Spanish Rose

Last updated
"Spanish Rose"
Spanish Rose Netherlands cover.jpg
Netherlands single cover
Single by Van Morrison
from the album Blowin' Your Mind!
B-side "Midnight Special" (US)
"Who Drove the Red Sportscar?" (Netherlands)
Released1968
Recorded29 March 1967
Studio A & R, New York City
Genre Pop rock, Latin rock
Length3:09
Label
Songwriter(s) Van Morrison
Producer(s) Bert Berns
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Ro Ro Rosey"
(1967)		"Spanish Rose"
(1968)		"Come Running"
(1970)

"Spanish Rose" is a song written by Van Morrison that was written and recorded for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns and released on his 1967 album Blowin' Your Mind! and several subsequent compilation albums. It was also released as one of the follow-up singles to "Brown Eyed Girl" and reached #18 in the Netherlands.

Contents

Writing and recording

"Spanish Rose" was written and recorded for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns on 29 March 1967. [1] [2] [3] Morrison and Berns clashed during these sessions as Berns wanted Morrison to record more commercial music resembling Brill Building hits like "Spanish Rose" while Morrison wanted to record more challenging music like "T.B. Sheets." [3]

Music and lyrics

Several commentators have described the song as having a Spanish or Latin music feel. [2] [3] [4] More specifically, music critic Johnny Rogan describes it as having a flamenco style. [5] The song incorporates Spanish guitar, marimbas and a "two-step Latin rhythm." Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald notes similarities to "Brown Eyed Girl" in that "Spanish Rose" also uses a three chord melody and lyrics that present a "remembrance of romance past, including names, times, and locations." [2] Morrison biographer Peter Mills sees a resemblance to Ben E. King's hit single written by Brill Building composer Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector, "Spanish Harlem." [3]

Reception

Greenwald assessed "Spanish Rose" as being possibly Morrison's last safe, commercial AM radio-style song before moving on to the more FM radio-oriented material that he became known for. [2] Record World called it "great stuff." [6] Rolling Stone Album Guide contributor Paul Evans stated that while "Spanish Rose" is not as memorable as "Brown Eyed Girl," it has a "catchy perfection that most bands never achieve." [7] In his review of Blowin' Your Mind! in 1995, Entertainment Weekly critic Bob Cannon stated that "Spanish Rose" had "held up better than the album’s tie-dyed title." [8] On the other hand, Morrison biographer Erik Hage regarded the song as being "downright poor." [4]

"Spanish Rose" was re-released as a single in 1971 and reached #18 on the charts in the Netherlands. [9] It has also been re-released on several Morrison compilation albums, including The Essential Van Morrison in 2015 as well as many compilations covering the Bang Records sessions. [2] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Morrison</span> Northern Irish musician (born 1945)

Sir George Ivan MorrisonOBE is a singer-songwriter and musician from Northern Ireland whose recording career spans seven decades.

<i>Moondance</i> 1970 studio album by Van Morrison

Moondance is the third studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 27 January 1970 by Warner Bros. Records. After the commercial failure of his first Warner Bros. album Astral Weeks (1968), Morrison moved to upstate New York with his wife and began writing songs for Moondance. There, he met the musicians that would record the album with him at New York City's A & R Studios in August and September 1969.

<i>Astral Weeks</i> 1968 studio album by Van Morrison

Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Records.

<i>Tupelo Honey</i> 1971 studio album by Van Morrison

Tupelo Honey is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in October 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. Morrison had written all of the songs on the album in Woodstock, New York, before his move to Marin County, California, except for "You're My Woman", which he wrote during the recording sessions. Recording began at the beginning of the second quarter of 1971 at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. Morrison moved to the Columbia Studios in May 1971 to complete the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Eyed Girl</span> 1967 single by Van Morrison

"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison. Written by Morrison and recorded in March 1967 for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns, it was released as a single in June of the same year on the Bang label, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart. It featured the Sweet Inspirations singing back-up vocals and is considered to be Van Morrison's signature song.

<i>Hard Nose the Highway</i> 1973 studio album by Van Morrison

Hard Nose the Highway is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1973. It is his first solo album since his 1967 debut Blowin' Your Mind! to contain songs not written by Morrison. A cover version of the song "Bein' Green", usually associated with Kermit the Frog, is included, as is a take of the traditional song "Purple Heather". The album also contains the single "Warm Love," a fan favourite.

<i>Wavelength</i> (album) 1978 album by Van Morrison

Wavelength is the tenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, and was released in the autumn of 1978. The album has a different musical sound from his previous albums, leaning towards a pop rock sound with prominent electric guitars and synthesizers. Wavelength was Morrison's best selling album at the time of the original release. Mick Glossop, Bobby Tench and Peter Bardens were given credit for special assistance in production.

