This song has always sounded really good…especially in headphones. Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group quintet with a German lead singer named Mike Kogel. They were one of the few rock groups from a non-English speaking country to have an international hit, in part because they were one of the few Spanish acts to sing in English. They formed in 1965 and were based in Madrid.
The song peaked at #1 in Canada, #4 on the Billboard 100, and #2 in the UK in 1966. This song was written by the British team of Michelle Grainger, Tony Hayes, and Steve Wadey.
In America, the group followed this up with the unfortunately titled “Going Nowhere,” which reached #91 later in 1966. “Bring A Little Lovin” did a little better, going to #51 in 1968. In the UK, their only other chart entry was “I Don’t Care,” which went to #16 in 1966.
The organ you hear is a Vox Continental that Manuel Fernández played on this track. This instrument was used on many classic tracks from the ’60s, including “96 Tears” and “The House Of The Rising Sun.”
Kogel was not a native English speaker (he had to have the lyrics written out phonetically), and his vocals had unusual intonations. When this song was released…some thought Gene Pitney was singing it because Mike Kogel sounded so much like him.
The British producer Ivor Raymonde took a trip to that country and signed the group, who at the time were using the name Mike & The Runaways. He brought them to London and had them record “Black Is Black,” which was their first release as Los Bravos.
Black is Black
Black is black, I want my baby back
It’s grey, it’s grey, since she went away, oh oh
What can I do, ’cause I, I’m feelin’ blue
If I had my way, she’d be here today
But she’d go in time, and leave me to cry again, oh no
What can I do, ’cause I, I’m feelin’ blue
I can’t choose, it’s too much to lose when our love’s too strong
Maybe if she would come back to me, then I can’t go wrong
Bad is bad, that I feel so sad
It’s time, it’s time, that I felt peace of mind, oh oh
What can I do, ’cause I, I’m feelin’ blue
I can’t choose, it’s too much to lose when our love’s too strong
Maybe if she would come back to me, then I can’t go wrong
Black is black, I want my baby back
It’s grey, it’s grey, since she went away, oh oh
What can I do, ’cause I, I’m feelin’ blue
‘Cause I, I’m feelin’ blue, ’cause I, I’m feelin’ blue
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I always liked this song.
Good song choice.
Thanks for stopping by!
I think it was an excellent song choice! lol.
Great pick! I haven’t heard this one in years & had forgotten who did it but I always liked it.
I really like this song…it’s driving and it sounds fantastic.
I was just listening to this on a compilation CD. A great song that holds up well!
Thanks for reading Steve… the sound on this recording is awesome.
Yes it is. I never tire hearing it.
Another great track, this. I remember @ 1977 La Belle Epoque did a really cheesy, disco cover of it. It was brilliant in its own way – a song us teenage limeys would shuffle around to while on one of our first holidays on Spain with our pals. (That’s about right, Paul, yeah? ) 😉 😀
I just listened to it…it did fit that genre rather well.
Wow, THAT version has every disco hook in the book! I’m dizzy just listening to half of it.
I remember the song but didn’t know the band’s story. Thanks. I do remember thinking he sounded like Gene Pitney. The Vox Continental (along with the Farfisa copy/response) had a lot to do with the mid-60s sound before everyone realized the Hammond B-3 sounded so much better (unless you really wanted that sound). Augie Meyers (of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornadoes) may be one of the few to stick with Vox throughout his career.
My favorite keyboard is a B-3… but these did have their place and yea it was nothing like a wash of B-3.
I wouldn’t have guessed this was sung by someone who didn’t speak English. He does have a unique accent, but I didn’t attribute it to anything other than region. This is another very-60s song. The opening line is delivered so clearly, it grabs the listener. It’s easy to hear and stay with.
And that organ constantly going over that riff makes it irresitable in some ways. I would have never thought he didn’t speak english.
The quintessential 1966 song. I remember hearing this A LOT on the radio back then.
I got into trouble with this song in 1967 in the pre-be-careful days. I had to give a talk in class (aged 17) on the Solomon Islands, and while I showed slides I played this song.
That is funny Bruce! A movie should be made of your life…
Haven’t heard this in ages, it doesn’t seem to appear very often on the 60’s channel. Thanks for the reminder, great tune!
Glad you liked it Randy!
Thanks for bringing this song back to me. I love it! I can hear the Pitney similarity and that’s probably who I thought was singing it back then. It’s a kickass tune.
Glad you liked it Lisa…and I’ll catch up this weekend!
Yep , as Lisa says. ‘I Don’t Care’ has one of the most insistent/persistent/irritating up front sound ever. There is an early-mid 60s Girl Group song, one of those Miracalette/Marvellette ones that has another brain drilling Vox or similar sound; but whoever it was escapes me now. Those shrill organ fills do my head in at times!
If a Vox is too loud…yea it can be piercing.
Having said that about the Vox, I do recall the Farfisa too. I saw a T shirt with the Farfisa logo on it- ‘that is one any guy in a band could wear ironically’ is what I thought at the time.
As I told someone else…when a B-3 Hammond came along…everything else didn’t matter to me as much…keyboard wise.
A jam buddy from high school had a Farfisa organ that was similar to the one shown here. Sound was about the same as this one. Great song!
I like these organs…nothing like B-3’s but I do like these.
“Black Is Black” is a true classic in my book, Max. I’ve always loved it. That said, I had no idea Mike Kogel is German. I also dig the Vox Continental.
Hard to believe he didn’t know english at all!
Interesting. So I guess he sang phonetically or something? That’s what I did when I started listening to my sister’s vinyl records as an eight-year-old, though it probably wasn’t as pretty!
Yes he did…I meant to put that in the post. He did to it phonetically.
I just found this “live” clip of the tune and thought it was fun to watch Herr Kogel & co in action!
Thanks! That is awesome! I wish they would have had more success.
I really only knew “Black Is Black: but just listened to what looks like was their only other hit, though not as big as Black Is Black”: “Bring a Little Lovin'” – pretty groovy!
It is pretty good! I listened to that one also.
I liked this one as a kid, and even more as a teenager, just so exciting! I like that it was a Spanish band too, and it got a big makeover in 1977 by La Belle Epoque, a disco smash across Europe. Nothing like the original, but great fun in its own right 🙂
I love the sound of it also…it sounds so good in headphones…I saw the disco version the other day…I never knew about it.