Australian singles chart:
Spanish Harlem entered the Kent charts on 25 February 1961 and peaked at #11. The single ranked #91 on the Top 100 of 1961.
Album:
The song is on Ben E King’s 1961 album Spanish Harlem.
Songwriters:
Jerry Leiber, Phil Spector
Producers:
Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Record label of Australian release:
London
Songfacts:
Spanish Harlem is a section of New York City with a large Latino population and a rich cultural heritage. This song is about a rose that grows through the concrete in the city, always shaded from the sun. The singer is enchanted by this beautiful flower and dreams of taking it to his garden. The rose is likely a metaphor for a girl – one who is “soft and sweet and dreaming.”
This was one of the first songs written by the legendary producer Phil Spector. He wrote it with Jerry Leiber, the lyricist of the famous songwriting team Leiber and Stoller. Spector learned his craft working with Leiber and Stoller, and quickly made a name for himself as a top producer.
Spanish Harlem was the first single Ben E. King released as a solo artist – he left The Drifters after complaining of low wages. The song became the title track of his first solo album, which had a Spanish theme, with songs like Besame Mucho and Perfidia.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/ben-e-king/spanish-harlem
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