Songfacts®:

• This jumpy little instrumental song was best known as the "bachelorette intro" on American TV's The Dating Game. It played when prospective daters were introduced, unseen by contestants, to the audience.
• The song was written by Alpert's labelmate Julius Wechter, who had some success as the marimba-playing leader of the Baja Marimba Band. Wechter played marimba and vibraphone on many of Alpert's songs, including the Tijuana Brass's first hit, "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)" in 1962. Lyrics were later added by Cissy Wechter.
• "Spanish Flea" was part of Herb Alpert's 1965 album Going Places, one of his five #1 albums in the span of 1965-1968. While the British were invading the charts, Alpert was selling loads of albums to more mature listeners who loved his peppy, trumpet-based instrumentals. Alpert came up the sound after going to a bullfight in Tijuana. He first used it on his 1962 song "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)."
• The title is a play on "Spanish Fly," a kind of aphrodisiac.