"Spanish Flea" is a popular song written by

Julius Wechter Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935 – February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song " Spanish Flea" for Herb Alpert and was leader of t ...

in the 1960s with lyrics by his wife Cissy Wechter. The original version was recorded by

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

in 1965. Cover versions of the song have been recorded by dozens of artists worldwide.

Composition and recording

was a percussionist in

, most notably on

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

. "Spanish Flea" was one of several songs he wrote for the group. It was released as an instrumental on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the single " What Now My Love" from their 1965 album '' Going Places''. The album was a No. 1 hit in the U.S., and the single peaked at No. 27 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. "Spanish Flea" featured Alpert's

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

over a Latin rhythm backing. The original version was recorded on August 13, 1965 at

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. In its entire history, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded by David S. Gold ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Two other songs were recorded during that session, those being "And I Love Her" and "More And More Amor" In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the song is closely associated with the long-running

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

The Dating Game ''The Dating Game'' is an American television game show that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it ...

'', for which it was played when the bachelor entered into the stage to ask questions to learn and choose which bachelorette had best suited the needs of that bachelor.

Chart history

Other recordings

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

The Modernaires The Modernaires were an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Career The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffa ...

Frankie Randall Frankie Billy Randall (September 25, 1961 – December 23, 2020) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1983 to 2005. He was a three-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA and WBC titles between 1994 and 199 ...

, and

Soupy Sales Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television ser ...

were among the artists who quickly recorded vocal versions of "Spanish Flea" with Cissy Wechter's original lyrics. The song was also recorded by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 on their 1966 debut album, '' Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ''66''. "Spanish Flea" was also covered by

Trudy Pitts Gertrude E. "Trudy" Pitts (August 10, 1932 – December 19, 2010) was an American soul jazz keyboardist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was known primarily for playing the Hammond B3 organ. Biography Trained as a musician and a music ed ...

on her debut album '' Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts'' (1967), by the Doodletown Pipers on ''The Doodletown Pipers Sing-along '67'' (1967) and by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley on '' Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Spotlight on the Moog'', also recorded in 1967. Julius Wechter himself, with his

Baja Marimba Band The Baja Marimba Band was an American musical group led by marimba player Julius Wechter. Formed by producer Herb Alpert after his own Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band outlasted the Tijuana Brass by several years in part due to TV producer Ch ...

, recorded the song on the 1971 album ''As Time Goes By''.

Marcel Stellman Marcel Leopold Stellman (15 February 1925 – 2 May 2021) was a Belgian born British record producer and lyricist. Among the many artists who recorded Stellman’s songs are Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Charles Aznavour, the Shadows and Tony Bennett. ...

wrote a different set of lyrics for "Spanish Flea".

Kathy Kirby Kathy Kirby (born Catherine Ethel O'Rourke; 20 October 1938 – 20 May 2011) was an English singer. She is best known for her cover version of Doris Day's " Secret Love" and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song C ...

used them in her 1966 recording of the song. The

Glenn Miller Orchestra Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band that was formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most pop ...

included the song as the last track on their album ''Something New: The Glenn Miller Orchestra plays the Tijuana Brass'' (1966).

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

parodied the song as "The Flea" on the

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

variety show in December 1966, during a "Si-Sy-Sue" skit along with his group 'The Tijuana Strings'.

Allan Sherman Allan Sherman (born Allan Copelon or Allan Gerald Copelon; November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973) was an American musician, satirist, and television producer who became known as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, '' M ...

also parodied the song on his album ''Togetherness'' (1967). Another parodic cover version, spoofing Alpert's version, appeared on the mock Alpert tribute album ''Sour Cream & Other Delights'' by the Frivolous Five.

In film and television

"Spanish Flea" has been used in a variety of film and television soundtracks. It was one of two Alpert songs in a 1966 animated cartoon by

John Hubley John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American Animation, animated film director, art director, Film producer, producer, and Screenwriter, writer, known for his work with the United Productions of America, United Product ...

, ''

A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature ''A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature'' is a 1966 animated short film featuring two songs from the Herb Alpert#The Tijuana Brass years, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass album Going Places (Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass album), ...

.'' The song was used by Mazda in TV commercials during the 1970's to advertise their GLC model, "Its a great little car" The tune has been featured in four episodes of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'': "

The Otto Show "The Otto Show" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on Fox in the United States on April 23, 1992. In the episode, Bart wants to become a rock star after ...

" (with Homer singing the original lyrics), "

Team Homer "Team Homer" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 7, 1996. In the episode, Homer starts a bowling team with Moe, A ...

", "

Natural Born Kissers "Natural Born Kissers" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 17, 1998. Homer and Marge discover that the fear ...

", and "

Sunday, Cruddy Sunday "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" is the twelfth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on Fox in the United States on January 31, 1999, just after Super Bowl XXXIII Sunday . In the episod ...

". In the fingerprint scene in Rosewood's home in ''

Beverly Hills Cop II ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film '' Beverly Hills Cop'' and the second ...

