Speedy Gonzales (song)

This article is about the song. For the cartoon character, see Speedy Gonzales. For other uses, see Speedy Gonzales (disambiguation).

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by David Dante
B-side	"K-K-K-Katy"
Released	April 1961
Recorded	1961
Genre	Pop, Novelty songs
Length	2:28
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee, David Hill
Producer(s)	Hugo & Luigi

"Speedy Gonzales" is a 1961 song by David Hess (RCA 8056), ^[1] who recorded it under the name David Dante, about Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico". It was written by Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee and Dante/Hess. The David Dante original version briefly entered the U.S. Music Vendor chart in April 1961.

Pat Boone version

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by Pat Boone
from the album Pat Boone's Golden Hits Featuring Speedy Gonzales
B-side	"The Locket"
Released	May 19, 1962
Recorded	1962
Genre	Pop
Length	2:30
Label	Dot
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee, David Hill
Producer(s)	Randy Wood

The song was popularized in the United States as a 1962 single by Pat Boone. ^[2] The Boone version peaked at the No. 6 Billboard Hot 100 position in 1962 during a total chart run of 13 weeks, doing better in many national charts in Europe, where it sold a million copies. ^[3] The female voice ("La-la-la...") on this song was of Robin Ward. ^[3] It also incorporated Mel Blanc voicing Speedy Gonzales as he did in the Warner Brothers cartoons.

Dante's version details a demand from a girl named Consuela to Speedy to stop roving about and take care of his neglected household. Boone's song adds a spoken introduction stating that he was wandering between some old adobe haciendas on a moonlit night in Mexico, where he heard the voice of a Mexican girl calling to Speedy, and Mel Blanc's inserts replace a recurring line from Dante's lyrics.

Warner Bros. Pictures sued Boone and Dot Records for $850,000 over Blanc's performance of Speedy's voice on Boone's record without their authorization. The case was later dropped.

Charts

Pat Boone version

Chart (1962)	Peak position
Argentina [4]	1
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] [ deprecated source ]	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6]	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [7]	7
France (IFOP) [8]	8
Ireland (Evening Herald) [9]	4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [10]	1
Norway (VG-lista) [11]	1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [12]	1
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [13]	1
UK Singles (OCC) [14]	2
US Billboard Hot 100 [15]	6
West Germany (GfK) [16]	1

Kumbia All Starz version

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz
from the album Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz
Released	June 22, 2007
Recorded	2006
Genre	Cumbia
Length	3:24
Label	EMI Latin
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, David Hess, Ethel Lee
Producer(s)	A.B. Quintanilla
A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz singles chronology
"Parece Que Va a Llover" (2007) "Speedy Gonzales" (2007) "Mami/Anoche No Dormí" (2007)

"Speedy Gonzales" by A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz is the third single from the album Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz . The song was covered in Spanish.

Personnel

• Written by Buddy Kaye, David Hess, and Ethel Lee
• Produced by A.B. Quintanilla III
• Lead vocals by Pee Wee
• Background vocals by Roque Morales and Memo Morales
• Intro by A.B. Quintanilla III

Other versions

English-language versions

• In 1965, Soupy Sales recorded the song on his album "Soupy Sales Sez Do The Mouse"
• Recorded in English, but with a Cantonese spoken section: "墨西哥女郎" ("Mexican Girl") by The Fabulous Echoes featuring Tang Kei Chan (鄧寄塵) (Hong Kong, 1965)
• In 1969, the song was recorded by the Hep Stars and became their last single ^[17]
• In 1973, the song was recorded by the Navajo Sundowners on their album "Navajo Sundowners, Volume 3, and re-released in 1974 on Volume 8. ^{[18] [19]}
• Recorded by The Wurzels on their 1975 album The Wurzels Are Scrumptious and later featured as a B-Side to their single Give Me England in 1977.
• In 1977, Charo and the Salsoul Orchestra included the song on the album Cuchi Cuchi
• In 1980, Lena Zavaroni included the song on her album Songs Are Such Good Things
• In 2002, the Belgian band Swoop had a hit with their version.
• In 2014, the Ubisoft-based band Los Pimientos Locos recorded this song for the game Just Dance 2015.

Other-language versions

• In Spanish: Manolo Muñoz, The Sacados
• In Spanish: Klasse (Venezuelan band) (1987) ^[20]
• In German ("Kleiner Gonzales"): Rex Gildo, Caterina Valente with her brother Silvio Francesco, Dalida, and Lou van Burg
• In French ("Le Petit Gonzales"): Danyel Gérard, Dalida, Jean Chabrier and Pierre Lalonde
• In Serbo-Croatian ("Mali Gonzales"): Dušan Jakšić (1963)
• In Italian: Johnny Dorelli, Peppino Di Capri, Catullo e gli Enigmisti (Nuova Enigmistica Tascabile, N. 424) (1962)
• In Greek: "Kakosalesi" by Yannis Miliokas (1986)
• In Norwegian: "Fisking i Valdres" (Fishing in Valdres) by Viggo Sandvik (1988)
• In Hungarian: János Koós
• In Korean: 바람둥이 아가씨 by The Key Boys (1964)
• In Estonian: "Viimane vaatus" ("Last act") by Anne Veski (1983)
• In Czech: "Speedy Gonzales" Hana Ulrychová (1971)
• In Finnish: "Hiiri Gonzales" by Erkki Liikanen (1962)

See also

• Crocodile Rock (a song by Elton John with a similar chorus)
• Blue Jeans (a song recorded in 1996 by German eurodance group Squeezer with a similar chorus)
• Putin khuilo! (a Russian/Ukrainian football chant, as assumed by Artemy Troitsky, ^[21] inspired by "Speedy Gonzales" chorus)

References

1. "Dot Records Story, Part 3". Bsnpubs.com. 1999-11-10. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
2. Norwegiancharts.com Pat Boone
3. "Pat Boone". Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
4. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 17 November 1962. p. 30. ISSN   0006-2510.
5. "4BC Official Top 40 - 19 August 1962 - Brisbane QLD Australia - RYM/Sonemic".
6. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
7. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in French). Ultratop 50.
8. "InfoDisc : Les Chansons (Auteur, Compositeur, Classements, Ventes, Certifications, les Tops, les N° 1...)".
9. "Irish Top Ten 1959-1962". UKMIX Forums. 7 March 2006.
10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pat Boone" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
11. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales". VG-lista.
12. Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 243. ISBN   9163021404.
13. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN   919727125X.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
15. "Pat Boone Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Pat Boone"
17. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 227. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
18. Navajo Sundowners (1973). Navajo Sundowners, Volume 3 (compact cassette). Canyon Records Productions. OCLC   43190235.
19. Navajo Sundowners (1974). Navajo Sundowners, Volume 8 (compact cassette). Canyon Records Productions. OCLC   39281030.
20. "Klasse". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
21. Ольга Бычкова (June 18, 2014). "Особое мнение: Артемий Троицкий" [Special opinion: Artemy Troitsky (An interview with Artemy Troitsky)] (in Russian). Echo of Moscow. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2015.