Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin (1971) 5/6/22

In 1960, Ben E. King left his group, The Drifters, and was looking for a song to jump start his solo career.

Thanks to the team of Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller, and Phil Spector (three extremely talented and prolific songwriters/producers). Ben was gifted with a "Great Song of the '60s:" "Spanish Harlem."

The Latin-flavored song reached #10 on the Hot 100 and #15 on the Rhythm Blues Chart. It was even on Rolling Stones list of the "Top 500 Songs of All Time" for several years, peaking at #358 before falling off the list in the 2021 update.

In 1971, Aretha Franklin covered the song--well actually, RE-IMAGINED it...with slightly altered lyrics and a backing track that was even MORE Latin-flavored, featuring top session musicians like Dr. John.

Aretha's version was a much bigger hit: #1 on the Soul Chart, #2 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Adult Contemporary Chart...selling well over a million copies.

"Spanish Harlem:" a "Great Song" by Ben E. King in the '60s, and Aretha Franklin in the '70s!

Aretha:

Ben E. King: