Ma Baker

Infobox Single
Name = Ma Baker


Artist = Boney M.
from Album = Love for Sale
Released = 2 May, 1977
Format = 7" Single
Genre = Pop/Europop/Disco
Length = 4.33
Label = flagicon|West Germany Hansa Records (FRG)
flagicon|United Kingdom Atlantic Records (UK)
flagicon|United States Atco Records (US)
Writer = Farian, Reyam, Jay
Producer = Frank Farian
Chart position = flagicon|United Kingdom #3 (UK)
flagicon|United States flagicon|West Germany #1 (FRG)
flagicon|Austria #1 (AUT)
flagicon|Sweden #11 (SWE)
flagicon|Switzerland #2 (CHE)
Last single = "Sunny"
(1976)
This single = "Ma Baker"
(1977)
Next single = "Belfast"
(1977)

"Ma Baker" is a 1977 disco hit single by German disco band Boney M.. It was the first single off their second album "Love for Sale" and their third consecutive chart-topper in Germany and their best yet placing in the UK, peaking at #2 (only surpassed by Donna Summer's "I Feel Love") although only a minor single in the US (#96).

The Song

Frank Farian's assistant Hans-Jörg Mayer (aka Reyam) had discovered a popular Tunisian folkloric song, "Sidi Mansur" while on holiday and rewrote the song into a disco track. The lyrics by Fred Jay were inspired by the story of legendary 1930s outlaw Ma Barker although the name was changed into "Ma Baker" because "it sounded better". With a structure similar to Boney M.'s breakthrough single "Daddy Cool" with the same gimmick percussion, alternating answer-back vocals, a spoken mid-part, the song also opened with a snarling "Freeze, I'm Ma Baker, put your hands in the air! Gimme all your money". Although it has never been officially credited, the voice was done by Linda Blake, the wife of Frank Farian's American friend Bill Swisher who was a soldier in Germany at the time. Bill Swisher also did the spoken mid-part, announcing a bulletin from the FBI. He was also used on several later Boney M. recordings, including "Rasputin" and "El Lute". Frank Farian re-recorded the song with Milli Vanilli in 1988. Boney M.'s version was remixed the same year, 1993 and again in 1998. The song has been covered a number of times by Banda R-15, Knorkator and others.

The Single

In Germany, Benelux, England and Yugoslavia, the single came out backed with a cover of The Yardbirds' "Still I'm Sad" which even charted on its own in Sweden (#17). In Germany, the first single pressing came out with a backcover with tour dates and a 4:47 version with a slightly different mix, leaving out the verse line "of one who left no friends", plus it features a longer instrumental outro which can be heard in the 1988 remix. "Still I'm Sad" also fades four seconds later than the album version. This pressing was also released in Yugoslavia. Although the LP cover would also list the timing 4:47 of "Ma Baker", it was the much more common second single mix 4:33 that was included in the album. Subsequent German single pressings featured a picture of Boney M. and their tour crew Black Beauty Circus on the backcover.

In Spain, Brazil, Mexico, France, Canada and the US, the single was backed by "A Woman Can Change a Man". In Japan, the initial pressings (October 1977) had "A Woman Can Change a Man" as the A-side and an alternate shot off the album's controversial chain photo sessions as the cover. It was soon repressed with "Ma Baker" as the correct A-side and the album front cover photo for the artwork.

In Hungary, "Ma Baker" was backed with the follow-up single "Belfast".

1993 Remix

Infobox Single
Name = Ma Baker (Remix '93)


Artist = Boney M.
from Album = More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II
Released = August, 1993
Format = 12" Single, CD single
Genre = Pop/Europop/Disco
Label = flagicon|West Germany BMG Records
Writer = Farian, Reyam, Jay
Producer = Frank Farian
Last single = "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix)"
(1993)
This single = "Ma Baker (Remix)"
(1993)
Next single = "Papa Chico"
(1994)Following the remix of "Brown Girl in the Ring", Farian remixed "Ma Baker" in the summer of 1993. While a modest club hit, it failed to enter the European charts. "Borsalino" and "The Most Wanted Woman" are two dub mixes of the track. The new remix was included in the compilation album "More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II" in October 1993.

