Songfacts®:

• In 1928 the dancer Ida Rubinstein asked the French composer Maurice Ravel to compose a ballet score transcribed from Isaac Albéniz's set of piano pieces, Iberia. While working on the transcription, it came to Ravel's attention that there were copyright problems, so he decided to write a completely new piece in a Spanish dance style. The French composer considered the relentless 17-minute dance he came up with to be one of the greatest gambles he'd ever taken, but it's now recognized as his most famous musical composition.
• The bolero is a 3/4 dance that originated in Spain in the late 18th century. Ravel's one-movement orchestral work was originally called Fandango, but as it had rhythmic similarities with the Spanish 3/4 dance form, he changed its name to Boléro.
• Boléro was debuted at the Paris Opéra on November 22, 1928. The composition was deemed a sensational success and was acclaimed by a stamping, cheering audience.
• Maurice Ravel suffered from a degenerative brain disease during the last few years of his life and the illness may have played a part in the composition of Boléro. The left side of the composer's brain ceased to function properly and this may have inherited Ravel's ability to create melodies, leading him to favor more rhythmic works.
• Boléro was notably featured in the 1979 movie 10, when the character played by Bo Derek suggested the work as a good accompaniment to lovemaking. A four-minute excerpt of the work was used during the subsequent scene when Derek seduces Dudley Moore's character.
• The work was famously used as the accompanying music to the gold-medal-winning performance at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics by British ice dancers Torvill and Dean. The pair became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time (for a single programme) receiving twelve perfect 6.0s and six 5.9s for their performance.