The Story Behind The Song: “Secret Love”

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That same month, Fender was on his way to his third consecutive number one record with “Secret Love,” a remake of a 1953 Doris Day performance introduced in her movie “Calamity Jane” (Day’s studio recording soared to number one on Billboard’s pop chart the following year). “Secret Love” won the Academy award for “Best Song” in February of 1954 and Slim Whitman immediately covered it, advancing to #2 with the first country rendition.

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Freddy Fender’s version of “Secret Love” debuted on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart October 11, 1975, just two days before Freddy picked up his first Country Music Association trophy for “Single of the Year” for “Before The Next Teardrop Falls.”

The months leading up to “Secret Love” were a flurry of activity for Fender. “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights” each sold a million copies and the “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” album went platinum. Along with singer Johnny Rodriguez and comedian Freddie Prinze (whose TV series “Chico And The Man” was a fan favorite on NBC), Fender was one of just a handful of Hispanics making inroads in the entertainment field, and he was inundated with media attention.

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In the midst of the clamor, Freddy’s record label (ABC/Dot) wanted another album and producer Huey Meaux obliged them with “Are You Ready For Freddy.” All the songs were hand-picked and pre-produced by Meaux before Fender ever got to the recording studio to add his vocals.


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