"Granada" is a 1932 latin popular song written by the Mexican composer Agustín Lara, which has become a standard. It is about the Spanish city of Granada. 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 much less common. There are also versions in German and in other languages. The song has been covered many times. Popular versions include those by Frankie Laine who had the biggest hit version of it, Mario Lanza and Frank Sinatra and, in German, by Fritz Wunderlich. This music was much favoured by theatre organists in the hey-day of their broadcasting in the UK, not least because it provided an opportunity for showing off many of the organ's tuned [harp, glockenspiel, etc.] and non-tuned (castenets, tambourine] percussions. Because of the flamboyant nature of the tune, and the Spanish lyrics, "Granada" has been accepted by college music courses as an "art song." The piano accompaniment is also elaborate, requiring considerable skill to play.
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Lyrics
Lara's opening lyrics are:
Granada tierra soñada por mi.
Mi cantar se vuelve gitano cuando es para ti.
Dodd's version begins thus:
Granada, I'm falling under your spell,
And if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell.
Selective list of recorded versions
- 1944 Carlos Ramirez with Xavier Cugat's Orchestra, from the US film Two Girls and a Sailor (Spanish lyrics). Cugat recorded an instrumental version in 1958.
- 1949 Mario Lanza
- 1951 Desi Arnaz
- 1951 Bing Crosby - English lyrics
- 1954 Frankie Laine, US #17 - English lyrics
- 1954 Tommy Dorsey - big band instrumental
- 1956 Perez Prado
- 1956 John Serry, Sr. - accordion with instrumental ensemble
- 1958 Percy Faith - easy listening instrumental
- 1958 The Four Freshmen - English lyrics
- 1958 Jan Peerce
- 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
- 1963 Edmundo Ros – English lyrics
- 1963 Trini Lopez - English lyrics
- 1963 Peter Nero – piano instrumental
- 1964 Vikki Carr - Spanish lyrics
- 1960s The Tornados - rock instrumental
- 1967 Paco de Lucía - flamenco guitar
- 1969 Hugo Winterhalter - easy listening
- 1989 The Red Army Chorus
- 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 The American Tenors - Spanish lyrics
- 2005 Brad Mehldau Trio - jazz piano
- 2005 Masafumi Akikawa - Spanish lyrics
- 2006 Katherine Jenkins - mezzo soprano, English lyrics
- 2007 True Symphonic Rockestra (James LaBrie, Vladimir Grishko, and Thomas Dewald) - Spanish Lyrics
- Baccara - disco version, Spanish lyrics
- Barry Crocker - English lyrics
- Ben E. King
- Bryn Terfel – Spanish lyrics
- Connie Francis - Spanish lyrics
- Eydie Gorme
- Juan García Esquivel - instrumental
- Howard Morrison
- Jay & The Americans
- Jerry Vale
- Johnny Mathis
- Jose Carreras - Spanish lyrics
- Julian Bream - classical guitar
- Luciano Pavarotti – Spanish lyrics
- Mantovani - easy listening instrumental
- James Last
- Ted Heath
- Renata Tebaldi - Spanish lyrics
- Stan Kenton - big band instrumental
- The Ten Tenors - Spanish lyrics
- Claudio Villa - Italian lyrics
