Mario

"Mario" is a song by Congolese guitarist Franco and his group TPOK Jazz from his eponymous 1985 album. It is considered to be the musician's biggest hit. Written and composed by Franco, the theme of the song is the story of a gigolo who lives with an older woman. Although he is a graduate, he prefers to spend his partner's money. “Mario” was reportedly certified gold after selling over 200,000 copies in Zaire. The song has been recorded three times by TPOK Jazz (each with different interpretations of Mario's story): the original, "Mario 2" (also released in 1985) and "Mario 3" (released in 1987 on the album "L'Animation Non Stop"). The song was also covered by several artists including salsa group Africando and rapper Marshall Dixon. Background The Kinshasa society had a slippage at the time when Franco composed "Mario". Young girls publicly preferred mature men for financial reasons. The same goes for young boys, they preferred mature women. This inspires Luambo to compose the song.