"Hello Mr. Monkey" is the debut single by the all-girl trio, Arabesque. Initially released only in Germany in 1977, it was released worldwide the following year in 1978.
"Hello Mr. Monkey" | ||||
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Single by Arabesque | ||||
from the album Friday Night | ||||
B-side | "Buggy Boy" | |||
Released | 25 October 1977 | |||
Genre | Pop, Europop, disco[1] | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | EMI (Germany) Victor (Japan) Papillon Records (Netherlands) [2] | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ben Juris Benny Lux | |||
Producer(s) | Wolfgang Mewes | |||
Arabesque singles chronology | ||||
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Written in 1977 shortly before the Arabesque lineup was finalized, "Hello Mr. Monkey" was the debut single of the West German group. The song is about a performer "Mr. Monkey" who was once famous, but has now lost his fame and "should've been a clown".[4][5] It features Mary Ann Nagel on lead vocals, with Karen Ann Tepperis and Michaela Rose as backup singers.[6] The song was a huge hit in Asia, particularly Japan and South Korea, spending weeks at number one.[7][8] However, it failed to chart in Germany and other European countries.[9] Arabesque gave their first ever public appearance on October 16, 1977, performing the song on the German Pop '77 program on ARD.[10]
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