Pat Boone, Trini Lopez, Speedy Gonzales, and a Great Hit from the Sixties

original posting, April 5, 2007--updated February 21, 2014


Raul, an SDSU Latin American Studies graduate student in my e725 Ethnic Lit and Film seminar, enters the Galleryblog with a quick post/complement for Tex[t]-Mex's chapter on Speedy Gonzales:

To: memo@sdsu.edu Subject: Speedy Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:07:44 -0500 X-MB-Message-Source: WebUI From: Raul I think this would be great for the tex[t]-mex blog and maybe the second edition of the book if can include it: "In 1959 and 1960 Pat Boone continued to sell many records, although his production of top ten songs slowed down a bit. Some of his songs during this period included With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair and Twixt Twelve and Twenty. In 1961 he came back with Moody River, which was to be his fifth and final number one song. His final top forty song was a novelty record, Speedy Gonzalez in 1962. The female backing voice on this song was Robin Ward, and it peaked at number six."

The lyrics speak for themselves! ack!  Have a listen if you can stomach it!   

...and Here's some backstory on the song.

The Lyrics...

Speedy Gonzales
Mancini/Nicola
It was a moonlit night in old Mexico.
I walked alone between some old adobe haciendas.
Suddenly, I heard the plaintive cry of a young Mexican girl.

You better come home, Speedy Gonzales
Away from tannery row
Stop all a your a-drinkin'
With that floozy named Flo
Come on home to your adobe
And slap some mud on the wall
The roof is leakin' like a strainer
There's loads a roaches in the hall

Speedy Gonzales, why don't cha come home?
Speedy Gonzales, how come ya leave me all alone?

"Hey, Rosita - I hafta go shopping downtown for my mother
She needs some tortillas and chili peppers."

Your doggy's gonna have a puppy
And we're runnin' outta Coke
No enchiladas in the icebox
And the television's broke
I saw some lipstick on your sweatshirt
I smelled some perfume in your ear
Well if you're gonna keep on messin'
Don't bring your business back a-here

Mmm, Speedy Gonzales, why don't cha come home?
Speedy Gonzales, how come ya leave me all alone?

"Hey, Rosita - come quick
Down at the cantina they giving green stamps with tequila!!"

Writer/s: MANCINI, HENRY NICOLA
Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, EMI Music Publishing

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