3 Facts About Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata Album Release

Reprise Records released Pata Pata in the United States in 1967. The album was part of a broader deal Makeba signed after her international career took off.

Makeba recorded the album while in exile from South Africa. Her political activism and apartheid opposition forced her to leave the country.

The album’s title track became Makeba’s biggest US hit. It remains her most recognizable song internationally.