Mambo no 5 was originally written and performed by
Perez Prado who is sometimes credited with creating the Mambo
rhythm and called the
King of Mambo (not to be confused with
Tito Puente who is the
Mambo King). It was released on the
b-side of his first 78
rpm single
Que Rico el Mambo.
Mambo no 5 was rearranged by Lou Bega and released as a dance single in 1999 and on the ironically named A Little Bit of Mambo album. (Ironic because there is not even a little bit of Mambo in the album.) Perez Prado's mambo was always on the swinging side with tight percussion and heavy brass section, but Lou Bega's Mambo no 5 has crossed the line completely and is more suited to swing dancing than to mambo.
The original Mambo no 5 and its companion Mambo no 8 (which can be heard during the opening credits of Office Space) had no lyrics. Lou Bega replaced the brass sections with synthesizers and added somewhat bawdy lyrics.