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"La Paloma"
is one of the most
popular songs ever
written, having been
produced
and reinterpreted in
diverse cultures,
settings,
arrangements, and
recordings over
the last 140 years.
The song was
composed and written
by Sebastián Iradier
(later Yradier)
after he visited
Cuba in 1861.
The
first line of the
original song is
"Cuando salí de la
Habana, válgame Dios!"
Iradier may have
composed "La Paloma"
around 1863, just
two years before he
died in Spain in
obscurity, never to
learn
how popular his song
would become.
The influence of the
local Cuban habanera
gives the song its
characteristic and
distinctive rhythm.
Very quickly “La
Paloma” became
popular in Mexico,
and soon
spread around the
world. In many
places, including
Mexico, Spain,
Hawaii, Germany,
Romania and
Zanzibar, it gained
the status of a
quasi folk song.
Over the years the
popularity of "La
Paloma" has surged
and receded
periodically, but
never subsided.
It may be considered
one of the first
universal popular
hits and has
appealed to
artists of diverse
musical backgrounds.
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