Boney M.

Boney M.

Boney M. is a disco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1975 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s.

History

German singer-songwriter Frank Farian (real name Franz Reuther) recorded the dance track "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" in December 1974. Farian sang the repeated line "Do you do you wanna bump?" in a deep voice (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single, it was credited to "Boney M.", a pseudonym Farian had created for himself after watching the Australian detective show Boney. After a slow start, the song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to 'front' the group for TV performances. The Katja Wolfe booking agency found model-turned-singer Maizie Williams (originally from Montserrat) and her Jamaican singer friend Sheyla Bonnick for him, along with a dancer known only as "Mike" for the first gigs. Also during 1975, a girl named Nathalie joined but was soon replaced by Claudja Barry. Then Bonnick and Mike left, and Maizie Williams brought in Bobby Farrell, an exotic male dancer from Aruba. Singer Marcia Barrett (also from Jamaica) joined the group, which then went through another change in line-up when Claudja Barry – tired of merely lip-synching – left in February 1976 to pursue a solo career as a disco singer. Finally Liz Mitchell, former member of the Les Humphries Singers, stepped in. The line-up was finalised with Liz Mitchell, Maizie Williams, Marcia Barrett, and Bobby Farrell.

Take the Heat Off Me

Boney M.'s first album, Take the Heat Off Me, was released in 1976. It contained tracks that Marcia Barrett had already recorded with Farian, including the title track and "Lovin' or Leavin'", both of which were previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla. As Maizie Williams' voice wasn't considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell performing "No Woman No Cry" didn't work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio-enhanced voice to create the Boney M. sound.

The album's commercial performance was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came when, at the end of summer 1976, German television producer Michael 'Mike' Leckebusch (of Radio Bremen) requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on September 18, 1976, after 10 pm and in their daring stage costumes, where they performed the song "Daddy Cool". The song quickly went to no.1 in Germany, with the album following the success of the single. Another single, "Sunny" (a cover of the 1966 Bobby Hebb song) gave the group their second no.1 hit. The group's popularity had also grown throughout Europe, with "Daddy Cool" reaching no.1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Austria. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK which would become one of their biggest markets.

Love For Sale

In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, Love for Sale, which contained the hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". The group embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called 'The Black Beautiful Circus' (given their name after Maizie Williams' first band, 'Black Beautiful People'). Though slow to start, Love for Sale made the UK Top 20 and was certified Gold a year after its release. Both singles from the album reached no.1 in Germany and the UK Top 10. By this time, sales had also slowly increased for their first album which had only peaked at no.40 in the UK but was now certified Silver.

Nightflight To Venus

1978 was the group's biggest year. They released a new double A-sided single, "Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring", which became a massive hit all over Europe, reaching #1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. With lyrics from Psalms 137:1, the oldest lyrics ever to reach the Hot 100 to date, the hit also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at #30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Following this came their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, which spawned another hit single, "Rasputin". Continuing with their success, they released "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord", which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much publicized promotional visit to the Soviet Union, one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so. Although tracks like "Rasputin" were not released in the Soviet Union due to their lyrics, the band was welcomed by the Soviet regime and this visit resulted in an enormous popularity in the entire former Eastern Bloc that has lasted for more than three decades.

While it had never been a secret that Bobby Farrell only mimed to Farian's vocals, in 1978 it became public knowledge that Maizie Williams did not sing on the studio recordings "since her voice wasn't suited for this kind of music", as Farian stated in an interview with German teen magazine BRAVO. Since this had become common practice within the disco genre of the late '70s, few people cared – unlike when Farian did the same thing with Milli Vanilli in the late 1980s. While only two of Boney M.'s official members actually contributed to the band's records, all four members of the group, including Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell, performed the vocals live at Boney M. concerts.. The band's live sound was also augmented by several backing vocalists, which served to enhance any vocal deficiencies the group may have had compared with the studio productions.

Oceans Of Fantasy

1979 saw Boney M. release a brand new single, "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday", which became another Top 10 hit across Europe. Later in the year they released their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – ""Gotta Go Home"/"El Lute" and "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama". The track "No More Chain Gang", one of a number of black freedom songs the group recorded, exemplified Boney M.'s mix of white and black music. The album also included a "Lead" and "Backing Vocals" credit for the first time. The album made no.1 in the UK and was certified Platinum, though their run of Top 10 singles had now ended with "Gotta Go Home" peaking at no.12 and "I'm Born Again" peaking at 35.

