"Spanish Harlem Incident" is a song written and performed by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

which was released on his album, '' Another Side of Bob Dylan'', on August 8,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

. The song has been described as "a gorgeous vignette" by critics and been praised for its multilayered, poetic dimensions. When Dylan himself has been questioned about the song's subject matter he has confessed that he has no idea. However, author Paul Williams describes the song as a portrait of a

gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

girl that Dylan has seen only fleetingly but who has completely captivated him. Williams goes on to say that within the context of the song, Dylan is falling in love with not only the gypsy girl but also with the whole idea of gypsies and of himself in love with one. The song takes its name from the

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Reception

Music critic Tim Riley writes that "'Spanish Harlem Incident' is a new romance that pretends to be short and sweet, but it's an example of how Dylan begins using uncommon word couplings to evoke the mysteries of intimacy...her 'rattling drums' plays off his 'restless palms'; her 'pearly eyes' and 'flashing diamond teeth' off his 'pale face.'" Dylan only ever performed the song in live concerts during the period immediately following the release of the ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'' album in 1964.

Covers

The song was covered by

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

on their 1965 debut album, '' Mr. Tambourine Man'', and had first been performed by the band during their pre-fame residency at

Ciro's Ciro's (later known as Ciro's Le Disc) was a nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California owned by William Wilkerson. Opened in 1940, Ciro's became a popular nightspot for celebrities. The nightclub closed in 1957 and was reopened ...

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

in West Hollywood, California. The song was one of four Dylan covers to appear on their debut album. After its appearance on the ''Mr. Tambourine Man'' album, The Byrds performed the song infrequently at live

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

s. "Spanish Harlem Incident" was also covered by Dion on his 1978 ''Return of the Wanderer'' album.

Chris Whitley Christopher Becker Whitley (August 31, 1960 – November 20, 2005) was an American blues/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. During his 25-year career he released more than a dozen albums, had two songs in the top 50 of the Billboard mains ...

covered the song (as well as Dylan's " 4th Time Around") on '' Perfect Day'' in 2000. In 2006, a live cover of the song by Silkworm was featured on their final EP "Chokes!", featuring posthumous vocals from drummer Michael Dahlquist.

References

External links

Song lyrics at BobDylan.com
{{The Byrds Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs The Byrds songs 1964 songs Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Song recordings produced by Terry Melcher