'',

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

(playing

Axel Foley Detective Axel James Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the titular protagonist of the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' film series. He is ranked 55 on ''Empire'' magazine's 2008 and 2020 lists of ''The 100 Greatest Movie Ch ...

) and

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as '' Stripes'' (1981), '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High' ...

(playing Billy Rosewood) improvised the idea of humming the tune. When Taggart (

John Ashton John Ashton may refer to: Entertainment * John Ashton (composer) (1830–1896), Welsh musician * Will Ashton (John William Ashton, 1881–1963), British-Australian artist and art director * John Rowland Ashton (1917–2008), English author * John A ...

) asks what the tune is, Rosewood replies, "''The Dating Game''!". In the 1996 film ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

'', the song is played inside a laundromat while Erin Grant (

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...

) and her daughter Angela (

Rumer Willis Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988) is an American actress. The eldest daughter of actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, she made her acting debut opposite her mother in the coming-of-age drama '' Now and Then'' (1995). She subsequently appea ...

) take all the clothes out of the dryer machine. In the 1997 film '' Perdita Durango'', the two main characters happily groove to the song while abducting two teenagers. In an episode of '' The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'',

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), commonly known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian and artist. He has a double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. He is known for his surreal sense of humour. In 2003, Ree ...

plays the song through a prosthetic arm. In the Philippine Noontime show '' It's Showtime'' on

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

, this song was constantly played for taking a picture of a person's face with a frame called "Face Dance". Soon after the "Face Dance" game became a regular staple on the network's out-of town shows. In ''

American Pie 2 ''American Pie 2'' is a 2001 American sex comedy film directed by James B. Rogers and written by Adam Herz and David H. Steinberg from a story by Herz. A sequel to the 1999 comedy film '' American Pie'', it is the second film in the ''Ameri ...

'', the band camp counselor plays the song on his trumpet, not knowing that the trumpet had just been inserted into

Jason Biggs Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, alongside nominations for a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award ...

' character's anus. In the 2000 film ''

The Dish ''The Dish'' is a 2000 Australian historical drama, historical comedy-drama film that tells the story of the Parkes Observatory's role in relaying live television of humanity's first steps on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. It wa ...

'', it plays at 12:03 before showing a ball preparation at the town hall. In the 2001 film ‘’ Ocean’s Eleven’’, the song plays as ambient background music while ‘’

Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American stand up comedian, actor and film producer. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. H ...

’’ negotiates the purchase a van from a used car dealership. The Nickelodeon TV series ''

The Fairly OddParents ''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two Fairy godmother, fairy godparents named List of The Fai ...

'' uses the song in many episodes such as episode 4b season 1 “Apartnership”. In an episode of ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'', the song is played when a pair of demons call Crowley (the King of Hell) from a hunter's trap. In the 2013 film ''

White House Down ''White House Down'' is a 2013 American political action thriller film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by James Vanderbilt. In the film, a divorced US Capitol Police officer attempts to rescue both his daughter and the President of th ...

'', the ringtone can be heard repetitively in the film on the character of

Richard Jenkins Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor. He is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series ''Six Feet Under (TV series), Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his c ...

' mobile cell phone. The song has been heard on

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel ...

's ''

Local on the 8s ''Local on the 8s'' (or the ''Local Forecast'') ( o ''Pronóstico Local'') is a program segment that airs on the American network The Weather Channel. It provides viewers with information on current and forecasted weather conditions for their re ...

'' time by time between 1999 and 2013. In the 2019 film '' Joker'', the song plays with the

Indian-head test pattern The Indian-head test pattern is a test card that gained widespread adoption during the History of television#Electronic television, black-and-white television broadcasting era as an aid in the calibration of television equipment. It features a d ...

when the broadcast of Live with Murray Franklin gets cut off after the titular character shoots the titular host. In the DVD credits, the song is credited to ''

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...

and His Button Down Brass''. In the 2023 HBO miniseries '' Love & Death'' in the episode "Encounters", it was performed by the character Pat on his trumpet at the dinner table.

Use in podcasts

"Spanish Flea" acts as the opening and closing music to the ''

Fangraphs FanGraphs.com is a website run by Fangraphs Inc., located in Arlington, Virginia, and created and owned by David Appelman that provides statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. On September 18, 2009, Fangraphs Inc. launched ...

'' audio podcast. The song is also used as the closing music for the soccer podcast ''Low Limit Futbol'', hosted by Joe Uccello and Roberto Rojas. It is used as background music for the ad-reads on the 'We Hate Movies' podcast. It is also used as the closing theme for Chris & Andi Porter's 'One Millionth Podcast', although it is sung by the siblings themselves - a different way every time. It also appears in the jingle that precedes the ‘Three by Three’ segment by John C. Dvorak during the “

No Agenda ''No Agenda'' is a podcast hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak that is recorded twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. The show is primarily focused on mainstream media deconstruction. The show has no advertisers ...

” podcast.

References

External links

Juliuswechter.comTijuanabrass.comSpanish Flea

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{Authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles Herb Alpert songs Songs about insects Songs about Spain A&M Records singles Joker (2019 film) Pop instrumentals 1960s instrumentals Year of song missing