The 1980s

In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits, which also contained two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See a Boat on the River". It made the #1 spot in the UK, reaching Gold status within six weeks of release, though it was their last big-selling album in the UK.

Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980 but the recording sessions dragged on all through 1981. When Boonoonoonoos was finally released by the end of that year, Bobby Farrell was fired from the group due to his unreliability. While still a healthy seller in continental Europe, "Boonoonoonoos" failed to crack the UK Top 100 after three consecutive #1 albums, and Farrell's departure left the group unable to promote it. Following this, the group released a Christmas Album.

Reggie Tsiboe was hired to replace Farrell as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982 but the singles "The Carnival Is Over" and "Jambo" fared poorly, and the group's seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears, issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point. The group, however, returned to the German Top 20 in the autumn of 1984 with "Kalimba de Luna" and "Happy Song", the latter seeing Bobby Farrell return to the group. Both songs were carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby's Gang respectively.

By 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their final studio album Eye Dance was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing. After celebrating Boney M.'s ten-year anniversary in early 1986, the group officially disbanded.

From this point, different versions of the group were formed. One version began touring in the first half of 1987 with Marilyn Carrillo taking Liz Mitchell's place. Mitchell returned for a second leg of the tour late 1987, and Marcia Barrett soon left the band again. At the same time, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium. When Farrell failed to show up for either recording or tour, and Maizie Williams had never sung on record, the album ended up being released as Liz Mitchell's first solo album No One Will Force You. Mitchell and Williams completed a tour during 1987-88, adding singer Celena Duncan and Curt De Daran as replacements for Barrett and Farrell. Carol Grey later replaced Celena Duncan.

In October 1988, the classic Boney M. line-up reunited for the album Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 but tensions ran high between the members, and Liz Mitchell left in the spring of 1989 to be replaced by Madeleine Davis. While Mitchell promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker", without Farian's knowledge or approval. Threatened with legal action by the producer over the use of the Boney M. name, the single was subsequently withdrawn and Farian issued "Stories" with his own new Boney M. line-up featuring Liz Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo. A second remix album Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II was released but fared poorly.

The 1990s

1992 saw a renewed interest in Boney M.'s music with the "Boney M. Megamix" single returning the group to the UK Top 10 for the first time since 1979, and a subsequent Greatest Hits album reaching the UK Top 20 in 1993. While Marcia Barrett, now residing in Florida, was battling cancer and unable to perform, Boney M. toured the world with a line-up of Liz Mitchell, Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M. line-up with her friend and short-time Boney M. member in the early days in 1975, Sheila Bonnick, and two others. Bobby Farrell also toured with three ever-changing female performers.

2000s

Liz Mitchell was touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which is the only line-up officially supported by Farian (the court ruling of 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows). Bobby Farrell and Liz Mitchell have released solo albums containing their own re-recordings of Boney M.'s classic hits. Maizie Williams released her first solo album in 2006 and her own single version of Boney M.'s "Sunny". In 2007 her rendition of 'Daddy Cool' with Melo-M hit the number one spot in the Latvian (LMK) Charts. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums with a third scheduled for release in 2010.

A musical based on the music of Boney M., Daddy Cool, opened in London in August 2006 to mixed reviews and sluggish ticket sales, causing it to close again in February 2007. From April to July, 2007, this show played in a mobile theatre in Berlin, which was specially designed for this show.

In April 2007, pop singer Peter Wilson, who during the mid-90s scored a couple of Top 40 hits in his native Australia, released a brand new song, co-written by Frank Farian entitled "Doin' Fine". It is described as "paying tribute to the sound of Boney M." and features the famous string arrangement from their first number 1 hit, "Daddy Cool".

In a sign of their continued popularity in South Asia, a concert by Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) was a featured attraction at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on November 23, 2006 in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, India. The group is also popular in the Vietnamese diaspora, and was featured in Thuy Nga music productions.

In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled The Magic of Boney M. was released via BMG on November 27, 2006. Special additions to this release were a Mousse T. remix of "Sunny" and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled "A Moment Of Love".

On April 10, 2007, Boney M.'s first four albums were reissued on compact disc with bonus tracks, this time also in the United States (the first time these were available to the U.S. music market since their original releases in the 1970s).

