Frenesí is a song by Mexican composer Alberto Domínguez Borrás (1911-1975), who wrote the music and Spanish lyrics in 1939, originally for marimba. It is described as a cha-cha-chá and as a Latin-flavoured swing tune, and later became a jazz standard. The first recordings were released in 1939: by Lupita Palomera with the composer's band, Orquesta De Los Hermanos Domínguez, for Victor, and by Ramón Armengod for Decca. Sheet music was published on 28 December 1939. The song became much more popular in its sung version. Leonard Whitcup wrote the first English lyric in 1939 for Southern Music, and after the 1941 ASCAP boycott Bob Russell and Ray Charles wrote a BMI-licensed revision. Artie Shaw and His Orchestra recorded an instrumental version in 1940, arranged by William Grant Still, which reached number one on the Billboard pop chart in December 1940 and held that position for 13 weeks. The recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman are among those who recorded the song, as did Natalie Cole, Julie London, Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan. The Shaw recording appears on the soundtrack of the 1980 film Raging Bull.
