Stephen King Loved ‘Mambo No. 5’ So Much His Wife Threatened Divorce

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

September 6th, 2023 4:18 PM

Stephen King is an interesting man. In addition to writing some of the most iconic horror/thriller stories of all time, he’s a massive music fan. His tastes lean more rock, but overall, they’re rather diverse. However, few could predict how much he loved a particular one-hit wonder from 1999.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, King is asked about a rumor that he was a massive fan of the Lou Bega song “Mambo No. 5.” Without hesitation, King said he was.

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Apparently, he loved all of the various remixes of the track and the 1950 instrumental original by Dámaso Pérez Prado. Unfortunately, King’s wife, fellow author Tabitha King, was far from a fan of the song.

” … I played that thing until my wife just said, ‘One more time, and I’m going to f—ing leave you,'” said King.

Speaking of music, King used to listen to music a lot when he wrote, but he doesn’t really do that anymore. Instead, he’ll listen to music as he’s rewriting or polishing his work. His reason for this? King said, “I think it’s because I’ve slowed down a little bit, or the thought process is not as limber as it was when I was say 30, 35, that sort of thing.”

Lately, though, when he’s been rewriting and polishing work, King said he’s been listening to Foghat, Bob Seger, Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson.

Once again: King is a rock guy, but his overall musical tastes are pretty diverse.

Top 10 Horror Movies of the Past 10 Years

• Get Out (2017)

  Jordan Peele’s horror debut as director for Get Out was a huge hit. The film follows the story of Chris, who journeys with his girlfriend, Rose, to meet her parents. At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries leads him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

• The Conjuring (2013)

  Perhaps one of my favorite horror movies of all time, The Conjuring takes place in 1970, where paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of Carolyn and Roger Perron. The Perrons and their five daughters have recently moved into a secluded farmhouse, where a supernatural presence has made itself known. Though the manifestations are relatively benign at first, events soon escalate in horrifying fashion, especially after the Warrens discover the house’s macabre history.

• The Ritual (2017)

  Reuniting after the tragic death of their friend, four college pals set out to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. A wrong turn leads them into the mysterious forests of Norse legend, where an ancient evil exists and stalks them at every turn.

• Midsommar (2019)

  As most A24 movies are beautifully shot, Midsommar captures the beauty of Sweden, only to be tainted by the horrors that unfold throughout the movie. Florence Pugh’s Dani struggles with a really cruddy boyfriend, who she decides to travel to Sweden with alongside a group of his friends. The rural hometown they arrive at is gearing up for what seems to be its midsummer festival, but it really turns out to be a pagan cult.

• As Above, So Below (2014)

  Archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe has devoted her whole life to finding one of history’s greatest treasures: Flamel’s Philosopher’s Stone. According to legend, the artifact can grant eternal life and turn any metal into gold. When she learns that the stone is hidden underground in the famed Catacombs of Paris, she assembles a crew to guide and document her historic mission. As they begin their descent, the team members have no way of knowing that they are entering their own personal hell.

• It (2017)

  The remake of Tim Curry’s 1990 It was great in its own way. Bill Skarsgård takes over as Pennywise as he emerges from Derry, Maine’s sewers to prey on the town’s children. As the seven kids band together over the course of one horrifying summer, they must overcome their own personal fears to battle the bloodthirsty clown.

• Gerald's Game (2017)

  A woman (Carla Gugino) accidentally kills her husband during foreplay. They had driven out to a remote area in an attempt to reignite their flailing relationship. Handcuffed to the bed, she soon becomes delirious.

• A Quiet Place (2018)

  A family must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound in this dystopian reality. Knowing that even the slightest whisper or footstep can bring death, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Lee (John Krasinski) are determined to find a way to protect their children while desperately searching for a way to fight back.

• Suspiria (2019)

  Young American dancer Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Co. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, the woman she replaces breaks down and accuses the company’s female directors of witchcraft. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist and a member of the troupe uncover dark and sinister secrets as they probe the depths of the studio’s hidden underground chambers. Tilda Swinton plays a fantastic witch and old man in the horror flick.

• mother! (2017)

  A young woman (played by Jennifer Lawrence) spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband (Javier Bardem) in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on the door one night, he becomes an unexpected guest in their home. Later, his wife and two children also arrive to make themselves welcome. Terror soon strikes when Lawrence’s Veronica tries to figure out why her husband is so seemingly friendly and accommodating to everyone but her.

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Category:

• Music

Tags:

Lou Bega,Stephen King