¡Y viva España! I’m off to sunny Spain. ¡Eviva España! What does it mean? Where is it from?

  Go on, admit it! Even if you loathe(d) this 1970s anthem, I bet you can a) at least hum (tararear), whistle (silbar), or even sing (cantar) at least a line of the chorus  (at home, en casa, natch) and b), now that I’ve mentioned it, the tune (la melodía) will run up and down your brain like Speedy Gonzales on amphetamine. If you want to blame someone for creating this song (esta canción) that is light years beyond cheesy (cursi), look no further than “poor little Belgium”, for it was there, in the fateful – for pop history, at any rate – year of 1971 that the music and lyrics (la letra) were written.¹ Despite widespread success in covers on the Continent, where, for instance, there were 56 different versions available in Germany, it wasn’t until 1974 that it reared its goofy head in English, sung by the Swedish singer Sylvia (surname: Vrethammar, since you’re asking). It reached number four in the singles charts and stuck there – like an irritating bit of seaside rock lodged unbudgingly between your teeth – for several months. The original title (título) was Eviva España. Unfortunately for its Belgian lyricist, eviva is not even a genuine Spanish word (though Evviva! in Italian means “hurrah”.) The name by which English speakers know (and love/hate) it was given it by the song’s Spanish translators. Y Viva España has at least the merit of making sense: “Hurrah for Spain”, or, literally, “Long live Spain”. (That “Viva” is a special form of the verb vivir (“to live”).²) The English lyrics by Edward Seago read as if written by a non-English speaker (¿¿“Valentino … had a beano”??), much in the way that Abba lyrics do, but without their redeeming creativity. Stuffing in as many stereotypes as possible – matadors, flamenco, castanets –, the song promises the sun, “romance” (i.e. sex), and excitement that lemminged millions of sun-starved northern tourists onto planes (aviones) heading south. (I’ll spare you their full awfulness here, but the full text is at the end of this blog for those who, like me, love doggerel.³) Perplexingly, Rudolph Valentino makes a cameo appearance as the epitome of Spanish lovers (er, no…, he was Italian). This careless mixture (mezcla) of nationalities hints at how, in the Northern imagination, Spain was more an idea than a country (un país), merely part of a hazily defined Mediterranean that dissolved national boundaries: it didn’t really matter which country you were in (Spain, Italy, Greece, etc.), as long as there was sun, sea, beaches, drink, and… …those ellipses mean that there was always the hope, too, that there’d be more how’s your father than your meagre rations at home, but that was undoubtedly more honoured in the breeches than the observance.

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While Swedish Sylvia sang the lines with faux, eyelash-fluttering innocence, British lovers of Carry On-style double-entendres must have relished:

Each time I kissed him behind the castanet He rattled his maracas close to me, In no time I was trembling at the knee.

The song was also a hit in Spain, but it wasn’t translated word for word. Given that the original was a paean to a romanticized Spain, one can understand why the Spanish lyricist Manuel de Gómez’s chest swelled with patriotic pride as he penned lines such as:

  Only God could make so much beauty, And it’s impossible that there can be two. And everyone knows that it’s true, And they cry when they have to leave.

If the Spanish lyrics sound a mite triumphalist, bear in mind that de Gómez was working at the Spanish embassy (embajada) in Brussels at the time and that Franco was still in power. The chorus (el estribillo) runs as follows:

  That’s why you hear this saying: Hurrah for Spain! And they’ll always remember her. Hurrah for Spain! People sing with passion: Hurrah for Spain! Life has a different taste, And Spain is the best.

So, to round off this extravaganza, I can do no better than treat you to this colourful, life-enhancing version by the late Manolo Escobar.

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¹ By Leo Caerts and Leo Rozenstraten. ² Spanish verbs may at first feel daunting. But actually, the basic endings number a mere handful. “Viva” is the subjunctive of the –ir verb vivir. The subjunctive of such verbs uses the ordinary present tense endings of any –ar verb. So, vivir goes viva, vivas, viva, viv…, viv…, viv…. Can you complete the last three shown? ³ Here go the lyrics: All the ladies fell for Rudolph Valentino He had a beano back in those balmy days. He knew every time you meet an icy creature, You’ve got to teach her hot-blooded Latin ways But even Rudy would have felt the strain, Of making smooth advances in the rain. (Chorus) Oh, this year I’m off to Sunny Spain, Y Viva España! I’m taking the Costa Brava ‘plane, Y Viva España! If you’d like to chat a matador, in some cool cabaña And meet senoritas by the score, España, por favor! Quite by chance to hot romance I found the answer, Flamenco dancers are far the finest bet. There was one who whispered ‘Whoo, hasta la vista!’ Each time I kissed him behind the castanet. He rattled his maracas close to me, In no time I was trembling at the knee. Chorus repeats When they first arrive, the girls are pink and pasty But, oh, so tasty, as soon as they go brown. I guess they know ev’ry fellow will be queuing To do the wooing his girlfriend won’t allow. But every dog must have his lucky day, That’s why I’ve learnt the way to shout ‘Olé!’ Oh, this year I’m off to Sunny Spain, Y Viva España! I’m taking the Costa Brava ‘plane, Y Viva España! If you’d like to chat a matador, in some cool cabaña And meet señoritas by the score, España, por favor! España, por favor! Olé!