Spanish Eddie

Album: Hold Me (1985)
Charted: 40
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was rumored to be about Spanish Eddie Vincente of the YSA's Bronx gang crisis squad and his failed attempt to broker a city-wide gang truce beginning with the Hoe Avenue peace meeting in 1971. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    lisa - NYC, CA
  • A very odd song, this combined lyrics about gangs and street life with a very '80s synth-dance beat. There's also a strange mention of the Bob Dylan song "Desolation Row" in the chorus.

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1985 {July 13th} Laura Branigan performed "Spanish Eddie" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program, 'American Bandstand'...
    Two weeks later the song entered Billboard's Hot Top #100 chart at position #84, and on September 1st, 1985 it peaked at #40 {for 2 weeks}, it spent eleven weeks on the Top 100...
    It made the Top 10 in Austria were it reached #8 on the Austrian Top 40 Singles chart...
    And on the same 'Bandstand' show she also performed "Hold Me", it reached #82 {for 2 weeks} on October 20th, 1985 and stayed on the Top 100 for four weeks...
    Between 1982 and 1990 the Brewster, New York native had thirteen records on the Hot Top 100 chart, three made the Top 10, "Gloria" {#2* for 3 weeks in 1982}, "Solitaire" {#7 for 2 weeks in 1983}, and "Self Control" {#4 for 2 weeks in 1984}
    Sadly, Laura Ann Branigan passed away at the young age of 52 on August 26th, 2004 {brain aneurysm}...
    May she R.I.P.
    * "Gloria" peaked at #2 for three weeks, the first two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Truly" by Lionel Richie, and for it's third week, Toni Basil's "Mickey" was in the top spot...
  • Lisa from Nyc, CaThe Vicks & Lemon Gin line probably refers to a practice common the 1960s of soaking the cotton inserts from Benzedrine nasal inhalers in alcohol and then imbibing the godawful result in order to get buzzed and drunk at the same time. Vicks Inhalers are no longer made with Benzadrine but do contain a very mild stimulant in addition to the Camphor & Menthol scent. If you were to try that trick today, all you would get is minty breath and a bad hangover so don't waste your time!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.