Robbie Williams deconstruction of King of The Bongo
Posted: Thu 25 Dec 2025, 6:05 pm
Just had a listen to Robbie's version of King of The Bongo from the album Rudebox (where PSB feature on two tracks).
The original by french/spanish Manu Chao was a big hit and I really liked it at the time but later fell out of love it when realising the artist used a lot of posturing, making us believe he had som kind of message.
So therefore Robbie's version is so liberating. It's perfectly produced and executed but done as a track verging on novelty song. But Robbie manages to stay on the right side and completely deconstructs King of The Bongo, does away with posturing and reveals the very nice song hidden beneath the layers.
The original by french/spanish Manu Chao was a big hit and I really liked it at the time but later fell out of love it when realising the artist used a lot of posturing, making us believe he had som kind of message.
So therefore Robbie's version is so liberating. It's perfectly produced and executed but done as a track verging on novelty song. But Robbie manages to stay on the right side and completely deconstructs King of The Bongo, does away with posturing and reveals the very nice song hidden beneath the layers.