The Mexican (song)
| "The Mexican" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Babe Ruth from the album First Base | |
| Released | November 1972 |
| Recorded | 1972, Abbey Road Studios |
| Genre | Progressive rock |
| Length | 05:45 |
| Label | Harvest (EMI) |
| Writer(s) |
Alan Shacklock Ennio Morricone ("Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu") |
| Producer(s) | Alan Shacklock, Nick Mobbs |
| "The Mexican" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jellybean | ||||
| from the album Wotupski!?! | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Genre | pop, freestyle, dance, hip hop | |||
| Producer(s) | John "Jellybean" Benitez | |||
| Jellybean singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Mexican" is a piece of music on the album First Base by the 1970s British band Babe Ruth.[1]
The song has been compiled, covered and mixed many times and is considered one of the most influential songs in hip hop music culture.
The song was written by Alan Shacklock and recorded along with the rest of the First Base album at Abbey Road Studios in the summer of 1972. Shacklock wrote the lyrics of the song as a retort to the 1960 John Wayne film The Alamo, which was full of historical inaccuracies and did not show the human side of the Mexican troops who defeated the Texian forces at the Battle of the Alamo. The song has a driving drum beat and funky bass and shows Shacklock’s fondness for African-American music and Wild West shoot outs.[2]
The song composition interpolates "Per qualche dollaro in più" by Ennio Morricone, from the music soundtrack for the film For a Few Dollars More (stated on album credits).
Cover Versions
- 1978: first cover version by Montreal disco band Bombers
- 1984: Jellybean with vocals by the original singer, Jenny Haan. This version went to number one on the US dance chart.[3]
- 1999: Helloween, released on Metal Jukebox
- 2006: Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop feat. Sara Bourgeois
- 2015: Gza, member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan
Sampled and Mixed
- 1999: The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One by Liam Howlett of The Prodigy.
- "Feel It (The Mexican)", by Funky Four Plus One samples this song.
- "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa features an interpolation of a portion of the song.
- Sampled in Sugar Ray's "Fly".
- Ultimate Breaks & Beats (LP: Street Beat Records)
- DJ Pogo Presents Block Party Breaks (2xLP, CD: Strut)
- The Hip Hop Years (2xCD: Sony Music Entertainment, UK)
- Funk Rock (CD, 3xLP: BBE)
- Mastercuts Bar Social 2 (2xCD: Mastercuts)
- The Official Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash (2xLP, CD: Strut Records)
- Social Classics Volume 3 - Dread Meets B-Boys Downtown (CD: Heavenly)
- Orange and Lemon (Todd Terry) - Dreams of Santa Anna
- Thalia w/ Hex Hector remix
- N.E.R.D. - Kill Joy (interpolation)
- Theodore Unit (Ghostface Killah) - '88 Freestyle (sample)
- Pete Rock - Monumental
- Deekline vs. Tim Healey 2010 remix.
| Preceded by "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (Jellybean version) September 15, 1984 (one week) |
Succeeded by "No Favors by Temper |
References
- ↑ Allmusic entry
- ↑ "Classic Rock" magazine, May 2012, The Stories Behind The Songs: Babe Ruth - The Mexican.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 135.