"Spanish Caravan" is a song by The Doors from the album Waiting for the Sun released in 1968. Its basic flamenco track is an established form of flamenco music known as Granadinas. The beginning riff was taken from Asturias (Leyenda), a classical piece of music by a Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909). It also borrows a similar sounding riff from Malagueña.
The lyrics may refer to romantic theme of searching for beautiful and rich lands, typical i.e. for George Byron. In Spanish Caravan the lyrical subject declares will to travel by a caravan to Portugal and Andalusia in Spain where 'a treasure is waiting'. The means of transport suggest that the mysterious subject wants to be 'taken away' back to Europe from an African desert. However, there are also 'galleons lost in the sea' mentioned. Of course, the treasure, the ship etc. could be a figure of something else.
In the Doors' performances the feeling of brutal lust or even desperation was especially underlined.
The track was one of the important points of the Doors' concerts, sometimes included to the Celebration of the Lizard series, famous for the theatre experiments accompanying.
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Famous quotes containing the words spanish and/or caravan:
“The hangover became a part of the day as well allowed-for as the Spanish siesta.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“The dog barks, the caravan passes on.
The words had a sort of bloom on them
But were weightless, carrying past what was being said.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)