I'm Born Again/Bahama Mama

"I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama"
Single by Boney M
from the album Oceans of Fantasy
Released	30 November 1979[1]
Recorded	1979
Genre	Pop, Euro disco
Label	Hansa Records (FRG)
Producer(s)	Frank Farian
Boney M singles chronology
"El Lute / Gotta Go Home" (1979) "I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama" (1979) "I See a Boat on the River" / "My Friend Jack" (1980)

"I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M. It was the second single from their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy (1979), not withcounting a promotional-only single release of "Let It All Be Music" and the album title track. Not as successful as previous singles, the ballad "I'm Born Again" peaked at #7 in Germany. In the UK, it stalled at No. 35 after 10 consecutive Top 20 singles. Over the ensuing years, Boney M. would employ the double A-side format, typically with the A1 song being the song intended for radio and the A2 song being more specifically targeted at discos. Typically, the sides on the coordinating 12" single would be reversed.

"I'm Born Again"

"I'm Born Again" was based on an Irish folksong "Buachaill Ón Éirne", the lyrics reflecting lead singer Liz Mitchell's growing religious belief.^{[citation needed]} The single featured a different and slightly longer mix than the album version.

Charts

Chart performance for "I'm Born Again"

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2]	9
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[4]	17
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5]	6
UK Singles (OCC)[6]	35
West Germany (GfK)[7]	7

"Bahama Mama"

This disco track was also featured in a slightly longer mix than the album pressings. The snarling, spoken passage in the middle (the voice of "Bahama Mama") was done by Linda Blake who had also done the voice of Ma Baker.

In Japan, this song is used frequently for Bon Odori since the 1990s.

Charts

Chart performance for "Bahama Mama"

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8]	12
Finland (Suomen virallinen)[9]	5

Releases

7" single

• "I'm Born Again" (Single mix) (Helmut Rulofs, Fred Jay) – 4:17 / "Bahama Mama" (Single mix) (Frank Farian, Fred Jay) – 3:35 (Hansa 101 101-100, Germany)
• "Bahama Mama" (LP mix) – 3:17 / "I'm Born Again" (LP mix) – 4:08 (Atlantic P-513A, Japan)

12" single

• "Bahama Mama" (Long Version) – 5:12 / "I'm Born Again" – 4:17 (Hansa 600 166-213, Germany)

Charts

Chart performance for "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama"

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[10]	16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11]	7

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 32.
2. "Boney M – I'm Born Again" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
3. "Chart Track: Week 19, 1979". Irish Singles Chart.
4. "Boney M – I'm Born Again". Singles Top 100.
5. "Boney M – I'm Born Again". Swiss Singles Chart.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Boney M – I'm Born Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
8. "Boney M – Bahama Mama" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
9. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
10. "i'm born again/bahama mama - boney m". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2013. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 1
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Boney M" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.