Peak
10
Weeks
27
Score
3,496
Chart Year
1986
The video is set in the fictional Miami night club Copacabana, hosting a reception for an unspecified ambassador. After a boring piano recital, the Miami Sound Machine is announced as the next featured act (though Gloria insists the setting is not appropriate for the song). Despite the initial shock of his wife, the more upbeat song becomes a hit with the audience and ambassador. Clips of the original video feature in the video of Estefan's 2020 Brazilian themed version, "Samba".
A conga is a human Cuban drum. The word can also refer to a kind of dance or a Cuban carnival. Gloria Estefan: "If I had to take everything into consideration, [the truly essential song] would have to be 'Conga.' First, because I don't think I can get away with not performing that song in some shape or form. Second, because it started the possibility of Mi Tierra (Estefan's top-selling Spanish album) happening. Not only did it talk about a specific rhythm of my homeland (Cuba), it talked about being Latino, and the celebratory nature of dance. It was very musically forward in that it mixed a funk bassline and a 2/4 beat on the drums and the Latin percussion. It was something that really put us on the map. And even though it's a frivolous and fun song, it talks about who we are as immigrants in this land." (quote from Reuters, November 17, 2006) This was the first ever record to get into the US Pop, Dance, Black and Latin charts. At weddings and other such gatherings, Conga lines became very popular after this song was released. In 1988 an estimated 119,000 people congaed their way into the Guinness Book of Records to the beat of this song.
Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga I know you can't control yourself any longer Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga I know you can't control yourself any longer Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga I know you can't control yourself any longer Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger Don't you fight it 'til you tried it, do that conga beat Everybody gather 'round now Let your body feel the heat Don't you worry if you can't dance Let the music move your feet It's the rhythm of the island, and like the sugar cane so sweet If you want to do the conga, you've got to listen to the beat Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga I know you can't control yourself any longer Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger Don't you fight it 'til you tried it, do that conga beat Feel the fire of desire, as you dance the night away 'Cause tonight were gonna party, 'til we see the break of day Better get yourself together, and hold on to what you've got Once the music hits your system, there's no way your gonna stop (Repeat 3x's) Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga I know you can't control yourself any longer Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger Don't you fight it 'til you tried it, do that conga beat Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 19, 1985 | 95 | 31 |
| 2 | Oct 26, 1985 | 84 | 42 |
| 3 | Nov 2, 1985 | 73 | 53 |
| 4 | Nov 9, 1985 | 63 | 63 |
| 5 | Nov 16, 1985 | 51 | 75 |
| 6 | Nov 23, 1985 | 37 | 89 |
| 7 | Nov 30, 1985 | 36 | 90 |
| 8 | Dec 7, 1985 | 32 | 94 |
| 9 | Dec 14, 1985 | 26 | 100 |
| 10 | Dec 21, 1985 | 22 | 104 |
| 11 | Dec 28, 1985 | 21 | 105 |
| 12 | Jan 4, 1986 | 21 | 105 |
| 13 | Jan 11, 1986 | 20 | 106 |
| 14 | Jan 18, 1986 | 17 | 109 |
| 15 | Jan 25, 1986 | 16 | 110 |
| 16 | Feb 1, 1986 | 12 | 114 |
| 17 | Feb 8, 1986 | 10 | 116 |
| 18 | Feb 15, 1986 | 10 | 116 |
| 19 | Feb 22, 1986 | 15 | 111 |
| 20 | Mar 1, 1986 | 15 | 111 |