It Was 50 Years Ago Today: “Black is Black” by Los Bravos
January 17, 1967
“Black is Black” by Los Bravos
#1 on the Spanish Singles chart, November 7, 1966 – January 29, 1967
By the mid-’60s, rock ‘n’ roll had officially become an international phenomenon. Inspired by Anglo-American imports, countries such as France, Italy, and Germany had begun to develop their own twist on rock.
For the most part, however, the influence moved strictly in one direction: America and Britain exported rock hits to the rest of the world, but seldom felt the need to exchange them for apparently inferior product from continental Europe or Japan.
The success of these homegrown acts was typically confined within the borders of their homeland, perhaps spreading to neighboring countries with a shared language, at best picking up a little cult attention in the UK as holiday souvenirs.
Occasionally, however, an exception would break through. One of the first continental European rock bands to reverse the flow of hits was Los Bravos, a Spanish group with a German lead singer, Michael Kogel.
Los Bravos were gifted with a number of advantages that helped them cross over: they primarily sang in English, they were signed to the Spanish arm of the UK label Decca, and they were produced by Ivor Raymonde, best known for his hits with Dusty Springfield (including “I Only Want to Be With You”).
Most importantly, they had a terrific single: “Black is Black,” penned by the British songwriting trio of Michelle Grainger, Tony Hayes, and Steve Wadey.
“Black is Black” is almost comically derivative, combining the pulsing energy of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” the lyrical hook from the Beatles’ “Baby’s in Black,” and the emotive vocal stylings of Gene Pitney. (Reportedly, on first hearing “Black is Black,” Pitney consulted his notes to see when he had recorded the song.)
Even for a rock song, its lyrics are simplistic — “black is black / I want my baby back / it’s gray, it’s gray / since she went away” — but were tailor-made for a band of ESL speakers.
Nevertheless, a derivative song has the benefit of already sounding like a hit, and the song’s pounding rhythm and sinister Vox Continental organ line give “Black is Black” its own strange appeal.
“Back is Black” soared to #2 on the UK pop charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first rock song from Spain to become an international hit. In its home country, “Black is Black” held down the #1 spot on the Spanish singles chart for an impressive 12 weeks.
Los Bravos continued to have hits in their native country (including a second #1, “Los Chicos Con Las Chicas”) before disbanding in 1968. In the UK, Los Bravos managed a Top 20 follow-up with “I Don’t Care”; in the US, two other singles, “Going Nowhere” and “Bring a Little Lovin’,” landed in the lower reaches of the charts.
None of Los Bravos’ later songs touched the success of “Black is Black,” nor did they trigger a Spanish or European Invasion. Even 50 years on, Anglo-American acts dominate pop charts around the world.
One thing that has changed in the last half-century, however, is the booming popularity of Latin pop, frequently performed in Spanish by artists from North America, South America, and Spain. If Los Bravos were to burst onto the scene in 2017, they might not need to sing in English to find international success.
It Was 50 Years Ago Today examines a song, album, movie, or book that was #1 on the charts exactly half a century ago.
