BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985
“Spanish Eddie” is a song by American singer Laura Branigan released as the lead single from her fourth album, Hold Me. The single was produced by Jack White and arranged by Harold Faltermeyer. Released in July 1985, the record became Branigan’s sixth Top 40 hit in the U.S. in two and a half years, peaking at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #37 on the Cash Box singles chart. A 12″ dance version featuring an extended remix of the Branigan-penned B-side, “Tenderness”, as well, gave her highest U.S. peak for the song, at #26. The Billboard Adult Contemporary chart peak for “Spanish Eddie” was #29.
Branigan’s single fared better overseas. “Spanish Eddie” achieved Top Ten status in South Africa (#6) and Austria (#8), and was a sizable hit in Sweden (#11) while hitting the Top 40 in Australia (#24), Canada (#34) and Germany (#36). The song also charted in France (#73) and the UK (#87).
SIDE A:
Spanish Eddie (Vocal / Extended Remix Version) 5:31
Arranged By – Harold Faltermeyer
Written-By – Chuck Cochran, David Palmer (4)
SIDE B:
Tenderness (Vocal / Extended Remix Version) 5:50
Arranged By – Ed Arkin
Arranged By [Horns] – Jerry Hey
Arranged By, Producer [Associate Producer], Written-by – Mark Spiro
Written-By – Jack White, Laura Branigan
Spanish Eddie (Vocal / LP Version) 4:08
Arranged By – Harold Faltermeyer
Written-By – Chuck Cochran, David Palmer (4)
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Spanish Eddie | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #40 |
| 1985 | Spanish Eddie | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | #29 |
| 1985 | Spanish Eddie | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play | #26 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – 0-86868
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock
NOTES:
From the LP “HOLD ME”
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
please re-upload MANY THANX 🙂
Thank you! I love this song- and agree with previous posters that this should have been a bigger hit!
Oh… and do you have “Self Control” (Special Maxi Version) by RAF?
http://www.discogs.com/artist/246232-RAF-5
Thank you very much!!!
How about “Self Control” (Extended Version)?
Do you have it by chance… 😀
Thanks for this one Paul as I didn’t have a copy.
So excited to see this post. I didn’t know an extended version of this song existed. I remember Laura debuting this song in advance of its release on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Johnny Carson. She rocked it and was always a reliable live performer. The 80s pop female days of Laura Branigan, Sheena Easton, Olivia Newton-John, Melissa Manchester, and Diana Ross were pure magic!
I agree JJ 🙂
Thanks for sharing such rare music with us. Do you have the “Gloria” Extended Version in your archive? It is so hard to find.
I’ll see what I can do Rene 🙂
This is again a nice one! Love this song. I think this wasn’t a hit at all over here in Holland, but i love it! Just wanted to let you know that i LOVE your site and all the hard work you put into it.
Don
Thank you and you’re welcome Don 🙂
OMG! I must agree with one of the comments on her when he said that you are absolutely psychic when it comes to the taste of music you post on here. Spanish Eddie was one of my all time favorites from the late Laura Branigan. Rest her soul, she left us with lots of memorable hits. Her legacy, like everyone else who left us, will live in us forever. You know, I just thought of this and was wondering if there was ever a remix album released in the past. A remix album and greatest hits would be a dream… Read more »
Back In Control is a greatest hits with new mixes of 5 of her hits. They’re mixes with the original vocals, not re-recorded like the ZXY mixes.
Love this song! The 7″ version is the best, with its roar-of-the-crowd intro. This song is Summer Summer Summer, through and through. While nothing tops “Gloria”, “Spanish Eddie” is a very close runner-up. It is unfortunate that it stalled at #40, as it sounded so good blaring out of a car in ’85. And now, too! Another unfortunate aspect of Laura’s career was the utter messes that were her remixes. They all (save “Shattered Glass”, thanks to the bounce of PWL) have a roughly hacked edit quality about them, are so short, and are very artistically uninspired. She had great… Read more »
Thanks for this one; it’s one of my favorite Laura Branigan moments. I didn’t know there was an extended version, so it’s an especially sweet treat!
You’re welcome VanceMan 🙂
I think the early 80s pop female acts suffered because of the Madonna mania.
Top “pre-Madonna” hit-makers like Olivia Newton-John, Sheena Easton and Laura Branigan all failed to hit Top 20 in the mid-80s. Only Sheena managed to rebound in the late 80s.
Still, this doesn’t take away the fact that Spanish Eddie is a great 80s pop, and is a constant single in my playlist in 1985.
Thanks Paul!
You’re welcome Ric. Yeah there were many great female artists that suffered from Madonna’s reign. This should have been a much bigger hit in the US. On a side note Olivia is currently enjoying a bit of a comeback. She started her residency in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel on April 8. She will do 45 shows throught the summer. She is also releasing a 7 track EP titled “Hotel Sessions” which includes unreleased demo’s that she recorded at various hotels in Australia from 2002 to 2011. One of the tracks is a cover of “Broken Wings” by Mr.… Read more »
Didn’t know about this project of Olivia’s…only aware of the I Touch Myself project.
http://www.classichitsandoldies.com/v2/2014/04/14/olivia-newton-john-other-singers-record-the-divinyls-i-touch-myself-for-breast-cancer-awareness/
Thanks for the info, Paul. the Mr Mister cover should be interesting! She was charting with Soul Kiss during that period.
Thank you so much. Paul!!!
You’re welcome Alejandro 🙂
Thanks for posting this Paul, it’s always been a ‘Laura’ favourite of mine! I remember my sister playing the music video over and over and over again, LOL!
Hugs and squeezes
David
You’re welcome David. Hugs and squeezes back to you 🙂
Nice to see Laura Branigan making an entrance to your blog. Very sad she passed away that quickly. I also liked ‘The Lucky One’ as well. Eurosound meets the US.
She is missed very much I love her music 🙂
I agree, both remixes for The Lucky One are so different but equally brilliant!
I always thought that this song should have been bigger in the United States. It’s one of my favorites from Laura. Paul, sometimes I think you are absolutely psychic when it comes to picking records to post, as they are so reflective of my personal tastes. I love how you preserve the artwork including saving the stickers that came on the cellophane of the 12-inch. Such a rarity as a lot of people seem to throw them out. I mean, I was thrilled when you did the Hot Tracks issue and you included their liner notes. What a phenomenal archivist… Read more »
Thank you Jeff I alwys feel good after reading your comments. I am sure the rest of the BTG community is happy to have you with us as well. I save the hype stickers on everything CD’s, Blu-ray’s, DVD you name it lol They are part of the original pacjaging so I save them 🙂
Though not a massive, monster hit, I have always loved this track from Laura Branigan. I played it a lot in 1985, in my Senior High school days. Thanks Paul for the memories!! ~ chwee
You’re very welcome Chwee. I am happy to see your comment you have been a long time friend of BTG 🙂
Thank you very much Paul! 🙂
I love Laura’s voice and her songs!
You’re welcome Spring 🙂