In September 2007, Boney M.'s last four original albums, Boonoonoonoos, Ten Thousand Lightyears, Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs and Eye Dance were reissued on compact disc in Europe and the United States, all including bonus tracks. In November 2007, a new Christmas compilation was scheduled for release as well as the DVD Fantastic Boney M. - On Stage and on the Road featuring live performances and a film from the band's 1981 visit to Jamaica.

Bobby Farrell's Boney M. performed a concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana, Israel in May 2007. On June 28, 2007 Boney M. featuring Matthew Felsenfeld and Liz Mitchell performed at the "Oktiabrsky" concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2007, Maizie Williams Boney M. line-up performed live at the Royal Albert Hall, UK, to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, performing her own renditions of 'Brown Girl in the Ring' and 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday'. On October 13, 2007 Marcia Barrett's Boney M. performed in the Georgian-controlled village of Tamarasheni, in the breakaway South Ossetia, in a concert directed at ousting the de facto President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity. December 28, 2007, Marcia Barrett's Boney M. gave a gala performance in Russia for Premier Putin while playing New Year's Eve concerts in front of 16,000 people in Lithuania. On December 31, 2007, Maizie Williams performed at a live concert to capacity crowds in Krakow, Poland and on 1 December 2008 Maizie Williams and her Boney M. show flew in and gave two concerts in Sofia, Bulgaria, for Aids Awareness and World Aids Day.

The legal rights to the name "Boney M." have been a matter of controversy, and even court cases, between the former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the late 1980s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, has continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her line-up all through the 90s and 2000s, but in a strange twist of fate further Boney M. productions in Germany could be faced with legal proceedings. January 2007 was the date Zanillya Farrell (daughter of Bobby Farrell) and Yasmina Ayad-Saban (ex-wife of Farrell) renewed the copyright to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10 year period. Also, an upcoming case in the High Court in Berlin, Maizie Williams vs Frank Farian and Sony/BMG. In February 2009, Williams won a judgement against Farian and was ordered to account to her for all record sales and future sales.

In November 2008, iconic Disco legend and former label mate, Amanda Lear recorded a version of the song, "Doin' Fine" as part of her new studio album, which she announced on French television is scheduled for release in spring 2009.

Bobby Farrell currently lives in Amsterdam.

In January 2009 Frank Farian released a brand new single called Felicidad America (Obama Obama) under the name-check Boney M. feat. Sherita O. & Yulee B. featuring two new vocalists. The song is a remake of the 1980 Boney M. classic with new vocals and re-written lyrics now referring to the new US president Barack Obama.

In July 2010, Maizie Williams headlined a Boney M performance at Ramallah's Cultural Palace, in the West Bank, as part of the Palestine International Festival. The band played "Daddy Cool," "Ma Baker" and "Brown Girl in the Ring," but refrained from playing "Rivers of Babylon," rumored to be at the event organizers' request due to its description of the Jewish yearning for Zion.

Lady Gaga has recently sampled the vocal "Ma-Ma-Ma" from "Ma Baker" for her hit single "Poker Face".

Members

• Liz Mitchell, Lead and backing vocals (1976–)
• Marcia Barrett, Lead and backing vocals (1975–)
• Maizie Williams, Dancer, live vocals (1975–)
• Bobby Farrell, Dancer, rap, live vocals (1975–81, 1984–)
• Reggie Tsiboe, Lead and backing vocals (1982–86, 1989–90)

UK sales mark

In 1978, "Rivers of Babylon", a cover of a track by The Melodians with lyrics partly based on Psalm 137 and partly on Psalm 19, became (at the time) the second highest-selling single of all time in the UK. After reaching no.1 for five weeks, "Rivers of Babylon" began dropping down the chart, at which point the B-side "Brown Girl in the Ring" was given extensive radio airplay, and the single climbed back up the chart to #2. The single spent 6 months in the UK Top 40, including 19 weeks in the Top 10. It eventually sold 5000 copies short of two million. As recounted in his book Touching the Void, the British climber Joe Simpson was subsequently to find the catchy tune of "Brown Girl in the Ring" haunting him in the final hours of his struggle to survive the descent of Siula Grande in the Andes, and the song was later used in the film of Touching the Void made by Kevin Macdonald. Simpson recalls: "I remember thinking, bloody hell, I'm going to die to Boney M".

