Granada

By Agustin Lara & Dorothy Dodd
1944

This operatic-style number was originally composed by Lara with Spanish lyrics, and was a popular Mexican song introduced in the U.S. in the film Two Girls and a Sailor by Xavier Cugat's orchestra. It would later have English lyrics provided by Dodd, and Bing Crosby would be the first to record them in 1951. A flamboyant, bombastic international standard.

Lyrics:

Granada, I’m falling under your spell,
And if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell.
Of an age the world has long forgotten,
Of an age that weaves a silent magic in Granada today.

The dawn in the sky greets the day with a sigh for Granada.
For she can remember the splendor that once was Granada.
It still can be found in the hills all around as I wander along,
Entranced by the beauty before me,
Entranced by a land full of flowers and song.

When day is done and the sun touch the sea in Granada,
I envy the blush of the snow-clad Tierra Nevada.
Soon it will welcome the stars,
While a thousand guitars play a soft carbinera.
Then moonlit Granada will live again,
The glory of yesterday, romantic and gay.

Recorded By:

Mario Lanza
Frankie Laine
Frank Sinatra
Perez Prado
Placido Domingo

Sway

By Pablo Beltran Ruiz & Norman Gimbel
1954

The mambo craze hit very big in the early 1950s, and this song was a direct product of it. Originally written by Mexican bandleader Ruiz in 1953, it had English lyrics added a year later by Gimbel--who would do the same for a number of Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes a decade later. The incomparable Dean Martin introduced the English version, transforming it instantly into the epitome of cool, with every artist who has attempted it since trying to equal his performance.

Lyrics:

When marimba rhythms start to play,

Dance with me, make me sway.
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore,
Hold me close, sway me more.

Like a flower bending in the breeze,
Bend with me, sway with ease.
When we dance you have a way with me.
Stay with me, sway with me.

Other dancers may be on the floor,
Dear, but my eyes will see only you.
Only you have that magic technique;
When we sway, I go weak.

I can hear the sound of violins,
Long before it begins.
Make me thrill as only you know how,
Sway me smooth, sway me now.

Recorded By:

Ben E. King
Julie London
Bjork
Michael Buble
Perry Como

What a Difference a Day Made

By Maria Grever & Stanley Adams
1934

Also known as "What a Difference a Day Makes". Mexican songwriter Grever originally wrote it in Spanish as "Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado," but American lyricist Adams gave it English words not long after (Adams also did the same for La Cucaracha.) Harry Roy and his Orchestra popularized it in America, but it's Dinah Washington's recording that's the most famous. It won her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 1959. True to its origins, the song is in the bolero romantic style.

Lyrics:

What a diff'rence a day made,
Twenty-four little hours,
Brought the sun and the flowers,
Where there used to be rain.

My yesterday was blue, dear.
Today I'm part of you, dear.
My lonely nights are through, dear,
Since you said you were mine.

What a diff'rence a day made,
There's a rainbow before me.
Skies above can't be stormy,
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss.

It's heaven when you
Find romance on your menu.
What a diff'rence a day made,
And the difference is you.

Recorded By:

Tony Bennett
Al Martino
Eydie Gormet
Diana Ross
Sarah Vaughan