El Rey (song)

"El Rey" ("The King") is a 1971 song by Mexican singer José Alfredo Jiménez. It is one of his best known songs and a Latin Grammy Hall of Fame recipient. The song is about "a macho guy convinced his rough-and-tumble life doesn't preclude him from remaining the king among his peers".

A chart published by Record World credited "El Rey" as reaching number one in Mexico in 1974, a year after Jiménez's death.

"El Rey" remains a staple of Ranchera and traditional Mexican music. The song has been covered by various artists, including Vicente Fernández - often considered the most well-known version of "El Rey" - his son Alejandro Fernández, Luis Miguel, and Maná.

Other versions
The song has been covered by various artists. The following are other notable versions.

Vicente Fernández version
The song has been recorded by several artists including Vicente Fernández whose version peaked at number 40 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.

Christina Aguilera version
In 2022, American singer Christina Aguilera released "La Reina" from her ninth studio album, Aguilera (2022) as a "respectful response" to Fernández' version of "El Rey". In her version, Aguilera emphasizes how a king will always be a king, but that he's nothing without his queen. Aguilera's rendition received acclaim and reached 9 on the US Latin Digital Songs.