La Paloma

"La Paloma", "The Dove" in English, is a popular Spanish song that has been produced and reinterpreted in diverse cultures, settings, arrangements, and recordings over the last 140 years. The song was written by the Spanish Basque composer Sebastián Iradier (previously Yradier) around 1860 after a visit to Cuba. Iradier was to die in obscurity within a few years, never to learn how popular his song would become. It is one of the first written examples of Afro-Cuban "Habanera" rhythm to achieve wide popularity.