Aretha Franklin, Spanish Harlem | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 129^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Spanish Harlem” by Aretha Franklin.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 129^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Spanish Harlem” performed by Aretha Franklin.

“La-la-la la la la la la la la.” In case you didn’t know, 18-time Grammy winner and musical icon Aretha Franklin (1942 – 2018) informed us, “There’s a rose in black at Spanish Harlem / A rose in black at Spanish Harlem.” Phil Spector (1939 – 2021) and Jerry Leiber (1933 – 2011) composed “Spanish Harlem”, which was originally recorded by Ben E. King (1938 – 2015).  It has been covered many times, including Franklin’s hugely successful rendition, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Unsurprisingly, “Spanish Harlem” almost always ‘makes the cut’ on Franklin’s greatest hits compilations.

What makes “Spanish Harlem” a surefire bop? The accompaniment, arrangement, and orchestration are sublime. “Harlem” thrives on a super funky groove constructed by drums and percussion.  The bass is big and fat, yet incredibly active. The organ adds sweetness to the mix. There is a decadent piano solo which is simple but irresistible.  Of course, being in Spanish Harlem, it is only fitting that there is a Spanish guitar! Even beyond the rhythm section, there is an orchestra that ups the ante.  The strings add lushness and expand the sound. The winds accentuate, including a dash of flute. With a top-notch performance, Aretha Franklin has ample fuel for her fire. As always, she brings superb, soul-laden vocals that never fail to command. “It’s growing in the street / Right up through the concrete / But soft, sweet, and dreamy,” she memorably sings in the first verse. In the second, she asserts, “With eyes as black as coal / That look down in his soul / It start a fire there, and then he loses control.” Franklin gets awesome support from the background vocals.  Notably, those supporting pipes shine on the centerpiece of “Spanish Harlem” – the chorus! Among the crème de la crème of Aretha Franklin’s discography, she put her foot into a song that it seems almost unfathomable to be a cover 🤯!