"El Rey" (English: "The King") is a 1971 song by

José Alfredo Jiménez José Alfredo Jiménez Sandoval (; 19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973) was a Mexican singer-songwriter of rancheras, whose songs are considered the basis of modern Mexican music. Biography Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, M ...

. It is one of his best known songs and a

Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Latin Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize "early recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that were released more than 25 years ago". LARAS is also the same organiza ...

recipient.Ilan Stavans Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes volumes- Page 245 0313343969 - 2014 - "El rey" is a popular Mexican song written by José Alfredo Jiménez (January 19, 1926–November 23, 1973), a musician with no musical training who is known for the large repertoire of lyrics that he wrote, among them "Amanecí en tus brazos" (I Woke Up in Your Arms) and "El caballo blanco" (White Horse). "El rey" is about a macho guy convinced his rough-and-tumble life doesn't preclude him from remaining the king among his peers. Ilan Stavans See also: Jiménez, José ... The song is about "a macho guy convinced his rough-and-tumble life doesn't preclude him from remaining the king among his peers". A chart published by

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

credited "El Rey" as reaching number one in Mexico in 1974, a year after Jiménez's death. The song has been recorded by several artists including

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...

whose version peaked at number 40 on the

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...

chart. In 2022, American singer

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

released "

La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The Queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region created in 1963 from an eastern portion of the Ñuñoa commune. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile. La Reina ...

" () from her ninth studio and second Spanish-language album, '' Aguilera'' (2022) as a "respectful response" to Fernández' version of "El Rey". In her version, Aguilera emphasizes how a king will always be a king, but that he's nothing without his queen. Aguilera's rendition received acclaim.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rey (Song), El 1971 songs Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Vicente Fernández songs Los Super Reyes songs Songs written by José Alfredo Jiménez Song recordings produced by Cruz Martínez RCA Victor singles