"Paloma Blanca" | ||||
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Single by George Baker Selection | ||||
from the album Paloma Blanca | ||||
B-side | "Dreamboat" | |||
Released | March 1975 | |||
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 | ||||
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"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.