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Paloma Blanca

"Paloma Blanca"
Single by George Baker Selection
from the album Paloma Blanca
B-side "Dreamboat"
Released March 1975 (1975-03)
Format 7″ single
Genre Pop, schlager
Length 3:27
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) George Baker
Producer(s) George Baker
George Baker Selection singles chronology
"Sing a Song of Love"
(1974)
"Paloma Blanca"
(1975)
"Morning Sky"
(1975)

"Paloma Blanca", often called "Una Paloma Blanca" (Spanish for "white dove") is a song written by the Dutch musician George Baker, and first recorded and released by his band The George Baker Selection. The single was a hit throughout Europe, and was taken from the group's fifth album of the same name.

The song became a #1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening Singles chart on 14 February 1976 (becoming that chart's overall #1 song for 1976) and peaked at #26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as peaking at #33 on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart. and #10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Baker has been quoted as saying the song is about "a poor South American farmer who works hard all day and then sits by a tree and dreams of being a white bird with its freedom."

The George Baker Selection version of "Paloma Blanca" was widely covered upon its 1975 release. In the UK, where the group took "Paloma Blanca" to a #10 chart peak, the recording by Jonathan King achieved a #5 chart peak. King's version was also a hit in Ireland, although its #15 Irish chart peak was topped by a cover from the Dixies (with Rory O'Connor), who took "Una Paloma Blanca" to #11 on the Irish chart.

Only a few months after George Baker's original, Serbian singer Boris Bizetić did a cover of the song in Serbian.

In South Africa an Afrikaans rendering of "Paloma Blanca" entitled "My klein wit duifie" was a hit for a studio group credited as Tameletjie, its chart peak being #9.

A German-language rendering of "Paloma Blanca" was a hit for Nina & Mike () in both Germany (#6) and Austria (#7).

In Scandinavia translated renderings of "Paloma Blanca" were hits in for Siw Malmkvist (#8 in Sweden) and Hans Petter Hansen () (#7 in Norway) with an alternate Swedish rendering being recorded by Säwes (). A Danish version was recorded by Bjørn Tidmand.

In Finland a localized translation of "Paloma Blanca" was #2 hit for Katri Helena besting a rival version by Kisu () at #18. Finland is also the only evident territory outside the British Isles to afford chart hit status to the Jonathan King version "Una Paloma Blanca" which peaked at #27 in Finland. The Finnish-language rendering of "Paloma Blanca" has also been recorded by Aaron (), Jukka Kuoppamäki, and Matti ja Teppo.


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