If I ever have to be delayed in an airport lounge for any length of time I hope it is Paris and I hope Nouvelle Vague are stuck there with me.  I don’t know if this is all an elaborate set-up or a spontaneous happening and I don’t care too much; the effect is the same.

The premise is that Nouvelle Vague, the band famous for doing lounge versions of punk and new wave classics, pass the time waiting for a plane by jamming the song Mala Vida.

The song may not be overly familiar to the British public, and I can’t see anyone deciding to cover it on X Factor (though it would take something like that to make me watch it) but it is a song with a bit of a history.  It was part of the repertoire of the cult band Hot Pants, which featured a young Manu Choa.  When the band split up and Chao formed Mano Negra it was their first single.  Since the demise of Mano Negra the song continues to be a part of the setlist at Manu Chao’s solo shows.

Here are a few more versions of it. First the original by Hot Pants in 1984, which is unfortunately audio-only.

Next up, Mano Negra performing the song live in 1990.  By the way, check out the t-shirt that the percussionist is wearing.  I used to have one of those and it was my favourite t-shirt ever.  If you ever see one for sale let me know, because I wore the old one out.

A more recent clip from a 2008 concert by Manu Chao and the Radio Bemba Sound System.  Those with a keen eye will spot that the old Mano Negra percussionist has re-joined, which is good news as it virtually guarantees that Sidi ‘h’ Bibi gets played.

And finally, another cover version of the song by Gogol Bordello, from a 2006 concert.