Las Brisas

Written by: Richard Starkey, Nancy Lee Andrews
Recorded: 10 June; August; September 1976
Producer: Arif Mardin

Released: 17 September 1976 (UK), 27 September 1976 (US)

Available on:
Ringo’s Rotogravure

Personnel

Ringo Starr: vocals, maracas
Los Galleros de Pedro Rey: Spanish guitar, trumpet, fiddle vocals
Vini Poncia: vocals

‘Las Brisas’ is the ninth song on Ringo Starr’s 1976 album Ringo’s Rotogravure.

It was co-written by Starr and his then partner, American photographer Nancy Lee Andrews. The song was named after the Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco, where the couple stayed on holiday. “Las brisas” is Spanish for “the breezes”.

We were in Acapulco, I think it was the first year of our relationship, and it was so romantic at the Las Brisas Hotel. Everything was pink – pink jeeps, pink flowers floating in the pool, etc. I was fascinated with the language and was asking someone to translate words for me and writing them down on a napkin in a poem form. A band was playing and Ringo picked up the napkin and stared singing the words. We worked on it over the next few days and it became our little song.

‘Las Brisas’ was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles on 10 June 1976.

Nancy and I wrote one in Mexico, and I put a mariachi band on it. Just a mariachi band – from a restaurant – and me. I played maracas.

We looked around all these Mexican restaurants and found this band who were sensational. They don’t actually dance while they play, but they’re great players. I don’t think they’d ever been to a recording session in their lives.

So, I walk in with my mirror shades on – really paranoiac shades. And they’re all tuning up. No-one says hello or anything. Then I take my glasses off, and all of a sudden – ‘Hey!! One of the Bottles! Hey!! De Bettles!! Binga-loo!! Pappa-lay!! One-a-da-Bodles!!’ I just fell to the floor.

A single, containing the songs ‘Las Brisas’ and ‘Cryin”, was released in Mexico.