"Spanish Harlem" is a song recorded by

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

in 1960 for

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

. It was written by Jerry Leiber and

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

and produced by

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...

. "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

, peaking at number 15 on ''Billboard''s rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music chart. The song has been covered by a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, whose version reached number two on ''Billboard''s pop chart. The song was ranked number 358 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of the "

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Background

Leiber credited Stoller with the arrangement in a 1968 interview; similarly, Leiber said in a 2009 radio interview with Leiber and Stoller on the '' Bob Edwards Weekend'' talk show that Stoller had written the key instrumental introduction to the record, although he was not credited. Stoller remarks in the team's autobiography ''Hound Dog'' that he had created this "fill" while doing a piano accompaniment when the song was presented to Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records, with Spector playing guitar and Leiber doing the vocal. "Since then, I've never heard the song played without that musical figure." The song was arranged by Stan Applebaum, featuring Spanish guitar, marimba, drum-beats, soprano saxophone, strings, and a male chorus. The riff to the song was originally conceived by Spector and his then-girlfriend Beverly Ross. She was apparently shocked to discover the same riff a few months later in the version sung by King. Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem" was originally released as the B-side to "First Taste of Love". "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from

, a group that he had led for several years. It climbed the '' Billboard'' charts, and peaked at number 15 for rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music. King's version was not a hit in the United Kingdom. The song was re-released in 1987, after " Stand By Me" made number 1.

Aretha Franklin version

In July 1971, Aretha Franklin released a cover version of the song that outperformed the original on the charts and in which Franklin changed the lyrics slightly: from "A red rose up in Spanish Harlem" to "There's a rose in Black 'n Spanish Harlem. A rose in Black 'n Spanish Harlem.” Her version went to number one on the US Soul charts for three weeks and number two on the Pop charts for two weeks. "Spanish Harlem" was kept from the top spot by "

Go Away Little Girl "Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded by Bobby Vee for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, s ...

" by Donny Osmond. This version also hit number six on ''Billboard''s Easy Listening chart. Aretha Franklin's version earned a gold single for sales of over one million.

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

played keyboards on Franklin's version with

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

on drums and Chuck Rainey on bass.

Charts

Cliff Richard versions

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

released his rendition on his 1962 album '' 32 Minutes and 17 Seconds''. He also recorded a German version, titled "Das ist die Frage aller Fragen", with lyrics by Carl Ulrich Blecher, that was a number one hit in Germany and Austria in 1964, as well as a number one hit in Switzerland in 1965.

Charts

Laura Nyro version

On her 1971 covers album ''

Gonna Take a Miracle ''Gonna Take a Miracle'' is the fifth album by New York City-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, with assistance by vocal trio Labelle. It was released on Columbia Records in November 1971, one year after its predecessor '' Christmas ...

'', singer-songwriter

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

performed a version with backing vocals by the group Labelle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Harlem (song) 1960 songs 1961 singles 1971 singles Songs written by Phil Spector Ben E. King songs Jay and the Americans songs The Mamas and the Papas songs Checkmates, Ltd. songs Aretha Franklin songs Chet Atkins songs Neil Diamond songs Bowling for Soup songs Tom Jones (singer) songs Trini Lopez songs Cliff Richard songs Billy Joe Royal songs Andy Williams songs Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Austria Atco Records singles Songs about New York City