"El Rey" ("The King") is a 1971 song by Mexican singer José Alfredo Jiménez. It is one of his best known songs and a Latin Grammy Hall of Fame recipient.Ilan Stavans Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes volumes– Page 245 0313343969 - 2014 – "El rey" is a popular Mexican song written by José Alfredo Jiménez (19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973), a musician with no musical training who is known for the large repertoire of lyrics that he wrote, among them "Amanecí en tus brazos" (I Woke Up in Your Arms) and "El caballo blanco" (White Horse). "El rey" is about a macho guy convinced his rough-and-tumble life doesn't preclude him from remaining the king among his peers. Ilan Stavans See also: Jiménez, José ... The song is about "a macho guy convinced his rough-and-tumble life doesn't preclude him from remaining the king among his peers". A chart published by

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

credited "El Rey" as reaching number one in Mexico in 1974, a year after Jiménez' death. "El Rey" remains a staple of

Ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in the vast majority of regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional fo ...

and traditional Mexican music. The song has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by various artists, including

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican mariachi singer, actor and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México" (Th ...

- often considered the most well-known version of "El Rey" - his son

Alejandro Fernández Alejandro Fernández Abarca (; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, he is the son of the Mexican singer Vicente Fernández. Nicknamed as " El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million rec ...

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (; born 19 April 1970) is a Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as Honorific nicknames in popular music, ''El Sol de Mexico'' ...

, and

Maná Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band formed in 1981. Originally called Sombrero Verde, the current lineup of members is vocalist-guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González (musician), Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan ...

Other versions

The song has been covered by various artists. The following are other notable versions.

Vicente Fernández version

The song has been recorded by several artists including

whose version peaked at number 40 on the

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

chart.

Christina Aguilera version

In 2022, American singer

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

released " La Reina" () from her ninth studio album, '' Aguilera'' (2022) as a "respectful response" to Fernández' version of "El Rey". In her version, Aguilera emphasizes how a king will always be a king, but that he's nothing without his queen. Aguilera's rendition received acclaim and reached 9 on the US Latin Digital Songs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rey (Song), El 1971 songs Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Vicente Fernández songs Los Super Reyes songs Songs written by José Alfredo Jiménez Songs about kings Song recordings produced by Cruz Martínez RCA Victor singles