Ok. I have written many times about the effects music has on me when I travel. This trip was no different.

I love all types of music. Some songs I just immediately like upon hearing them the first time. There is something that is familiar about some songs, but I can never really place my finger on it.

This was the case with the Choopeta song. I heard it, liked it immediately, and then the next time I heard it had to get its name so I could purchase it from the music pirates down off Fields.

Everyone swore up and down it was a Spanish song by the Sex Bomb Girls. And indeed, the pirated CD I have says Sex Bomb - Chopeta.

However, it is not a song by the Sex Bomb girls. It was released in July of 2004 by three hot Brazilian sisters that call themselves T-Rio. Can't believe no one has mentioned this song before.

For the Choopeta video of the three hot Brazilian sisters click on this link:
http:// www.t-riomusic.com/PopUpClip/PuWin.html

For their official site, visit http://www.choopeta.com

Here is a brief biography of them:

“All born in 1985 in Brazilia (Brazil), the 3 sisters Thaïsa, Thaïna and Thayana have started their career early on as dancers in pop group Sandy & Junior, which has met success and recognition in Brazil. They started singing and composing a few years ago during their stay in Rio de Janeiro. In 2003, the trio has been selected for a new project by one of Paris' A&R director. The trio eventually decided to record a single, and covers Carmen Miranda Choopeta's track (originally released in 1939). The single is released in France during the summer of 2004, and immediately becomes a chart-breaking smash hit!, soon to be followed by their first album.”

The thing that tripped me out about that paragraph was the whole "Carmen Miranda" thing. So I looked her music. Here is a brief clip of the original song from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B0000063CY001001/0/002-8900718-0717652

Interesting stuff. I guess I had heard the song before, but could never place it. From what I could gather Carmen Miranda was very popular in the Philippines as well during her time. I heard stories about how in WWII when the allies went from town to town liberating them from the Japanese, there was always a Carmen Miranda impersonator in each town who entertained the allies.

Very interesting Xen. I also love this song a lot, great beat, and absolutely love how the Filipinas all know the dance routine and go crazy when they hear it. I actually got to liking the Sexbomb version so much that that Carmen Miranda's version seems bland by comparison.

I think I've got most of the Sexbomb songs now (KM gave me a copy of a CD the other day to make my collection complete) and I've noticed that they sing several derivative Songs from other artists--i.e. Venus (Bananarama), Hey Mickey (?), etc. Actually, the Sexbomb versions of the songs are great because of their excellent harmonizing and chorus.

In LOS, there is another Artist, MaryAnn, that sings derivitative songs by other artists also - can't take my eyes of you, One way or another (Blondie) etc.

Obviously, copyright laws are lax or non-existent in SEA. Maybe that explains why some groups such as the sexbomb girls and MaryAnne don't have CDs sold here or come to the U.S. for a concerts, they'd get their pants sued off for royalty payments.

Dude that is a compellingly, haunting song. Thank you.

Ok ... perhaps it has something to do with my triplet fantasy, but I STILL love the tunes.

DAMN I WANT TO DO THOSE THREE BROADS!

DG

Xen

I believe the version played in all the bars in AC is indeed a cover by the Sex Bomb Girls. It is slightly different in sound than the Rio version.
Listening to all those songs that get fried into your brain brings back VERY happy memories.

Yum Yum had the DJ at La Pasha burn a couple of CDs for me as a going away present. I'm wearing them out. One was all Sex Bomb songs that Merlin mentions. The other favs from the bars.

Magic Key ,Itsumo,Panaginip,Totoy Bibbo, are a few of the other Filipino songs I did not know the titles of but you would recognize them all instantly.

This may be slightly off topic, but did the Sex Bomb Girls get their name from the wildly popular bar song from a few years back "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones?

Xen, great song...Really Great looking girls. That one will stick in my mind now, and when I get to BKK/Pattaya next month, I will really keep an ear out for the local version.

Thanks for sharing it with us

Val

They don't play it in LOS that I have ever heard. It's about every other song played in every bar inn AC though.

Gee, one more reason to add AC to my "to do" list. Thanks, KM!

KM, give it a little time to get out to LOS, our group of local Pooying fell in love w/the Sexbomb CD and copies are circulating :-)

Merlin,

Funny you mention Mary Ann. I love her remakes of old songs to dance beats. It is awesome stuff. My favorite from this last trip was "Let's live for today."

I have two of her CDs, Mary Ann - The Album and Mary Ann V.2 Good stuff.

Off her first album Casablanca is totally ingrained in my mind. I heard it during my first international trip to Thailand back in aught 1 and will forever associate the positive memories of that trip with that song.

I think in normal circumstances you guys would never listen to this garbage. It's just that the songs trigger happy memories of brown bunnies dancing and naked in your room. The SEAsian dance music is quite possibly the worst music in the world and my 9-year old niece could produce these records on her home PC. Nostalgic...yes...awesome...NOT.

Blazers

DuuuuUUUUuuuude - what's with the wet blanket here!! Let the boys have their soundtrack for the knuckle shuffle on the piss pump.

BTW, I actually go to MBK and BUY some of this music on CD to bring back to the US. Yes, it reminds me of happier places indeed. The odd thing is I have people CONSTANTLY asking me where I got my music so they can get some too. Guess us pervs aren't the ONLY ones that dig it, eh?

E

C'mon Blazer, play nice. I have never been to AC and I enjoyed the song. I am sure there is some music on YOUR favorites list that I would consider "Garbage". The difference is that I am respectful enough not to call your music by such a name

Everyone has different tastes and no one's opinion is any more valid than any one else's.

Blazers, part of it is definitely the Pavlovian thing -- similar to how they conditioned those dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell, which the dogs began to associate with food. Then again, I get all hyper going to travelocity too for that matter, as I associate that with an upcoming trip.

Honestly, though, at first the music was so-so, but now the music is not at all that bad, pretty upbeat and fun.

Xenono, hope I'm not spoiling anything for you, and for all I know you may have heard this song on your last trip or in the U.S. or something, but by FAR the most played song in AC the last times I was there was "Superstar" by Jamelia. I thought it was Beyonce the whole time I was there. Anyway, just hoping you're all revved up and ready to go next week.

That is a great song, but I am sure you hate it. Right? I heard it on my last trip to Thailand/Philippines in Fenbruary. I came back with a lot of music and that was one of them. Another one was Don’t Push Me by Sweetbox. Guess it hadn’t filtered down to Philippines yet, but it seems to have now. I am hoping to get exposed to some new music on this trip, but it is probably too short. Now that I found the Bang Bang song I am all set.

I like the song, that chick has a helluva voice and puts it to great use. Now the Choopeta song and Chocolate and Otso-Otso... They walk the thin line between ANNOYING and NOSTALGIA. All, of course, are on my hard drive, so nostalgia apparently wins out!

Xen, the song that stood out for me this past trip was Eamon's 'Fuck it'. Available on the jimmyreg music page, as well as for download on any file-sharing site.

All Akon All D Time in AC bars the last 2 months.

And Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls."