"Lady Of Spain" is a popular song, written in 1931 by Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell, and Henry Tilsley.
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The song is often played on the accordion. Starting in 1947, Dick Contino popularized the song in a Horace Heidt-Philip Morris series of talent contests. This was the theme song of Myron Floren, the accordionist on The Lawrence Welk Show.
A recording by Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra was made at Manhattan Center, New York City, on July 18, 1952. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4953 (in USA)[1] and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10362.
The song has also been covered by Bing Crosby and as a guitar instrumental with Les Paul on Capitol Records.
The song was also featured in the TV Version of Jeeves and Wooster as one of the few songs that the band that some of the members of the Drones Club actually know. They went on to perform this in several locations as black faced minstrels; in one scene, Hugh Laurie (as Bertie Wooster, hiding from the father of an erstwhile girl-friend), performed as their vocalist.
In his novel Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon references the song. It is mentioned briefly in the description of a party being held by Lieutenant Slothrop.
The song was also featured in the 1977 film Slap Shot, where player/coach Reggie Dunlop (played by Paul Newman) tears up the organist's music and tells him "Don't ever play 'Lady Of Spain' again!". This line is still popular today in several teams' arenas, where the fans will respond with Newman's line if Lady Of Spain is played during the game.[2]
"Lady of Spain" was performed by Marvin Suggs on his Muppaphone on The Muppet Show and appears on the Muppet Show 25th anniversary compilation The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More.