"Paloma Blanca" (Spanish for "white dove"), often called "Una Paloma Blanca", is a song written by Dutch musician George Baker (under his real name, Johannes Bouwens) and first recorded and released by his band, George Baker Selection. The single—the title track of the group's fifth album—was released in 1975 with "Dreamboat" (or "Dream Boat") as its B-side. The song was a hit throughout Europe, reaching 1 in Austria, Finland, Flanders, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and West Germany, and it also topped the charts of New Zealand and South Africa.
In the United States, the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Easy Listening Singles chart on 14 February 1976 (becoming that chart's overall No. 1 song for 1976), peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. In Canada and the United Kingdom, "Paloma Blanca" peaked at No. 10, and in Australia, it reached No. 2. The song sold over two million copies worldwide.
Meaning 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."
Charts Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)2Denmark (IFPI)15Italy (Germano Ruscitto)10South Africa (Springbok Radio)1Spain (El Gran Musical)2US Billboard Hot 10026US Easy Listening (Billboard)1US Hot Country Singles (Billboard)33US Cash Box Top 10022
Year-end charts Chart (1975)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)11Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)2Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)1Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)1Netherlands (Single Top 100)1New Zealand (RIANZ)4South Africa (Springbok Radio)6Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)2West Germany (Media Control)1 Chart (1976)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)94Canada Top Singles (RPM)110US Easy Listening (Billboard) 1US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)157
Cover versions
Following the George Baker Selection's success, the song was widely covered. In the UK, where the group took "Paloma Blanca" to a number 10 chart peak, the recording by Jonathan King reached number five.
In 1976, English Scrumpy and Western band the Wurzels released a cover version titled "I Am a Cider Drinker" that contains a number of references to rural West Country life, including scrumpy, rabbit stew, combine harvesters and evenings at the local pub. The single was a number-three hit on the UK singles chart. A remastered version was produced in 2007, with an accompanying video which featured veteran disk jockey Tony Blackburn.
See also List of number-one hits of 1975 (Germany) List of number-one singles (Sweden) List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1976 (U.S.)
References