<i>Bang Masters</i> 1991 compilation album by Van Morrison

Bang Masters is a compilation album by Van Morrison released by Columbia's Legacy Records imprint in 1991. The tracks were remixed from the original multi-tracks and were given a wider stereo spread with less compression. The alternate version of "Brown Eyed Girl" included on this album was according to Bill Flannagan take six out of the twenty-two takes before the final form released in 1967 on Blowin' Your Mind!.

"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. It was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moondance (Van Morrison song)</span> 1970 single by Van Morrison

"Moondance" is a song recorded by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his third studio album Moondance (1970). It was written by Morrison, and produced by Morrison and Lewis Merenstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domino (Van Morrison song)</span> 1970 single by Van Morrison

"Domino" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track of his fourth studio album, His Band and the Street Choir. This song is Morrison's personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino.

"T.B. Sheets" is a blues-influenced song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Bang Records issued the song on his first solo album, Blowin' Your Mind! (1967). It later appeared on the Bang compilation T.B. Sheets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)</span> 1972 single by Van Morrison

"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" is a song written and performed by Van Morrison and featured as the opening track on his sixth studio album, Saint Dominic's Preview. It was released by Warner Bros. in July 1972 as the first of three singles from the album and charted at number sixty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Both the music and lyrics are inspired by rhythm and blues singer Jackie Wilson and his song "Reet Petite", which is directly quoted in the song.

<i>T.B. Sheets</i> (album) 1973 compilation album by Van Morrison

T.B. Sheets is a retrospective album of recordings made in 1967 by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1973 on Bang Records. It contains songs that had appeared on Morrison's debut album, Blowin' Your Mind!, including his first hit, "Brown Eyed Girl". It also features early versions of two songs that appeared in 1968 on Morrison's acclaimed album Astral Weeks — "Beside You" and Astral Weeks' centerpiece, "Madame George".

<i>New York Sessions 67</i> 1997 compilation album by Van Morrison

New York Sessions '67 is a two-disc retrospective album of recordings made by Van Morrison in 1967 for Bang Records that were later released in the 1990s. Other album releases with the same recordings have been called Payin' Dues and The Complete Bang Sessions. The first disc presents material already available on Blowin' Your Mind! and on the previous Bang compilation albums T.B. Sheets and Bang Masters. The second disc contains the notorious "Contractual Obligation" session – thirty-one improvised nonsense songs Morrison recorded in order to fulfill his contract with Bang Records. According to Erik Hage, the song "Thirty Two" "takes a swipe at Berns's...production style and 'Brown Eyed Girl': Morrison sings 'we'll get three guitars .. and we'll do the sha, sha-la-la bit.'" Tracks from this album would be officially released on the compilation album The Authorized Bang Collection.

<i>Blowin Your Mind!</i> 1967 studio album by Van Morrison

Blowin' Your Mind! is the debut studio album by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1967. It was recorded 28–29 March 1967 and contained his first solo pop hit "Brown Eyed Girl". It was included by Rolling Stone as one of the 40 Essential Albums of 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Knew I'd Want You</span> 1965 single by the Byrds

"I Knew I'd Want You" is a song by the folk rock band the Byrds, written by band member Gene Clark, and first released as the B-side to their 1965 debut single, "Mr. Tambourine Man". It was also later included on their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.

The Authorized Bang Collection is a compilation album by Van Morrison containing every track that Morrison recorded for Bang Records in the 1960s. It was released on April 28, 2017, by Legacy Recordings on the Bang label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ro Ro Rosey</span> 1967 single by Van Morrison

"Ro Ro Rosey" is a song written by Van Morrison that was written and recorded for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns and released on his 1967 album Blowin' Your Mind!. It was also released as the follow-up single to "Brown Eyed Girl."

"4% Pantomime" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and Van Morrison. It was first released on the Band's 1971 album Cahoots.

References

  1. ↑ Heylin, Clinton (2004). Can You Feel the Silence?. Chicago Review Press. p. 154. ISBN   978-1556525421.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Greenwald, Matthew. "Spanish Rose". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mills, Peter (2010). Hymns to the Silence: Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison. Continuum. pp. 90–93. ISBN   978-0826429766.
  4. 1 2 Hage, Erik (2009). The Words and Music of Van Morrison. Praeger. p. 33. ISBN   978-0313358623.
  5. ↑ Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison: No Surrender. Random House. p. 204. ISBN   978-0099431831.
  6. ↑ "Single Product" (PDF). Record World. April 24, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  7. ↑ Evans, Paul (1992). DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James (eds.). Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd, abridged ed.). Straight Arrow. p. 197. ISBN   0679737294.
  8. ↑ Cannon, Bob (February 10, 1995). "Blowin' Your Mind". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  9. ↑ "Van Morrison - Spanish Rose". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  10. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Essential Van Morrison". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.