Editing Boney M. (section)

===1980–1986: ''The Magic of Boney M.''; departure of Farrell and split===
In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, ''[[The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits]]'', which also featured two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See a Boat on the River". It made the no.{{px2}}1 spot in the UK, reaching Gold status within six weeks of release, though it was their last big-selling album in the UK.

Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980, but the recording sessions dragged on through 1981. When ''[[Boonoonoonoos]]'' was finally released by the end of that year, Bobby Farrell departed from the group due to issues with Frank Farian. While still a healthy seller in continental Europe, ''Boonoonoonoos'' failed to crack the UK Top 100 after three consecutive no.{{px2}}1 albums, due to the group being unable to promote it without Farrell. Following this, the group released ''Christmas Album''.

In 1982, "Rasputin" was played by local broadcasters in Vietnam during the waiting periods before live games of the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|España 82]] – the 1982 [[FIFA World Cup]]. This led to the popularity of the band in Vietnam for decades following.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pham |first=Khoi |date=28 March 2018 |title=For the Love of Boney M: How a West German Disco Quartet Charmed Vietnam |url=https://saigoneer.com/saigon-music-art/12960-for-the-love-of-boney-m-how-a-west-german-disco-quartet-charmed-vietnam |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Saigoneer |language=en-gb |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604114251/https://saigoneer.com/saigon-music-art/12960-for-the-love-of-boney-m-how-a-west-german-disco-quartet-charmed-vietnam |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Reggie Tsiboe]] was hired to replace Farrell as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982, but the singles "[[The Carnival Is Over|The Carnival is Over]]" and "Jambo" fared poorly, and the group's seventh album ''[[Ten Thousand Lightyears]]'', issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point, peaking at number 23 in the German album charts. However, they returned to the German Top 20 in the autumn of 1984 with "[[Kalimba de Luna]]" (a Top 10 hit in France) and "[[Happy Song (Baby's Gang song)|Happy Song]]", the latter seeing Farrell return to the group. Both songs were carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by [[Tony Esposito (musician)|Tony Esposito]] and [[Baby's Gang]] respectively.

By 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their eighth and final studio album ''[[Eye Dance]]'' was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing. After celebrating Boney M.'s 10th anniversary in early 1986, the group officially disbanded after the release of the commercially unsuccessful single "[[Young, Free and Single]]",<ref>A cover version of the UK hit by Sunfire from 1983; the original version written and performed by Lorita Grahame was released almost simultaneously.</ref> which peaked at no.{{hsp}}48 in West Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-67054|title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts: Young, Free And Single|publisher=Offiziellecharts.de|access-date=25 December 2018|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226035517/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-67054|url-status=live}}</ref>