The group achieved a second UK million-seller with their version of the calypso classic "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord", which was previously a million-seller for Harry Belafonte. On the list of the all-time best selling singles in the United Kingdom, Boney M. appear in fifth place (with "Rivers of Babylon") and tenth place (with "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord"). The single sold almost 1.8 million copies and achieved sales of over 1.6 million in the 4 weeks the song was at number one in December 1978. Paul McCartney is the only other artist to appear twice (once with The Beatles, once with Wings) in the Top 10 of that list.

Back catalogue

Compared to other best-selling artists of the 1970s like ABBA, Donna Summer, and the Bee Gees the Boney M. discography is quite unusual – while the greater part of the band's back catalogue has been remixed, remade, remodeled and reissued all through the 80s, 90s and 2000s by producer Frank Farian and record company BMG-Ariola (now Sony BMG), most of the original 7" and 12" versions issued on vinyl in the 70s and early 80s remained unavailable on CD until 2008 and the release of the box set The Collection and the single CD compilation Rivers Of Babylon (A Best Of Collection).

Popularity outside the West

During the 2002 presidential election campaign of South Korea, then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun, who eventually won the presidency at that event, took Bahama Mama to promote his aim of positive political reform.

The 2005 Chinese film Shanghai Dreams features a scene depicting a rural Chinese disco in 1983, with teenagers dancing to Rivers of Babylon and Gotta Go Home

In the 2008 Kazakh film Tulpan, the tractor driver Boni continually plays a cassette of Rivers of Babylon, an example of his fascination for all things Western.

In the 2008 Chinese film Cheung Gong 7 hou (English title: CJ7), the song "Sunny" is a vital part of the soundtrack.

Covers of Boney M. songs

• American rock'n'reel group Boiled in Lead covered "Rasputin".
• Shortly after the worldwide success of the Nightflight to Venus album, disco/soul singer-songwriter, Millie Jackson covered "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night'" (a Marcia Barrett lead vocal) for her 1979 album, A Moment's Pleasure. It was released as a single and became a Top 40 R&B chart hit for Jackson, peaking at #33.
• "Silent Lover" (a Marcia Barrett lead vocal) was covered in 1980 by disco project El Coco for the album "Revolución".
• Gilla - also produced by Frank Farian - covered "Sunny", "No Woman No Cry" and "Belfast" on her album Zieh mich aus as well as "Rasputin" as a single in 1978.
• In 1978, German singer Bruce Low covered "Rivers of Babylon" in German as "Die Legende von Babylon", using Boney M.'s original backing track. His version reached #3 in the German charts.
• Austrian duo and Eurovision Song Contest participants Waterloo & Robinson covered "Brown Girl in the Ring", using Boney M.'s original backing track (and Marcia Barrett's original "Tra la la la" backing vocals).
• In 1979, Michael Holm covered "El Lute" in German, also using Boney M.'s original backing track with Farian singing backing vocals. His version peaked at #11 in the German charts.
• Roland Kaiser also covered "El Lute" in German in 1979 as well as a German version of "I'm Born Again" under the title "Im Dunkel der Nacht".
• Ricky Martin covered "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" in Spanish on his 1993 album "Me Amarás".
• Frank Farian also produced a German version of "Felicidad (Margherita)" by Anette Anke und Andrea to coincide with Boney M.'s release of the song, 1980.
• German schlager orchestra Cliff Carpenter's Orchestra made numerous instrumental versions of Boney M.'s hits with a horn section playing the melody line on top of Boney M.'s original backing tracks. In 1982, 12 of these recordings were gathered on the compilation "Cliff Carpenter Plays Boney M. Hits".
• The Finnish folk metal band Turisas have played a cover of "Rasputin" at several live events. They released this cover as their debut single August 2007. They have also released it on a re-release of their album The Varangian Way.
• UK punk rock band Belisha have also been covering "Rasputin" for about 2 years, and riotous live performances at festivals across Europe in 2007 have seen the entire crowd joining in with Russian style dancing, both on stage with the band, and in the audience.
• Placebo covered "Daddy Cool" in 2003 for the bonus disc of their Sleeping with Ghosts album.
• Peaches also covered "Daddy Cool" in 2004.
• Liz Mitchell and Russian singer Alexander Buynov covered "Rasputin" in 1996 for a Russian compilation album.
• Marcia Barrett did a solo version of "Rivers of Babylon" in 2001 which was aired on Dutch radio but ultimately never released.
• Bobby Farrell released his own version of 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump' in 2006 on The Bump EP.
• The Latvian cello trio Melo-M covered "Daddy Cool" in 2007, featuring Maizie Williams on vocals (hitting the No.1 spot on the Latvian LMK Charts).
• The Spanish group Fangoria recorded a cover version of "Rasputin" (sung in Spanish) in 1996 which was also included on BMG-Ariola compilation Best in Spain.
• Also on the same Best in Spain album, Fangoria singer 'Alaska' sings "Ma Baker" (this time in English) with Killer Barbies as backing group.
• Their song "Ma Baker" has been widely covered. One of the more unusual covers is Knorkator's version, which changes the disco/pop tunes for heavy guitar riffs. According to BBC, the "Mum-mum-mum-mah" hook used in the Lady Gaga song Poker Face is sampled from Ma Baker."
• Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles covered "Brown Girl in the Ring" on their 2006 album Here Comes the Big Red Car.
• Techno/rave act Vinylshakerz covered "Daddy Cool" on their 2006 album "Very Superior".
• The US ska/punk band Sublime covered "Rivers of Babylon" as a Bonus Track on their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom.
• US Powerpop/Ska band Attila and the Huns recorded a reggae version of "Mary's Boy Child" based on the Boney M. version for their 2007 Christmas CD "Christmas Socks"
• British ska-punk band Sonic Boom Six recorded a version of "Rasputin" in 2010.

