Speedy Gonzales (song)

This article is about the song. For the cartoon character, see Speedy Gonzales. For other uses, see Speedy Gonzales (disambiguation).

"Speedy Gonzales" is a 1961 song by David Hess (RCA 8056),^[1] who recorded it under the name David Dante, about Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico". It was written by Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee and Dante/Hess. The David Dante original version briefly entered the U.S. Music Vendor chart in April 1961.

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by David Dante
B-side	"K-K-K-Katy"
Released	April 1961
Recorded	1961
Genre	Pop
Length	2:28
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee, David Hill
Producer(s)	Hugo & Luigi

Pat Boone version

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by Pat Boone
from the album Pat Boone's Golden Hits Featuring Speedy Gonzales
B-side	"The Locket"
Released	May 19, 1962
Recorded	1962
Genre	Pop
Length	2:30
Label	Dot
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee, David Hill
Producer(s)	Randy Wood

The song was popularized in the United States as a 1962 single by Pat Boone.^[2] The Boone version peaked at the No. 6 Billboard Hot 100 position in 1962 during a total chart run of 13 weeks, doing better in many national charts in Europe, where it sold a million copies.^[3] The female voice ("La-la-la...") on this song was of Robin Ward.^[3] It also incorporated Mel Blanc voicing Speedy Gonzales as he did in the Warner Brothers cartoons.

Dante's version details a demand from a girl named Consuela to Speedy to stop roving about and take care of his neglected household. Boone's song adds a spoken introduction stating that he was wandering between some old adobe haciendas on a moonlit night in Mexico, where he heard the voice of a Mexican girl calling to Speedy, and Mel Blanc's inserts replace a recurring line from Dante's lyrics.

Warner Bros. Pictures sued Boone and Dot Records for $850,000 over Blanc's performance of Speedy's voice on Boone's record without their authorization. The case was later dropped.

Charts

Pat Boone version

Chart (1962)	Peak position
Argentina[4]	1
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5][deprecated source]	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6]	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[7]	7
France (IFOP)[8]	8
Ireland (Evening Herald)[9]	4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10]	1
Norway (VG-lista)[11]	1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[12]	1
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[13]	1
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	2
US Billboard Hot 100[15]	6
West Germany (GfK)[16]	1

Kumbia All Starz version

"Speedy Gonzales"
Single by A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz
from the album Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz
Released	June 22, 2007
Recorded	2006
Genre	Cumbia
Length	3:24
Label	EMI Latin
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Kaye, David Hess, Ethel Lee
Producer(s)	A.B. Quintanilla
A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz singles chronology
"Parece Que Va a Llover" (2007) "Speedy Gonzales" (2007) "Mami/Anoche No Dormí" (2007)

"Speedy Gonzales" by A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz is the third single from the album Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz. The song was covered in Spanish.

Personnel

• Written by Buddy Kaye, David Hess, and Ethel Lee
• Produced by A.B. Quintanilla III
• Lead vocals by Pee Wee
• Background vocals by Roque Morales and Memo Morales
• Intro by A.B. Quintanilla III

Other versions

English-language versions

• In 1965, Soupy Sales recorded the song on his album "Soupy Sales Sez Do The Mouse"
• Recorded in English, but with a Cantonese spoken section: "墨西哥女郎" ("Mexican Girl") by The Fabulous Echoes featuring Tang Kei Chan (鄧寄塵) (Hong Kong, 1965)
• In 1969, the song was recorded by the Hep Stars and became their last single^[17]
• In 1973, the song was recorded by the Navajo Sundowners on their album "Navajo Sundowners, Volume 3, and re-released in 1974 on Volume 8.^[18][19]
• Recorded by The Wurzels on their 1975 album The Wurzels Are Scrumptious and later featured as a B-Side to their single Give Me England in 1977.
• In 1977, Charo and the Salsoul Orchestra included the song on the album Cuchi Cuchi
• In 1980, Lena Zavaroni included the song on her album Songs Are Such Good Things
• In 2002, the Belgian band Swoop had a hit with their version.
• In 2014, the Ubisoft-based band Los Pimientos Locos recorded this song for the game Just Dance 2015.

Other-language versions

• In Spanish: Manolo Muñoz, The Sacados
• In Spanish: Klasse (Venezuelan band) (1987)^[20]
• In German ("Kleiner Gonzales"): Rex Gildo, Caterina Valente with her brother Silvio Francesco, Dalida, and Lou van Burg
• In French ("Le Petit Gonzales"): Danyel Gérard, Dalida, Jean Chabrier and Pierre Lalonde
• In Serbo-Croatian ("Mali Gonzales"): Dušan Jakšić (1963)
• In Italian: Johnny Dorelli, Peppino Di Capri, Catullo e gli Enigmisti (Nuova Enigmistica Tascabile, N. 424) (1962)
• In Greek: "Kakosalesi" by Yannis Miliokas (1986)
• In Norwegian: "Fisking i Valdres" (Fishing in Valdres) by Viggo Sandvik (1988)
• In Hungarian: János Koós
• In Korean: 바람둥이 아가씨 by The Key Boys (1964)
• In Estonian: "Viimane vaatus" ("Last act") by Anne Veski (1983)
• In Czech: "Speedy Gonzales" Hana Ulrychová (1971)
• In Finnish: "Hiiri Gonzales" by Erkki Liikanen (1962)

See also

• Crocodile Rock (a song by Elton John with a similar chorus)
• Blue Jeans (a song recorded in 1996 by German eurodance group Squeezer with a similar chorus)
• Putin khuilo! (a Russian/Ukrainian football chant, as assumed by Artemy Troitsky,^[21] inspired by "Speedy Gonzales" chorus)

References

1. "Dot Records Story, Part 3". Bsnpubs.com. 1999-11-10. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
2. Norwegiancharts.com Pat Boone
3. "Pat Boone". Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
4. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 17 November 1962. p. 30. ISSN 0006-2510.
5. "4BC Official Top 40 - 19 August 1962 - Brisbane QLD Australia - RYM/Sonemic".
6. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
7. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in French). Ultratop 50.
8. "InfoDisc : Les Chansons (Auteur, Compositeur, Classements, Ventes, Certifications, les Tops, les N° 1...)".
9. "Irish Top Ten 1959-1962". UKMIX Forums. 7 March 2006.
10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pat Boone" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
11. "Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales". VG-lista.
12. Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 243. ISBN 9163021404.
13. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 919727125X.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
15. "Pat Boone Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pat Boone – Speedy Gonzales" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Pat Boone"
17. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 227. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
18. Navajo Sundowners (1973). Navajo Sundowners, Volume 3 (compact cassette). Canyon Records Productions. OCLC 43190235.
19. Navajo Sundowners (1974). Navajo Sundowners, Volume 8 (compact cassette). Canyon Records Productions. OCLC 39281030.
20. "Klasse". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
21. Ольга Бычкова (June 18, 2014). "Особое мнение: Артемий Троицкий" [Special opinion: Artemy Troitsky (An interview with Artemy Troitsky)] (in Russian). Echo of Moscow. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2015.