H-E-B employees say this song is played too much at their stores

(NEXSTAR) — If there’s one place Texans love, it’s their H-E-B. But have you ever paid close attention to the music playing while you shop? According to some H-E-B employees online, there’s one song you’re likely to hear now and again.

On Tuesday evening, an H-E-B employee, also known as “Partners,” posted in the HEB subreddit: “If I hear ‘Mambo No. 5 again…. I’m going to pull the fire alarm.”

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In case you’re unfamiliar, that song would be the 1999 hit single “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)” by German singer Lou Bega. The song, which hit no. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in August ’99, is a mambo-jazz-style song featuring pop production and lyrics, the latter of which detail Bega’s various exploits with several women — Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary and Jessica, to name a few.

The post was upvoted many times — which led us to wonder: How common is hearing Lou Bega’s 1999 iconic hit inside an H-E-B? Even though stores generally pick their own music stations, was there a common song across these stores?

Scrubbing through Reddit, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), we found several instances of H-E-B partners or customers noting the song’s omnipresence inside an H-E-B store. One thread in the H-E-B subreddit from eight months ago asked: “What is one song that constantly comes on in the store that you are annoyed with?”

“Mambo No. 5 definitely,” one Redditor said in a reply with 70 upvotes. Further down the list, someone else commented “A little bit of Rita by my side,” a lyric from the song’s chorus. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mambo Number Five…” someone else commented.

“I swear to God when I used to open for the produce department at 5 a.m., the playlist would be exactly the same every time… ‘Mambo No. 5’ would play at like exactly 5:10 a.m. [The song] legit gives me PTSD flashbacks.”

Elsewhere, the song was mentioned as one people wish H-E-B would remove from their song list, a song that one partner says helps her get through 5 a.m. shifts, and even is some people’s favorite song that plays at their store.

“I’m sure as the day rolls on and people see this post and comment, it will be the ONLY option,” wrote one Redditor a few months ago. “Lou Bega ‘Mambo No. 5.’ My mom had this on CD and would jam it in the family PT Cruiser all the time.” If that sentence makes any sense to you, take your vitamins and drink some water.

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Meanwhile, over on X, there were several instances of the song at H-E-B, but none more charming than this Texan’s musing: “Not only did ‘Mambo No. 5’ start playing as soon as I turned down the ice cream aisle, there was also a coupon for 50 cents off my favorite pint. I wholly believe that no store does more than MY H-E-B.”

Nexstar reached out to Lou Bega’s team for a comment on the enduring legacy of his signature song but haven’t heard back. Back in 2019, Bega told Vanity Fair that he understood why the song remains popular, saying that in addition to being “joyful,” the song is about repentance for being a player.

“We all enjoy ourselves. We have our hangovers and we know it’s not really good for us. That song is speaking about it — but in such a cool way that you don’t feel blamed for it.”

Other repeat offenders

While Bega’s song was among the most-mentioned in our research, there were a few other tracks that popped up as ones H-E-B employees and customers say they hear frequently in their stores.

• “Afternoon Delight” — Starland Vocal Band

• “Believe” — Cher

• “I Want It That Way” — Backstreet Boys

• “All I Want For Christmas is You” — Mariah Carey

• “Love Shack” — B-52’s

So Texas, what’s the song you love — or hate — to hear at your H-E-B?

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