Songs that were re-worked into Boney M. titles

Frank Farian's right hand Hans-Jörg Mayer (aka Georg Reyam) sought out songs from all over the world, mainly public domain (non-copyrighted) folk tunes, and rewrote them for Boney M.

Borrowed themes

• The first Boney M. recording "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975) is based on Prince Buster's "Al Capone" (1967).
• "Motherless Child" (1977) is a rewrite of "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child".
• "Ma Baker" is a rewrite of a Tunisian traditional song, Sidi Mansur.
• "Nightflight to Venus" (1978) with its characteristic drums, the rock guitar theme, and the march interludes, was rewritten from Cozy Powell's #1 hit "Dance With the Devil" (1974).
• "Rasputin" (1978) features a melody line present in both a Serbian ("Ај, русе косе цуро имаш") and Turkish traditional ("Üsküdar'a Gider İken / Kâtibim").
• "He Was a Steppenwolf" (1978) borrows arrangement-wise from The Temptations' lengthy epic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972).
• "Brown Girl in the Ring" (1978) is a traditional Caribbean nursery rhyme and uses an arrangement from Malcolm's Locks "Brown Girl" (1975).
• "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979) is a rewrite of "Polly Wolly Doodle".
• Farian's falsetto singing 'doo-doop, doo doo doo-doop' in "Gotta Go Home" (1979) was borrowed from The Beatles in Hello, Goodbye (1967) as 'hey-la, hey helloa'.
• "No More Chain Gang" (1979) borrows the bridge 'Then one night he laid in waiting' from folklore "St. James Infirmary Blues" and an arrangement inspired by Johnny Wakelin's "In Zaire" (1976).
• "I'm Born Again" (1979) is based on an Irish traditional ("Buachaill Ón Éirne").
• Both "Boonoonoonoos" and "Ride to Agadir" (1981) contain a theme taken from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Run Like Hell" (1979).
• "Train to Skaville / That's Boonoonoonoos" (1981) is partly inspired by the #1 hit Pop Muzik (1979) by M (the walking bass, the rap parts, and 'Boo-Boo-Boo-Boonoonoonoos' - 'Pop Pop Pop Muzik').
• "Homeland Africa (Ship Ahoy)" (1981) borrows the chorus and lyrics from The O'Jays' "Ship Ahoy" (1973).
• "Children of Paradise" (1980) is based on Younès Megri's "Lili Twil" (19??).
• "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1981) borrows not only the title from the well-known Christmas song but also a theme from Don Williams' "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" (1977) and also has a strong resemblance to Jona Lewie's "Stop the Cavalry" (1980).
• "Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)" (1984) features a guitar theme borrowed from The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972) while the chorus borrows from Bob Marley's "Exodus" (1977).
• "Wild Planet" (1984) is based on Hungarian rock band Omega's "Ajanlott Utvonal" (1982)
• "Future World" (1984) is based on Hungarian rock band Omega's "Tízezer lépés" (10,000 Steps) (1969).
• "Somewhere in the World" (1984) borrows the hook line from Paul McCartney's "Tug of War" (1982) (the specific chorus line In another world).
• "Bel Ami" (1984) features an arrangement and brass intro very similar to Mezzoforte's "Garden Party" (1983).
• "Living Like a Moviestar" (1984) features a flute theme from Jeff Wayne's "The Eve of the War" (1978).
• "Todos Buenos" (1985) is rewritten from Titanic's "Sultana" (1971).
• "Sample City" (1985) features the same chord pattern as "I Can't Stand the Rain" (1973), the Ann Peebles classic and a 1978 hit single for Farian's soul band Eruption.
• "Bang Bang Lulu" (1985) is a traditional folklore.

