Released 1960 Recorded 6 July 1960 Length 3:06 | Format 45 rpm single Genre Pop | |
A-side "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" | ||
"Malagueña", ([malaˈɣeɲa]) is a song by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona; written in 1928 it was originally the sixth movement of Lecuona's Suite Andalucia, to which he added lyrics in Spanish. The song has since become a popular, jazz, marching band, and drum corps standard and has been provided with lyrics in several languages.
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Notable vocal performances
A German-language version, sung by Caterina Valente, with Werner Müller's Orchestra, was very popular in the United States (not making the Billboard chart, but charting on Cash Box, peaking at position #42) in February 1955. Caterina also sang "Malagueña" in Spanish. English lyrics were written by Marian Banks and a later charting version was recorded by Connie Francis in 1960 that reached #42 on Billboard's chart as the flip side of her #1 pop hit "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own".
In 1962 Violetta Villas recorded Malagueña in German and Polish language versions.
Notable instrumental performances
"Malagueña" was recorded by the composer as a piano solo on the 1955 RCA Victor LP Lecuona Plays Lecuona. The recording is available on RCA/BMG CD compilations / reissues.
As a pianist, Stan Kenton first had the piece arranged for the Sketches on Standards LP in 1956, which mostly went unnoticed at that time. After the 1960 Connie Francis version, Bill Holman's 1961 arrangement for the Stan Kenton Orchestra reimagined the song again as a fiery big band showpiece, with an even larger orchestra. Performances of this arrangement appeared on Kenton's 1962 album Adventures In Jazz and on the 1962 American TV show, Jazz Scene USA.
Marco Rizo's solo piano performance of "Malagueña" can be found in Lecuona, a Musical Legacy. Rizo, who in 1938 became the official pianist of the Havana Philharmonic, performed under the direction of Maestro Ernesto Lecuona and gave duo piano recitals with Lecuona in 1939.
Carlos Montoya adapted it for flamenco style guitar, and it was the title track on his 1961 live album, Malagueña on the RCA Victor label. This recording was influential in the piece becoming a guitar standard, even though it was originally written for piano. Vigen Derderian, an Iranian singer, adapted it for Iranian pop style, and it was the title track Marge Mashooq Googoosh Iranian singer adapted it for Iranian pop style in the 1970s.
Other popular versions
Another version in the pop music scene is that of Puerto Rican virtuoso guitarist Jose Feliciano as part of his 1969 Gold record Alive Alive O!. He performed his particular arrangement live many times over decades. American guitarist Roy Clark recorded an instrumental version of "Malagueña" and also performed the song in an episode of the US TV show The Odd Couple.
Drum corps, marching band
"Malagueña" is often performed in drum and bugle corps and marching competitions. "Malagueña" has been performed numerous times by the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, and as such, has become one of the songs most identified with the group.