1932 Mexican song
"Granada " is a song written in 1932 by Mexican composer
Agustín Lara . The song is about the Spanish city of
Granada and has become a
standard in music repertoire.
The most popular versions are the original with Spanish lyrics by Lara (often sung
operatically ); a version with English lyrics by Australian
lyricist
Dorothy Dodd ; and
instrumental versions in jazz, pop,
easy listening ,
flamenco or rock styles. Other versions in English also exist (one with lyrics by
Al Stewart , and one with lyrics by
Robert Musel and Edward Lisbona) but these are less common. An Italian version was written in 1954 by
Enzo Luigi Poletto [
it ] . There are also versions in German and other languages.
The song has been
covered many times. It is
José Carreras 's signature tune.
[1] Popular versions include those by
Plácido Domingo ,
Frankie Laine ,
Jorge Negrete ,
Juan Arvizu ,
Nestor Mesta Chayres ,
Mario Lanza ,
Franco Corelli ,
Pasquale Esposito ,
Bing Crosby and
Frank Sinatra . It has been sung in Italian by
Claudio Villa , and in German by
Fritz Wunderlich and Spanish pop-duo
Baccara . During the international tour of
The Three Tenors , "Granada" was the only song that all three singers––
Plácido Domingo ,
Luciano Pavarotti , and
José Carreras ––all performed as a solo in different concerts.
The plenary session of the City Council of Granada, unanimously, agreed in its session on September 4, 1997 to establish the version adapted by Professor D. Luis Megías Castilla of this song as the official anthem of the City of Granada.
[2]
Lyrics
Lara's lyrics are:
Granada tierra soñada por mí,
mi cantar se vuelve gitano
cuando es para ti.
Mi cantar, hecho de fantasía,
mi cantar, flor de melancolía,
que yo te vengo a dar.
Granada, tierra ensangrentada
en tardes de toros,
mujer que conserva el embrujo
de los ojos moros.
Te sueño rebelde y gitana,
cubierta de flores
y beso tu boca de grana,
jugosa manzana
que me habla de amores.
Granada, manola cantada
en coplas preciosas,
no tengo otra cosa que darte
que un ramo de rosas.
De rosas, de suave fragancia
que le dieran marco a la virgen morena.
Granada, tu tierra está llena
de lindas mujeres,
de sangre y de sol.
Dodd's version begins:
Granada, I'm falling under your spell,
Jazz
Jazz if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell.
Selective list of recorded versions
1932
Juan Arvizu with Orchestral ensemble for
Victor Records
[3]
[4]
1944
Carlos Ramírez with
Xavier Cugat 's Orchestra, from the US film
Two Girls and a Sailor (Spanish lyrics). Cugat recorded an instrumental version in 1958.
1946
Nestor Mesta Chayres – (Spanish lyrics) with the
Alfredo Antonini Orchestra for Decca Records
[5]
[6]
1947
Deanna Durbin – Spanish lyrics (performed in the movie
I'll Be Yours )
1949
Mario Lanza
1951
Desi Arnaz
1951
Bing Crosby – English lyrics – recorded February 5, 1951 with the
Bando Da Lua for Decca Records
[7]
1954 Luís Piçarra
1954
Claudio Villa – Italian lyrics
1954
Frankie Laine , US #17 – English lyrics
1954
Tommy Dorsey –
big band instrumental
1956
Caterina Valente – in English, French and Spanish
1956
Pérez Prado
1956
John Serry Sr. –
accordion with instrumental ensemble (see
Squeeze Play )
[8]
[9]
1958
Percy Faith –
easy listening instrumental
1958
The Four Freshmen – Voices in Latin – English lyrics
1958
Jan Peerce
1958
Mario Del Monaco – with studio orchestra (Decca)
1958
Niño de Murcia
1959
Jane Morgan
1959
Alfredo Kraus
1960
Connie Francis – Spanish lyrics
1961
Ben E. King – English lyrics (on the album
Spanish Harlem , US #57)
1961
Frank Sinatra , US #64 – English lyrics
1961