Cover versions

• "Take the Heat Off Me" (1976): Marcella Bella - "Nessuno mai" (1974) (Gilla - "Mir ist kein Weg zu weit" (1975))
• "Sunny" (1976): Bobby Hebb - "Sunny" (1966)
• "No Woman No Cry" (1976): Bob Marley & The Wailers - "No Woman, No Cry" (1974)
• "Fever" (1976): Little Willie John - "Fever" (1956)
• "Got a Man on My Mind" (1976): Frank Farian - "Am Samstagabend" (1976)
• "Lovin' or Leavin'" (1976): Gilla - "Lieben und frei sein" (1975)
• "Love for Sale" (1977): Libby Holman - "Love for Sale" (1945)
• "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" (1977): Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (1970)
• "A Woman Can Change a Man" (1977): Frank Farian and also Gilla - "Laß mir Zeit, Dich zu lieben" (1975)
• "Still I'm Sad" (1977): The Yardbirds - "Still I'm Sad" (1965)
• "Painter Man" (1978): The Creation - "Painter Man" (1966)
• "King of the Road" (1978): Roger Miller - "King of the Road" (1965)
• "Rivers of Babylon" (1978): The Melodians - "Rivers of Babylon" (1970)
• "Heart of Gold" (1978): Neil Young - "Heart of Gold" (1972)
• "Mary's Boy Child" (1978): Harry Belafonte - "Mary's Boy Child" (1956)
• "Gotta Go Home" (1979): Nighttrain - "Hallo Bimmelbahn" (1973)
• "Hold On I'm Coming" (1979): Sam & Dave - "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (1966)
• "Two of Us" (1979): The Beatles - "Two of Us" (1969)
• "My Friend Jack" (1980): The Smoke - "My Friend Jack" (1967)
• "Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980): Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968)
• "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980): Massara - "Margherita" (1979)
• "That's Boonoonoonoos / Train to Skaville" (1981): The Ethiopians - "Train to Skaville" (1967)
• "I Shall Sing" (1981): Art Garfunkel - "I Shall Sing" (1973)
• "Ride to Agadir" (1981): Mike Batt - "The Ride to Agadir" (1977)
• "Malaika" (1981): Miriam Makeba & Harry Belafonte - "Malaika" (1965)
• "Sad Movies" (1981): Sue Thompson - "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" (1961)
• "Feliz Navidad" (1981): José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad" (1970)
• "The Carnival Is Over" (1982): The Seekers - "The Carnival Is Over" (1965)
• "Going Back West" (1982): Jimmy Cliff - "Going Back West" (1974)
• "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983): Them Mushrooms - "Jambo Bwana" (1982)
• "(I Need a) Babysitter" (1983): Mahjun - "Baby-sitter" (1980)
• "Dizzy" (1984): Tommy Roe - "Dizzy" (1969)
• "Kalimba de Luna" (1984): Tony Esposito - "Kalimba de Luna" (1984)
• "Happy Song" (1984): Baby's Gang - "Happy Song" (1983)
• "My Chérie Amour" (1985): Stevie Wonder - "My Cherie Amour" (1969)
• "Dreadlock Holiday" (1985): 10cc - "Dreadlock Holiday" (1978)
• "Stories" (1990): Izit - "Stories" (1989)
• "Time to Remember" (1993): La Mama - "I'll Be Your Woman" (1982)
• "Papa Chico" (1993): Tony Esposito - "Papa Chico" (1985)

