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1962 single by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)"[2] is a song by Sol Lake recorded by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass among others. The song was the title track to the album The Lonely Bull, released in December 1962. The Herb Alpert single represents the first release on A&M Records.[3] Its original title was "Twinkle Star".
"The Lonely Bull (El Solo Torro)" | ||||
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Single by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | ||||
from the album The Lonely Bull | ||||
B-side | "Acapulco 1922" | |||
Released | August 1962 | |||
Recorded | August 1962 | |||
Studio | Conway, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | easy listening, pop | |||
Length | 2:15 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sol Lake[1] | |||
Producer(s) | Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss | |||
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative release | ||||
Official audio | ||||
"The Lonely Bull" (El Solo Toro) on YouTube |
"El Solo Toro" is given on the album as the Spanish translation of "The Lonely Bull", but the words el solo toro directly translate as "the bull alone" or "the only bull". The translator evidently was not aware that in Spanish the adjective "solo" should have come after the noun "toro". "Solo" means "alone", rather than "lonely"; the proper translation of "lonely" is "solitario". In English, the adjective "lonely" precedes the noun "bull". In Spanish, the noun "toro" (the bull) comes before the adjective, "solitario". Thus, the correct translation of "The Lonely Bull" is "El Toro Solitario".
While experimenting with the sound of an overdubbed trumpet, Herb Alpert recorded this song in his garage. The single and album recordings of the song were recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood by members of The Wrecking Crew,[4] and featured the sounds of a crowd cheering "Olé" inside a bullfight arena in Mexico, as well as the sounds of the trumpets announcing the matador before he enters the bullring. The song features a mandolin, a bass guitar, drums, and a wordless chorus, featuring a solo soprano. A video for the song was filmed in 1967 inside the Toreo de Tijuana bullring.[5]
In the US, "The Lonely Bull" was a hit, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100.[6]
Chart (1962) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
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