"The Mexican" is a song by British rock band

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

, from their debut album '' First Base''. The song has been compiled, covered and mixed many times and is considered one of the most influential songs in hip hop music culture as well as being popular in early disco clubs such as

The Loft The Loft may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * The Loft (British band), a British indie band * The Loft (Danish band), a Danish band * ''The Loft'' (film) (2014) an American film * The Loft (Sirius XM), a music channel on satellite r ...

. The song was written by

Alan Shacklock Alan Shacklock (born 20 June 1951) is an English musician, composer, arranger and recording producer, who lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee. His 1972 song "The Mexican" as performed by Babe Ruth is considered influential in the early devel ...

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 Texians were Anglo-American residents of Mexican Texas and, later, the Republic of Texas. Today, the term is used to identify early settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of that era are referr ...

forces at the

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

. The song has a driving drum beat and funky bass and shows Shacklock’s fondness for

African-American music African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slaver ...

and

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

shoot outs. ''"Classic Rock"'' magazine, May 2012, The Stories Behind The Songs: Babe Ruth - The Mexican. The song composition interpolates "Per qualche dollaro in più" by Ennio Morricone, from the soundtrack for the film '' For a Few Dollars More'' which was directed by Sergio Leone.

Personnel

* Alan Shacklock – lead guitar * Jenny Haan – lead vocals, castanets * Dave Hewitt – bass guitar * Dave Punshon – electric piano * Dick Powell – drums

Cover versions

* 1978: Bombers, a Montreal disco group * 1984:

Jellybean Jelly beans are small bean shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors and flavors. History It has been cla ...

with vocals by the original singer, Jenny Haan. This version went to number one on the US dance chart. * 1999:

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Wei ...

, released on ''

Metal Jukebox ''Metal Jukebox'' is a cover album by German power metal band Helloween. The song "Lay All Your Love on Me" was released as a single in Japan. Each member of the band recorded their instruments independently (and in different countries and studio ...

'' * 2006: Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop feat. Sara Bourgeois * 2015:

Gza ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

, member of the hip-hop group

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

* 2020: Stretch & Bobbito, The M19s Band feat.

Mireya Ramos Alejandrina Mireya Luis Hernández, often referred to as Mireya (born August 25, 1967 in Camagüey) is a retired Cuban volleyball player. Life At the age of 10 she started playing volleyball. At 16, Mireya joined the Cuban national team for t ...

References

External links

discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mexican, The 1972 songs 1984 debut singles