Discography

Studio albums

• Take the Heat Off Me (1976)
• Love for Sale (1977)
• Nightflight to Venus (1978)
• Oceans of Fantasy (1979)
• Boonoonoonoos (1981)
• Christmas Album (1981)
• Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984)
• Eye Dance (1985) — Boney M. featuring Bobby Farrell

jjjj

Compilations

• The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980)
• Children of Paradise - The Greatest Hits of Boney M. - Vol. 2 (1981)
• Fantastic Boney M. (German CD Only) (1984)
• Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) - Boney M. with Bobby Farrell
• Christmas with Boney M. (1984)
• The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986)
• Die 20 schönsten Weihnachtslieder der Welt (1986)
• The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986)
• Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988)
• Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989)
• Ma Baker (1989)
• The Collection (1991)
• Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991)
• Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992)
• The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992)
• The Greatest Hits (1993)
• More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993)
• Sunny (1995)
• Happy Songs (1996)
• Daddy Cool (1996)
• Painter Man (1996)
• Hit Collection (1996)
• Best In Spain (1996)
• The Best of Boney M. (1997)
• Norske Hits (1998)
• A Wonderful Christmas Time (1998)
• Christmas Party (1998)
• Ultimate (1999)
• 20th Century Hits (1999)
• 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000)
• The Ultimate Collection (2000)
• The Complete Collection (2000)
• Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000)
• L'Essentiel (2001)
• Greatest Hits (2001)
• The Best of Boney M. - Original Hits (2001)
• The Greatest Hits (2001)
• Christmas Party (2003)
• The Magic of Boney M. (2006)
• Hit Collection (2007)
• Christmas With Boney M. (2007)
• The Collection (Boney M. Box Set) (2008)
• Rivers Of Babylon (A Best Of Collection) (2008)
• Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions and Rarities (2008)
• Christmas Time (2008)
• In the Mix (2008)
• The Complete Boney M. - box set (2008)
• The Magic of Boney M. - The Danish Collection (Double CD) (2008)
• Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 2 (2009)
• Steel Box (2009)
• Let It All Be Music - The Party Album (2009)
• Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 3 (2009)

Singles

• "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975)
• "Daddy Cool" (1976)
• "Sunny" (1976)
• "Ma Baker" (1977)
• "Belfast" (1977)
• "Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring" double A-side single (1978)
• "Rasputin" (1978)
• "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" (1978)
• "Painter Man" (UK only, 1979)
• "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979)
• "Gotta Go Home" / "El Lute" double A-side single (1979)
• "I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama" double A-side single (1979)
• "I See a Boat on the River" / "My Friend Jack" double A-side single (1980)
• "Children of Paradise" / "Gadda-Da-Vida" double A-side single (1980)
• "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980)
• "Malaika" / "Consuela Biaz" double A-side single (1981)
• "We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)" / "Boonoonoonoos" double A-side single (1981)
• "Little Drummer Boy" / "6 Years of Boney M. Hits (Boney M. on 45)" double A-side single (1981)
• "The Carnival Is Over" / "Going Back West" double A-side single (1982)
• "Zion's Daughter" (1982)
• "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983)
• "Somewhere in the World" (1984)
• "Kalimba de Luna" (1984)
• "Happy Song" - Boney M. and Bobby Farrell with the School Rebels (1984)
• "My Chérie Amour" (1985)
• "Young, Free and Single" - Boney M. featuring Bobby Farrell (1985)
• "Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" (1986)
• "Bang Bang Lulu" (1986)
• "Rivers of Babylon (Remix '88)" / "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Remix '88)" - Boney M. Reunion '88 double A-side single (1988)
• "Megamix" (1988)
• "The Summer Mega Mix" (1989)
• "Malaika (Lambada Remix)" (1989)
• "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" (1989, withdrawn)
• "Stories" (1990)
• "Christmas Mega Mix" (1992)
• "Megamix" (1992)
• "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix '93)" (1993)
• "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (1993)
• "Papa Chico" - Boney M. feat. Liz Mitchell (1994)
• "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" - Boney M. vs. Horny United/Sash! (1999)
• "Daddy Cool '99" - Boney M. 2000 feat. Mobi T. (1999)
• "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" - Boney M. 2000 (1999)
• "Sunny (Remix)" - Boney M. 2000 (2000)
• "Daddy Cool 2001" (2001)
• "Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)" (2006)
• "Felicidad America (Obama-Obama)" - Boney M. feat. Sherita O. & Yulee B. (2009)

Video / DVD / VCD releases

• Gold - Video / VCD (in Hong Kong) (1993)
• Gold - DVD (2001 Europe)
• Greatest Hits (2001 UK)
• Special Edition (2002 South Korea)
• Special Edition EP (2003 UK)
• The Magic of Boney M. (2006)
• Fantastic Boney M. - On Stage and on the Road (2007)

