There’s not much to say about “Patricia.” The music was written by Perez Prado and the lyrics by Bob Marcus, although this version of the song has no lyrics. It is pure instrumental.

Billboard Magazine was in the process in 1958 of phasing out its famous Jukebox chart in favor of a chart they called Billboard’s Hot 100 (which stands to this day.) “Patricia” was the last song to hit number one on both charts and shortly afterwards, the Jukebox chart as discontinued.

Perez Prado was a Cuban bandleader who was born in 1916 and started studying piano at an early age. He became proficient on the piano and on the organ and in 1949, he moved to Mexico to form a band. Recording for RCA Victor label, he produced records from 1950 until 1965. He had two number one hits in that time, “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” which spent ten weeks at number one in 1955 and “Patricia.” Although both number one hits, these are his only two songs that ever hit the chart.

He was known especially for the Mambo. Most of his records had a Mambo beat. In the early 1970’s he retired to an apartment in Mexico City with his wife and children and there lived out the rest of his life until he died of a stroke on September 14, 1989 at the age of 72.

“Patricia” entered the pop chart on June 23, 1958 and stayed at the top of the chart for one week. It also spent two weeks as number one on the R&B chart and ended up selling over a million copies.

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