Bimbo Jet
Encyclopedia
Bimbo Jet was a French
euro disco
group
led by Claude Morgan and Laurent Rossi, that gained international fame in the summer of 1975 from the song
, "El Bimbo". The tune
to "El Bimbo" is "Tanha Shudham Tanha", composed
by the Afghan
musician
and singer
Ahmad Zahir
, for his 1971 album
Lylee. "El Bimbo" is popular with street musicians and orchestral composers alike, with Paul Mauriat
having capitalized well from his own instrumental
arrangement
. The song was also heard in four of the seven Police Academy films starting from the first film
up until Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
as the tango song in The Blue Oyster Bar scenes. It was also sung by Tanju Okan, was famous Turkish singer as "Şerefe" ("Cheers" in Turkish) in 1974, by Selçuk Ural, was also famous Turkish singer between late 60s and early 90s as "Al Sevgini ("You get your love" in Turkish") in 1975 and by Ayla Algan, is famous Turkish actress and was singer between late 60s and early 80s as "Sen De Katıl Bize ("You also join us" in Turkish) in 1975.
The song "El Bimbo" is used as a theme song for a 1977 Soviet Union
short made anti-war movie named "Polygon (film)
" directed by Anatoly Petrov and written by Sever Gansovsky.
Laurent Rossi is the son of another singer, Tino Rossi
.
"El Bimbo" was released in France
in June 1974 on the Pathe-Marconi record label
, and in the UK
in August 1975. The track went to #1 in France and #10 in the UK Singles Chart
. It sold 1.3 million copies in France alone, and throughout the world over three million discs
. As well as in France, the tune topped charts in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Turkey and Lebanon. In Argentina it was #2, and was a chart
hit
in Belgium, Switzerland, Mexico and the United States
. The record reached #1 in the Billboard
Disco Singles
, #2 in the Hot Dance Club Play
and #43 in the Hot 100
charts in the U.S.
The group also had a lesser known song, "La Balanga".
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
euro disco
Euro disco
Euro disco is an all encompassing colloquial term used to describe a variety of European electronic dance music that first originated from disco in the 1970s; incorporating elements of pop, New Wave and rock into disco-like continuous dance atmosphere...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
led by Claude Morgan and Laurent Rossi, that gained international fame in the summer of 1975 from the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "El Bimbo". The tune
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
to "El Bimbo" is "Tanha Shudham Tanha", composed
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
by the Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Ahmad Zahir
Ahmad Zahir
Ahmad Zahir was a singer, songwriter, and composer from Afghanistan. He is considered an icon of Afghan music and is sometimes called the "King of Afghan music"...
, for his 1971 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Lylee. "El Bimbo" is popular with street musicians and orchestral composers alike, with Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. He is best known in the United States for his million selling remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue", which was #1 for 5 weeks in 1968...
having capitalized well from his own instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
. The song was also heard in four of the seven Police Academy films starting from the first film
Police Academy (film)
Police Academy is a 1984 comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, and starring Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall and G.W. Bailey. It grossed approximately $146 million worldwide and spawned six more films in the Police Academy series.-Plot:...
up until Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is the fourth comedy film in the Police Academy series. It was released in 1987.A group of Police Academy graduates are sent to train a group of newly recruited civilian officers. The original Police Academy cast reprise their roles in the film. Capt. Harris,...
as the tango song in The Blue Oyster Bar scenes. It was also sung by Tanju Okan, was famous Turkish singer as "Şerefe" ("Cheers" in Turkish) in 1974, by Selçuk Ural, was also famous Turkish singer between late 60s and early 90s as "Al Sevgini ("You get your love" in Turkish") in 1975 and by Ayla Algan, is famous Turkish actress and was singer between late 60s and early 80s as "Sen De Katıl Bize ("You also join us" in Turkish) in 1975.
The song "El Bimbo" is used as a theme song for a 1977 Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
short made anti-war movie named "Polygon (film)
Polygon (film)
Polygon is a 1977 Soviet animation science fiction short film.-Plot summary:The plot is based on an anti-war military science fiction story by Sever Gansovsky....
" directed by Anatoly Petrov and written by Sever Gansovsky.
Laurent Rossi is the son of another singer, Tino Rossi
Tino Rossi
Tino Rossi was a singer and film actor.Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well...
.
"El Bimbo" was released in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in June 1974 on the Pathe-Marconi record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, and in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in August 1975. The track went to #1 in France and #10 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It sold 1.3 million copies in France alone, and throughout the world over three million discs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. As well as in France, the tune topped charts in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Turkey and Lebanon. In Argentina it was #2, and was a chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in Belgium, Switzerland, Mexico and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The record reached #1 in the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Disco Singles
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
, #2 in the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
and #43 in the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts in the U.S.
The group also had a lesser known song, "La Balanga".