Spanish Harlem Lyrics
Aretha Franklin
Lyrics
(La-la-la la la la la la la la)
(There's a rose in black at Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in black at Spanish Harlem)
It is the special one
It never sees the sun
It only comes up when the moon is on the run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street
Right up through the concrete
But soft sweet and dreamy
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in black at Spanish Harlem)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
It start a fire there and then he loses control
I'm gonna beg his par-ar-ar-ardon yeah
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem uum uum)
(A rose in black at Spanish Harlem uum uum)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
And start a fire there and then he loses control
And I wanna beg his par-ar-ar-don
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(La-la-la- la la la la la la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La-la-la- la la la)
Song & Lyrics Facts
Aretha Franklin's song "Spanish Harlem" is a soul classic from her 1971 album, "Young, Gifted and Black". It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Arif Mardin.
The genre of the song is Soul/R&B. Aretha Franklin was backed up on the track by an all-star band including Cornell Dupree (guitar), Richard Tee (keyboards), Chuck Rainey (bass) and Bernard Purdie (drums). The lyrics to this song are about a woman who dreams of one day living in Spanish Harlem, where she will be able to find true love. In addition to its melodic beauty, the song also contains some interesting facts; it was the first single released off of Aretha Franklin’s “Young, Gifted and Black” album, and it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.