Germany
12"
* "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (BMG 74321 15940 1, 1993)Side A - Gangster

# "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (Bonnie & Clyde mix) - 5:25
# "The Most Wanted Woman" - 3:30 Side B - Fashion

# "Borsalino (Trainee Mix)" - 4:55
# "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (Radio Edit) - 3:58
CD
* "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (BMG 74321 15940 2, 1993)
# "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (Radio Edit) - 3:58
# "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (Bonnie & Clyde mix) - 5:25
# "Borsalino (Trainee Mix)" - 4:55
# "The Most Wanted Woman" - 3:30

1998 Remix

Infobox Single
Name = Ma Baker (Boney M. vs. Sash!)


Artist = Boney M.
Released = December 1998
Format = 12" Single, CD single
Genre = Pop/Europop/Disco
Label = flagicon|West Germany BMG Records
Writer = Farian, Reyam, Jay
Producer = Frank Farian
Last single = "Papa Chico"
(1994)
This single = "Ma Baker (Remix)"
(1998)
Next single = "Daddy Cool (Remix)"
(1999)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover


Lower caption = The final single cover Late 1998, a new remix of "Ma Baker" by Sash! started to make noise on the club charts as a 12" single. Just as the CD-single was about to follow, it was withdrawn, and a new version appeared, re-titled "Somebody Scream! Ma Baker" featuring Horny United. The single was a Top 30 hit in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and even peaked at #10 in Sweden. When released in the UK in April, it peaked at #22. The accompanying video featured a young woman, kickboxing, training with a gun, the only relation to the original group being her watching the original 1977 video of "Ma Baker" on a TV set.

EU

12"
* Boney M. / Horny United Feat. Boney M. - "Ma Baker" / "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (2 x 12", Logic Records/Lautstark/BMG 74321 64561 1, 1999)Side A
# Boney M. "Ma Baker" (Extended Vocal Edit) - 5:26 Side B
# Boney M. "Ma Baker" (Disco Dub Edit) - 5:35 Side C
# Horny United "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (Massive Mix) - 7:30
# Horny United "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (Screamless Mix) - 6:16Side D
# Horny United "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (Full Vocal Mix)
# Horny United "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (Ma Baker House Mix) CD

* Boney M vs. Sash!: "Ma Baker" (BMG 74321 63942 2, 1998)
# "Ma Baker (Tokapi Radio Edit) - 3:24
# "Ma Baker" (Original Edit) - 3:35
# "Ma Baker" (Extended Vocal Edit) - 5:26
# "Ma Baker" (Disco Dub Edit) - 5:35

* Boney M. vs. Sash!/Horny United Featuring Boney M.: "Ma Baker"/"Somebody Scream" (BMG 74321 64561 2, 1999)
# Boney M. vs. Sash! "Ma Baker" (Extended Radio Edit) - 4:54
# Boney M. vs. Sash! "Ma Baker" (Disco Dub Edit) (5:32)
# Horny United Featuring Boney M. "Somebody Scream (Ma Baker)" (Radio Edit) (Oliver Wallner, Re-Run) - 4:17
# Horny United Featuring Boney M. "Somebody Scream (Ma Baker)" (Massive Mix) (Oliver Wallner, Re-Run) - 6:59

UK12"

* Boney M. vs. Horny United "Ma Baker/Somebody Scream" (Logic Records 74321 65387 1, 1999)Side A

# "Ma Baker (Club Mix by Horny United) Side B

# "Somebody Scream" (Beatroute Star Bar Mix by DJ Slammer & Mark Bambach)
# "Somebody Scream" (Cosmic People Mix)

CD

* Boney M. vs. Horny United "Ma Baker/Somebody Scream" (Logic Records 74321 65387 2, 1999)
# "Somebody Scream" (Radio Edit) - 3:06
# "Ma Baker" (Sash! Radio Edit) - 3:27
# "Somebody Scream" (Massive Club mix) - 7:31
# "Ma Baker" (Sash! 12" Mix) - 4:55

ources

* http://www.musiclange.com
* http://www.sultanamusic.com/mp3/se1/2-sidimansur.mp3

External links

* [http://www.vxbox.com/Arabian%20ringtones.php?p=3 vxbox.com] ("Sidi Mansur" in MIDI format)