer), Janet (album), and Gangsta (manga). If the article were to be moved, then should be moved as well. George Ho (talk) 21:41, 23 February 2020 (UTC) —Relisting. Jerm (talk) 19:25, 1 March 2020 (UTC) —Relisting. ©  Tb hotch ™ (en-3). 18:54, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

Other news articles (within the past year): George Ho (talk) 21:41, 23 February 2020 (UTC)
 * With full stop: Vancouver Weekly, Daily Courier (Kelowna), Exclaim!, The Coast, Happy Mag
 * Without full stop: Romania Insider, Northwich Guardian, Dhaka Tribune, Business Review (Romania), Tone Deaf (The Brag), The Hindu, Somerset Live, Edmonton Journal, Scotsman, Halifax Today
 * Oppose, although I'm not a fan of essays, this is a clear example of WP:BROKEN. 1) It is not a stylization to compare it with Janet. et al. 2) If anyone is not typing the period, it is already being redirected with Boney M. 3) Sources are inconsistent, which leads to 4) WP:TITLECHANGES and WP:RECOGNIZABILITY, as their album and single covers consistently use the period. © Tb hotch ™ (en-3). 02:00, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Oppose per Tbhotch. Albums include the period in the band name. — python coder (talk &#124; contribs) 22:23, 25 March 2020 (UTC)


 * The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

2021 house remix
Just wanted to point out that this exists; mix by Majestic. Is on Spotify. Is exactly what you think it is, a pretty straightup stripped back House remix. 82.28.173.202 (talk) 15:52, 2 June 2021 (UTC)

The track in question is Rasputin. Sorry if I've stuck this in the wrong place, just wanting to help. 82.28.173.202 (talk) 15:55, 2 June 2021 (UTC)

Active years of group
Their last original single Stories released in 1990, after that all members expect Reggie created new groups (unofficially, but they get the rights to play that songs) called Boney M feat. Liz Mitchell / Marcia Barrett / Maizie Williams / Bobby Farrell but the Frank Farian's original Boney M group released their last single in 1990. 176.88.22.217 (talk) 13:47, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Bony M performance in Iran
Boney M did perform in Iran before the 1979 revolution. They were highly popular in Iran.please add it to the article. Simsala111 (talk) 01:24, 18 July 2024 (UTC)