"Granada" is a song written in 1932 by Mexican composer Agustín Lara. The song is about the Spanish city of Granada and has become a standard in music repertoire.

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 less common. An Italian version was written in 1954 by Enzo Luigi Poletto. There are also versions in German and in other languages.

The song has been covered many times. Popular versions include those by Frankie Laine, Jorge Negrete, Mario Lanza and Frank Sinatra. In Italian by Claudio Villa and, in German, by Fritz Wunderlich and Spanish pop-duo Baccara.

The song was much favoured by theatre organists in the UK, because it provided an opportunity for showing off the organ's tuned [harp, glockenspiel, etc.] and non-tuned [castenets, tambourine] percussion.

Because of the flamboyant nature of the tune, and the Spanish lyrics, "Granada" has been accepted by college music courses as an "art song."

Lyrics

Lara's opening lyrics are:
Granada tierra soñada por mí.
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.

Some Recorded Versions

• 1962? Fritz Wunderlich
• 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 Claudio Villa - Italian lyrics
• 1954 Frankie Laine, US #17 - English lyrics
• 1954 Tommy Dorsey - big band instrumental
• 1956 Caterina Valente - in English, French and Spanish
• 1956 Perez Prado
• 1956 John Serry, Sr. - accordion with instrumental ensemble
• 1958 Percy Faith - easy listening instrumental
• 1958 The Four Freshmen - Voices In Latin - English lyrics
• 1958 Jan Peerce
• 1958 Mario del Monaco - with Studio Orchestra conducted by Ernesto Nicelli (Decca).
• 1959 Jane Morgan
• 1959 Alfredo Kraus
• 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
• 1962 Hugo Avendano - Spanish lyrics
• 1962 Grant Green on The Latin Bit - jazz instrumental
• 1963 The Shadows - Los Shadows
• 1963 Edmundo Ros – English lyrics
• 1963 Trini Lopez - English lyrics (Trini Lopez at PJ's)
• 1963 Peter Nero – piano instrumental
• 1964 Vikki Carr - Spanish lyrics
• 1964 Trini Lopez - Spanish lyrics (The Latin Album)
• 1965 Neil Williams - English lyrics (album Romantically Yours CBS BP233180 mono)
• 1965 Nicolai Gedda
• 1960s The Tornados - rock instrumental
• 1960s Violetta Villas - Spanish lyrics, Opera vocalization
• 1967 Paco de Lucía - flamenco guitar
• 1969 Hugo Winterhalter - easy listening
• 1970 Sergio Franchi - Spanish & English lyrics (UA single, and UA album Within Me")
• 1971 Perla - Paraguayan\Brazilian Superstar
• 1976 Karel Gott - Czech lyrics
• 1977 Baccara - disco version, Spanish lyrics
• 1989 The Red Army Chorus
• 1990 José Carreras - Spanish lyrics
• 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
• 2003 Russell Watson - Spanish lyrices - from the album "Reprise"
• 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
• 2007 Mario Frangoulis - Spanish lyrics
• 2007 Opera Chillout - Vol. 4 - Spanish lyrics
• 2008 Estudantina Universitária de Coimbra - Spanish lyrics Video on YouTube
• 2008 The Canadian Tenors - Spanish lyrics
• 2011 Joe McElderry - Spanish lyrics
• 2011 Il Volo - Spanish lyrics
• 1982 (during performance on The Don Lane Show) John Farnham - English & Spanish lyrics
• Bryn Terfel – Spanish lyrics
• Connie Francis - Spanish lyrics
• Eydie Gorme
• Juan García Esquivel - instrumental
• Howard Morrison
• Jay and the Americans
• Jerry Vale
• Johnny Mathis
• Juan Diego Flórez - Spanish lyrics
• Julian Bream - classical guitar
• Luciano Pavarotti – Spanish lyrics
• Luciano Pavarotti & Jon Secada – Spanish lyrics
• Mantovani - easy listening instrumental
• James Last
• Ted Heath
• Renata Tebaldi - Spanish lyrics
• Stan Kenton - big band instrumental
• The Ten Tenors - Spanish lyrics
• Maurice Andre - Piccolo trumpets
• Yoyoy Villame - Parody English and Filipino lyrics (mostly listing weapons, such as granada or grenades, sports, modes of transport, professional titles)
• The Ten Sopranos - Spanish lyrics
• André Rieu - instrumental
• Joselito - Spanish lyrics

References

1. ^ "Sergio Franchi Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23. 
2. ^ "Perla - Granada". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-05-23. 
3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2HVAL1MRJE
4. ^ Video on YouTube