"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 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
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...
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.
[ ''"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
Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
.
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 with vocals by the original singer,
Jenny Haan
Babe Ruth are an English rock band from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. They were initially active in the 1970s and reformed in 2005.
History
A predecessor of the group, called Shacklock after guitarist Alan Shacklock, was formed in 1970. ...
. This version went to number one on the US dance chart.
* 1999:
Helloween, 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 studios ...
''
* 2006: Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop feat. Sara Bourgeois
* 2015:
Gza, member of the hip-hop group
Wu-Tang Clan
* 2020:
Stretch & Bobbito
''The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show'' was an underground hip hop radio show broadcast in New York, originally on 89.9 WKCR-FM, from a basement station at Columbia University, and later on 97.1 WQHT-FM. The show was hosted by Adrian Barto ...
,
The M19s Band
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
feat.
Mireya Ramos
References
External links
discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mexican, The
1972 songs
1984 debut singles