Spanish Harlem (song)

For the New York neighbourhood Spanish Harlem, see East Harlem.
"Spanish Harlem"
Single by Ben E. King
from the album Spanish Harlem
A-side"First Taste of Love" (original 1960 release)
B-side"First Taste of Love" (later releases)
ReleasedDecember 1960 (1960-12)
GenreSoul
Length2:53
LabelAtco
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Ben E. King singles chronology
"How Often"
(1960) 		"Spanish Harlem"
(1960) 		"Stand By Me"
(1961)

"Spanish Harlem" is a song recorded by Ben E. King in 1960 for Atco Records. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from The Drifters, peaking at number 15 on Billboard's rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music chart.[1]

The song has been covered by a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, whose version reached number two on Billboard's pop chart. The song was ranked number 358 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[2]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 325.
  2. ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.