Chart positions

Albums

Year	Title	Chart positions
		GER	UK	AUT	SWE	SWI	NL	US	NOR	FIN	JAP
1976	Take the Heat Off Me	14	40	6	1	-	8	-	2	1	65
1977	Love for Sale	1	13	1	1	-	2	-	2	1	-
1978	Nightflight to Venus	1	1	1	1	-	2	134	1	2	56
1979	Oceans of Fantasy	1	1	1	5	-	3	-	1	1	51
1980	The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits	1	1	5	30	-	4	-	1	5	-
1981	Boonoonoonoos	15	-	14	31	-	28	-	21	7	-
	Christmas Album	14	-	-	-	-	33	-	-	-	-
1984	Ten Thousand Lightyears	23	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1986	The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits	3	35	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1993	Gold - 20 Super Hits	5	14	6	14	5	2	-	6	1	-
	More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II	-	-	36	-	-	85	-	-	-
1999	20th Century Hits	30	-	-	8	37	-	-	-	21	-
2000	25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool	-	-	-	-	-	27	-	-	-	-
2006	The Magic of Boney M.	19	45	13	-	39	-	-	2	27	-

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions
		GER	AUT	IRE	NL	NZ	NOR	SWE	SWI	UK	US
1975	"Baby Do You Wanna Bump"	-	-	-	12	-	-	-	-	-	-
1976	"Daddy Cool"	1	1	-	3	15	1	1	1	6	65
	"Sunny"	1	1	4	1	17	4	11	-	3	-
1977	"Ma Baker"	1	1	4	1	2	1	1	1	2	96
	"Still I'm Sad"	-	-	-	-	-	-	17	-	-	-
	"Belfast"	1	2	1	3	-	-	-	1	8	-
1978	"Rivers of Babylon" / Brown Girl in the Ring"	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	-	1	30
	"Rasputin"	1	1	3	5	4	10	-	-	2	-
	"Voodoonight"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord"	1	3	1	2	8	2	1	-	1	85
	"Dancing in the Streets"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1979	"Painter Man" (UK/Ireland and Netherlands only)	-	-	5	5	-	-	-	-	10	-
	"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday"	4	3	5	1	7	2	11	4	3	-
	"Gotta Go Home" / "El Lute"	1	1	11	2	-	4	10	2	12	-
	"I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama"	7	9	12	7	-	-	17	6	35	-
1980	"I See a Boat on the River"	5	3	-	4	-	-	-	9	-	-
	"My Friend Jack"	-	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	57	-
	"Children of Paradise"	11	12	-	13	-	-	-	-	66	-
	"Felicidad (Margherita)"	6	6	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-
1981	"Malaika" / "Consuela Biaz"	16	7	-	14	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)"	12	-	-	13	-	-	-	-	39	-
	"Little Drummer Boy"	20	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1982	"6 Years of Boney M. Hits"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"The Carnival Is Over"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Going Back West"	41	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Zion's Daughter"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1983	"Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)"	48	-	-	-	-	-	-	11	-	-
1984	"Somewhere in the World"	49	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Kalimba de Luna"	16	11	-	20	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Happy Song"	7	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1985	"My Chérie Amour"	55	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Young, Free and Single"	48	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1986	"Daddy Cool '86"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Bang Bang Lulu"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1988	"Rivers of Babylon (Remix '88)"	-	-	-	-	46	-	-	-	-	-
	"Megamix"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	52	-
1989	"The Summer Mega Mix"	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	92	-
	"Malaika (Lambada Remix)"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1990	"Stories"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1992	"Megamix"	26	11	3	12	49	-	-	-	7	-
1993	"Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix)"	-	-	25	-	2	-	-	-	38	-
	"Ma Baker (Remix '93)"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1994	"Papa Chico" Boney M. feat. Liz Mitchell	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1999	"Ma Baker (Somebody Scream)" vs. Horny United/Sash!	38	19	-	19	34	-	26	10	-	-
	"Daddy Cool '99" Boney M. 2000 feat. Mobi T.	47	-	-	-	-	-	-	19	-	-
	"Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" Boney M. 2000	79	-	-	-	47	-	-	-	-	-
2000	"Sunny (Remix)" Boney M. 2000	-	-	-	-	-	-	59	-	-	-
2001	"Daddy Cool 2001"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	47	-
2006	"Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2007	"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	47	-

"-" means chart peak is unknown or the single did not chart.

See also

• Best selling music artists - World's top-selling music artists chart

The Magic Of Boney M - Unofficial website with discography, history, biography and more.