| Papa Loves Mambo | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Perry Como |
| B-Side: | The Things I Didn't Do |
| Released: | September 1954 |
| Recorded: | August 31, 1954 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Length: | 2:38 |
| Label: | RCA Victor |
| Producer: | Joe Reisman |
| Prev Title: | Hit and Run Affair |
| Prev Year: | 1954 |
| Next Title: | (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays |
| Next Year: | 1954 |
"Papa Loves Mambo" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and Bix Reichner and released in 1954.[1]
The best-known version was recorded by Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres's orchestra in New York City on August 31, 1954. The U.S. release peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard chart in January 1955.[2] The recording was part of a wave of popular mambo music in the U.S. alongside songs like "They Were Doin' the Mambo" and "Mambo Italiano".[3] [4]
The Perry Como version was originally planned to be used in the 1985 movie Back to the Future as the song that played when Marty McFly enters the 1955 version of Hill Valley, but was scrapped by the producers in favor of The Four Aces' version of "Mister Sandman". Instead, "Papa Loves Mambo" plays on Biff Tannen's car radio as he drives to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in the 1989 sequel .[9]
The Perry Como version was also featured in the Season 8 episode of The Middle titled "The Par-Tay." The Nat King Cole version was featured in the first episode of Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. The episode was titled "Persons of Interest" and was telecast on June 28, 2022.
The Perry Como version was also featured in the 2007 action game "Bioshock", published by 2K.
The Perry Como version was also featured as the credits song for the 2010 film Red
A Snippet of the Perry Como version is also found during a montage of failed attempts in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven
The song is also featured in the 2013 film No Clue.