non-album single

Release History

Discography

Mixes & Remixes

Lyrics


Some releases...
see more in Discography

Sabrina's 3rd Top 10 hit in Italy


2 alternative picture covers in the UK (12")




Very rare Korean 12"


Single chronology
GRINGO
History - Charts - Official Music Video

 

In 1989, even if her last singles didn't chart so high in many Western European countries, Sabrina was very busy: records, TV, concerts, magazines … Her success even extended to Latin America and Eastern Europe, in particular in Russia where she made a series of concerts in February of that year. Her success in Italy was huge and she succeeded logically in signing with a major, BMG / RCA, supposed to distribute all over the world her new single, Gringo, whose theme seemed inspired by her recent promotional stays in South America, in particular in Mexico.
This entertaining single was released in June, Sabrina bringing out for the 4th consecutive year a summer single (that she had cowritten with Elvio Moratto) in order to benefit from the promotion of the Festivalbar in which she participated again. And this release was quite successful as the single reached # 10 in August, remaining about two months in the top 20. Very beautiful, Sabrina was on every TV show, wearing her cowgirl's outfit, a look which Madonna would use 11 years later for her album Music… A clip showing images of Sabrina on tour was even produced. And a few weeks later, the song was included in the soundtrack from the movie Fratelli d'Italia in which Sabrina played and which went out in Italy on November 30th.

In France, in Germany… the single was also released in June but failed in becoming a new hit maybe because time for Italo dance was over, unlike House Music, which became very successful in the European charts in 1989. However, Sabrina spared no effort and did much to promote her song on TV (once she completely missed her play-back on FR3, as the song – and her vocals - began before she arrived on the TV set) while continuing her summer tour.
Strangely, the single charted in England, but peaked at #95 in October, and left the charts after 2 weeks. Nevertheless, Sabrina had never been so present on the British TV and her label really supported her by releasing 3 different 12" (two were accompanied with a poster) and promoting the single in the press.
It's quite difficult to say where else the single was released in Europe. As the German edition is the most common nowadays, we can think that this release was used in many countries. It may have been the case in Spain and Portugal.
In Asia, the single was released in Japan in 1989 and Korea in January 1990. But the career of the single in the charts remains unknown.
In Latin America, the single seems to have been promoted only in Ecuador, where a promo 7" was released.
Fortunately, Turkey was still a market where Sabrina was successful in 1989. If the charts position remains unknown, the single had a certain impact as Sabrina was on the cover of the magazine Genclick in October about her single Gringo. Moreover, the single featured on the cassette Hit sensation released in Turkey by BMG.

So, in spite of an intense promotion, Gringo did not really succeed outside Italy and the collaboration with BMG stopped after only one single, even if an album had been announced by Sabrina. This was a pity because the support of a major would have been essential in the consolidation of her international career. Actually, she should have signed with a major for the release of All of me, a single which was more obvious than Gringo whose "spaghetti western" style was probably too strange for some.

If Gringo was finally Sabrina's first non-album single, its extended version appeared on the compilation Super Remix which was released in Italy in the summer of 1990.
Nowadays, Gringo remains one of the fans' favorite singles and actually it was her most successful single in the Italian charts after My chico and Boys. That's probably why Sabrina re-recorded it for her album Erase / Rewind in 2008 and chose it as a (remixed) bonus track on the EP Call me recorded with Samantha Fox and released in 2010.

 

Charts

COUNTRY

HIGHEST POSITION

CHART ENTRY DATE

CHART HISTORY
(+number of weeks on chart)

Italy

10

Unknown

… #22 on July 22 and then 14, 10, 15, 15, 14, 17, 17, 20, …

UK

72

14/10/1989

#100, 95 (2 weeks)

 

Official Music Video