El Cóndor Pasa (song)
Encyclopedia
El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela
El Cóndor Pasa by the Peru
vian composer Daniel Alomía Robles
, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes
.
It is possibly the best-known Peruvian song worldwide due to a cover version by Simon & Garfunkel in 1970 on their Bridge Over Troubled Water
album. This cover version is called "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)".
Paul Simon
heard a version called "Paso Del Condor" by Jorge Milchberg, who was head of the group Urubamba
, who told Simon, perhaps through ignorance, that the song was an 18th-century musical composition by an anonymous composer. Simon became interested in the song and composed new lyrics for the melody. The song appeared on Simon and Garfunkel's 1970 album Bridge over Troubled Water. Simon became friendly with the group through this song and ended up touring with them and producing their first American album. On the Simon & Garfunkel version, Robles, Milchberg, and Simon are all listed as songwriters. Later that year, Perry Como
released a cover of Simon's English version on his album It's Impossible
, while Julie Felix
took advantage of Simon and Garfunkel's decision not to release their version as a UK single, and had a UK Top 20 hit with it. Simon & Garfunkel did release their version as a single in the U.S., which reached #18 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in fall 1970.
In 1970, Alomía Robles' son Armando Robles Godoy filed a copyright lawsuit against Simon and demonstrated that the song had been composed by his father and that his father had copyrighted the song in the United States in 1933. Godoy said that he bears no ill will towards Simon for what he considers a misunderstanding. "It was an almost friendly court case, because Paul Simon was very respectful of other cultures. It was not carelessness on his part," says Robles Godoy. "He happened to hear the song in Paris from a vernacular group. He liked it, he went to ask them and they gave him the wrong information. They told him it was a popular tune from the 18th Century and not my father’s composition. It was a court case without further complications."
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
El Cóndor Pasa by the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian composer Daniel Alomía Robles
Daniel Alomía Robles
Daniel Alomía Robles was a Peruvian composer and ethnomusicologist. He is best known for composing the song El Cóndor Pasa in 1913 as part of a zarzuela, a musical play that alternates between spoken and sung parts, by the same name...
, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes
Andean music
Andean music comes from the general area inhabited by Quechuas, Aymaras and other peoples that lived roughly in the area of the Inca Empire prior to European contact. It includes folklore music of parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela...
.
It is possibly the best-known Peruvian song worldwide due to a cover version by Simon & Garfunkel in 1970 on their Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...
album. This cover version is called "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)".
History
In 1913, Alomía Robles composed "El cóndor pasa", and the song was first performed publicly at the Teatro Mazzi in Lima.Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
heard a version called "Paso Del Condor" by Jorge Milchberg, who was head of the group Urubamba
Urubamba (group)
Urubamba was a music group consisting of musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, founded in 1956 by Jorge Milchberg. Urubamba, at the time known as "Los Incas" introduced Paul Simon to Andean music in the mid sixties, and then toured and recorded with Simon .Urubamba featured the Argentines Jorge...
, who told Simon, perhaps through ignorance, that the song was an 18th-century musical composition by an anonymous composer. Simon became interested in the song and composed new lyrics for the melody. The song appeared on Simon and Garfunkel's 1970 album Bridge over Troubled Water. Simon became friendly with the group through this song and ended up touring with them and producing their first American album. On the Simon & Garfunkel version, Robles, Milchberg, and Simon are all listed as songwriters. Later that year, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
released a cover of Simon's English version on his album It's Impossible
It's Impossible (album)
It's Impossible was Perry Como's 19th RCA Victor 12" long-play album, the 17th recorded in full "living" stereophonic sound.It's Impossible was recorded quickly to be an album to go with Como's surprise number one single, "It's Impossible"....
, while Julie Felix
Julie Felix
Julie Ann Felix is a folk rock recording artist, who was notably produced by Mickie Most on his RAK Records label.-Career:...
took advantage of Simon and Garfunkel's decision not to release their version as a UK single, and had a UK Top 20 hit with it. Simon & Garfunkel did release their version as a single in the U.S., which reached #18 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in fall 1970.
In 1970, Alomía Robles' son Armando Robles Godoy filed a copyright lawsuit against Simon and demonstrated that the song had been composed by his father and that his father had copyrighted the song in the United States in 1933. Godoy said that he bears no ill will towards Simon for what he considers a misunderstanding. "It was an almost friendly court case, because Paul Simon was very respectful of other cultures. It was not carelessness on his part," says Robles Godoy. "He happened to hear the song in Paris from a vernacular group. He liked it, he went to ask them and they gave him the wrong information. They told him it was a popular tune from the 18th Century and not my father’s composition. It was a court case without further complications."
Chart performance
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
Other versions
- Between 1972 and 1974, this song was covered by SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
-based female singer Ervinna, backing music by The Stylers, on her LP album Top Hits with the local White Cloud Record. - In 1972, Stjepan Jimmy Stanić covered song in CroatianCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
under the name "Kondorov let", published by JugotonJugotonJugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
. - In 1974, Sandra Lang (仙杜拉) of Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
covered the song in CantoneseCantoneseCantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
under title name of 夢裡訴相思, on her LP album 好彩又到 Sunday/啼笑姻緣 with the local Crown Records. - SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
DJ, DJ SammyDJ SammySamuel Bouriah , professionally known as DJ Sammy Is a DJ and producer. He has released five albums and has had five Top 10 hits with "Heaven" reaching number one in the UK in 2002. His career started with former spouse Marie José in the making of his first singles, under the stage name of DJ Sammy...
, has a eurodance version on his album Heaven. This version does have lyrics, however they are spoken and not the Simon and Garfunkel ones. - In FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Marie LaforêtMarie LaforêtMarie Laforêt is a French singer and actress, .In 1978 she moved to Geneva, Switzerland and took out Swiss nationality.-The sources of her birth name:...
performed her "Sur les chemins des Andes" (aka "Sur le chemin des Andes" aka "La flûte magique") in 1966. It is said to be based on Jorge Milchberg's adaptation. - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
star Valery LeontievValery LeontievValery Yakovlevich Leontiev is a Soviet and Russian pop singer whose popularity peaked in the early 1980s. He was titled a People's Artist of Russia in 1996...
released the song on his album "The years of wandering" in 2009. - IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i folk duo The Parvarim released a Hebrew version of the song - In a 1980 episode of The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, the song was given a parody treatment by The Great Gonzo, earning the ire of guest star Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
.