Al Martino , – Spanish lyrics
1961
Arthur Lyman – instrumental
1960s
Fritz Wunderlich
1962
Hugo Avendaño – Spanish lyrics
1962
Grant Green on
The Latin Bit – jazz instrumental
1963
The Shadows –
Los Shadows
1963
Edmundo Ros – English lyrics
1963
Trini Lopez – English lyrics (
Trini Lopez at PJ's )
1963
Peter Nero – piano instrumental
1964
Vikki Carr – Spanish lyrics
1964
Trini Lopez – Spanish lyrics (The Latin Album )
1964
Johnny Mathis – Spanish lyrics (
Olé )
1965
Nicolai Gedda
1960s
The Tornados –
rock instrumental
1960s
Violetta Villas – Spanish lyrics, opera vocalization
1967 [John Gary] - English lyrics, vocals and orchestra
1967
Paco de Lucía –
flamenco guitar
1969
Hugo Winterhalter –
easy listening
1970
Sergio Franchi – Spanish & English lyrics (UA single, and UA album Within Me )
[10]
1972
Muslim Magomaev
[11]
1976
Karel Gott – Czech lyrics
1976
Donna Hightower –
disco version
1977
Baccara –
disco version, Spanish lyrics
1978
Luisa Fernandez –
disco version, Spanish lyrics
[12]
1979
Al Bano – Spanish & English lyrics
1982
Franco Corelli – Audio is from the 60´s
1989
The Red Army Chorus
1990
José Carreras – Spanish lyrics
1991
Plácido Domingo – Spanish lyrics
1993
Carlos Montoya – flamenco guitar
1997
Gato Barbieri –
jazz saxophone
1998
John Farnham &
Anthony Warlow – Spanish & English lyrics
2002
Tania Maria – jazz piano
2003
Russell Watson – Spanish lyrics – from the album
Reprise
2004
Mnozil Brass – English lyrics
2005
Brad Mehldau Trio – jazz piano
2005
Masafumi Akikawa – Spanish lyrics
2006
Katherine Jenkins – mezzo-soprano, English lyrics
2007
True Symphonic Rockestra – Spanish lyrics
2007
Mario Frangoulis – Spanish lyrics
2008
The Canadian Tenors – Spanish lyrics
2010
Mark Vincent for his 2010 album
Compass
2011
Joe McElderry – Spanish lyrics
2011
Il Volo – Spanish lyrics
2015
Canadian Brass – Chris Coletti on
trumpet
2015
Aled Wyn Davies – Spanish lyrics
2016
Carlos Marín (
Il Divo ) – Spanish lyrics
Bryn Terfel – Spanish lyrics
Eydie Gormé
Juan García Esquivel – instrumental
Howard Morrison
Jay and the Americans
Jerry Vale
Juan Diego Flórez – Spanish lyrics
[13]
Julian Bream – classical guitar
Luciano Pavarotti – Spanish lyrics
Luciano Pavarotti &
Jon Secada – Spanish lyrics
Mantovani –
easy listening instrumental
James Last
Ted Heath
Renata Tebaldi – Spanish lyrics
Stan Kenton –
big band instrumental
The Ten Tenors – Spanish lyrics
Maurice André – piccolo trumpet
Yoyoy Villame – parody English and Filipino lyrics
André Rieu – instrumental
Joselito – Spanish lyrics
[14]
References
^
"José Carreras Collection" , Arthaus Musik
^
"Símbolos de la ciudad" (in Spanish).
Ayuntamiento de Granada .
^
"Granada" , single recording by Juan Arvizu for Victor Records (#30705) on Discography of American Historical Recordings , adp.library.ucsb.edu
^
Juan Arvizu sings "Granada" (1932) on
YouTube
^
"Granada" , performed by Nestor Chayres and the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra (1946), archive.org
^
El Siglo De Torreon – Nestor Mesta Chayres , biography on elsiglodetorreon.com January 26, 2014
^
"A Bing Crosby Discography" . BING magazine . International Club Crosby. Retrieved 14 September 2017 .
^
Aufio: "Granada" on
YouTube ,
John Serry Sr.
^
Squeeze Play Featuring the Dynamic Accordion of John Serry at
Discogs
OCLC
12935411
^
"Sergio Franchi Discography at Discogs" . Discogs.com. Retrieved 23 May 2014 .
^
"Granada", Muslim Magomayev on
YouTube
^
Luisa Fernandez – Disco Darling at
Discogs (list of releases)
^
"Granada", Juan Diego Flórez on
YouTube
^
"Granada", Joselito on
YouTube
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