La Bamba (song): Difference between revisions
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==Valens' version== |
==Valens' version== |
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The traditional song inspired [[Ritchie Valens]]' [[rock and roll]] version "La Bamba" in 1958.<ref name=pc14>{{Gilliland |url=http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19763/m1/ |title=Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4]}}</ref> Valens' "La Bamba" infused the traditional tune with a rock drive, in part provided by session drummer [[Earl Palmer]] and session guitarist [[Carol Kaye]], making the song accessible to a much wider record audience and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history (he was inducted into the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2001). |
The traditional song inspired [[Ritchie Valens]]' [[rock and roll]] version "La Bamba" in 1958.<ref name=pc14>{{Gilliland |url=http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19763/m1/ |title=Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4]}}</ref> Valens' "La Bamba" infused the traditional tune with a rock drive, in part provided by session drummer [[Earl Palmer]] and session guitarist [[Carol Kaye]], making the song accessible to a much wider record audience and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history (he was inducted into the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2001). |
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The musicians on that session were [[Buddy Clark]]: string bass, [[Ernie Freeman]]: piano, Carol Kaye: rhythm guitar, [[Rene Hall]]: [[Danelectro|Danelectro guitar]] (six-string baritone guitar), Earl Palmer: drums, Ritchie Valens: vocals, lead guitar.<ref>[http:// |
The musicians on that session were [[Buddy Clark]]: string bass, [[Ernie Freeman]]: piano, Carol Kaye: rhythm guitar, [[Rene Hall]]: [[Danelectro|Danelectro guitar]] (six-string baritone guitar), Earl Palmer: drums, Ritchie Valens: vocals, lead guitar.<ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1200]</ref> |
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The song features a [[verse–chorus form|simple verse-chorus form]]. Valens, who was proud of his Mexican heritage, was hesitant at first to merge "La Bamba" with rock and roll but then agreed. Valens obtained the lyrics from his aunt Ernestine Reyes and learned the Spanish lyrics phonetically, as he had been raised from birth speaking English. The song ranked #98 in [[VH1]]'s ''100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll'' and #59 in VH1's ''100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock and Roll'', both done in 2000. Valens's recording of the song was inducted into the [[Latin Grammy Award|Latin Grammy]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Latin GRAMMY Hall Of Fame|url=http://www.latingrammy.com/en/latin-grammy-hall-of-fame|website=[[Latin Grammy Award]]|publisher=[[Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences]]|accessdate=August 19, 2014|year=2013}}</ref> |
The song features a [[verse–chorus form|simple verse-chorus form]]. Valens, who was proud of his Mexican heritage, was hesitant at first to merge "La Bamba" with rock and roll but then agreed. Valens obtained the lyrics from his aunt Ernestine Reyes and learned the Spanish lyrics phonetically, as he had been raised from birth speaking English. The song ranked #98 in [[VH1]]'s ''100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll'' and #59 in VH1's ''100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock and Roll'', both done in 2000. Valens's recording of the song was inducted into the [[Latin Grammy Award|Latin Grammy]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Latin GRAMMY Hall Of Fame|url=http://www.latingrammy.com/en/latin-grammy-hall-of-fame|website=[[Latin Grammy Award]]|publisher=[[Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences]]|accessdate=August 19, 2014|year=2013}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 16:19, 22 April 2015
| "La Bamba" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "Donna" |
| "La Bamba" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Charlena" |
"La Bamba" (pronounced 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list sung in a language other than English. The original composer of the song "La Bamba" remains unknown.
"La Bamba" has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Los Lobos, whose version was the title track of the 1987 film La Bamba and reached #1 in the U.S. and UK singles charts in the same year. The music video for Los Lobos' version, directed by Sherman Halsey, won the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.
Traditional versions
"La Bamba" is a classic example of the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan and Los Pregoneros del Puerto have survived because of the artists' popularity. The traditional aspect of "La Bamba" lies in the tune, which remains almost the same through most versions. The name of the dance, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb bambolear, meaning "to shake" or perhaps "to stomp".
The traditional "La Bamba" is often played during weddings in
ballet folklórico. The dance is performed displaying the newly wed couple's unity through the performance of complicated, delicate steps in unison as well as through creation of a bow from a listón
, a long red ribbon, using only their feet.
The "arriba" (literally "up") part of the song suggests the nature of the dance, in which the footwork, called "zapateado", is done faster and faster as the music tempo accelerates. A repeated lyric is "Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán", meaning "I am not a sailor, I am a captain"; Veracruz is a maritime locale.
Early recordings
Although an obscure and possibly non-existent 1908 Mexican recording has been cited,Victor label in Mexico in about 1939 (Victor 76102). This recording was reissued on a 1997 compilation by Yazoo Records, The Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 4.[3]
According to a 1945 article in MGM musical film Fiesta, performed by a group called Los Bocheros and with the songwriting credited to Luis Martinez Serrano.[5]
The Swedish-American folk singer
bowdlerized", was recorded by Cynthia Gooding on her 1953 Elektra album, Mexican Folk Songs.[8] The song was also recorded for the French market in 1956 by Juanita Linda and her backing group Los Mont-Real.[9] The same year, Harry Belafonte reportedly recorded the song, but a version by Belafonte was not commercially released until a live recording made at Carnegie Hall
in 1960.
Valens' version
The traditional song inspired
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
in 2001).
The musicians on that session were Rene Hall: Danelectro guitar (six-string baritone guitar), Earl Palmer: drums, Ritchie Valens: vocals, lead guitar.[11]
The song features a
Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.[12]
When Valens' version, covered by
That'll Be The Day" which hit the top in 1957. J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson was credited with writing "Running Bear" which Johnny Preston
took to #1 in 1960.
Other versions
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2013) |
- British soul singer Dusty Springfield recorded the song for her 1965 album Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty.
- "La Bamba" was also recorded by the East Los Angeles punk group, The Plugz, with slightly altered lyrics.
- In 1979, singer Antonia Rodriguez recorded a disco version which hit number thirty-four on the American disco chart.[13]
- "La Bamba" was recorded by children's musician Joanie Bartels on her Dancin' Magic album.
- "La Bamba" is featured in the 1987 movie La Bamba. The song, performed on-screen in the film by Filipino-American actor Lou Diamond Phillips, was recorded by Los Lobos. The full release version of the song features a coda of more traditional Mexican instrumentation.
- Greek artist Tzimis Panousis released a Greek version of "La Bamba" called "Psofia Glossa" (Ψόφια Γλώσσα) on his 1987 album Ximia kai Terata (Χημεία και Τέρατα).
- In 1986, "La Bamba" featured as the background music to a British TV ad for the Vauxhall Novasupermini.
- A few lines of "La Bamba" were sung by Stockard Channing and Dinah Manoff in the 1978 movie Grease. It was also played on Frosty Palace's Jukebox.
- Super Dave Osborne sang "La Bamba" on his show in 1987.
- Music To Strip By.
- The Los Lobos cover is a playable track on the 2008 music video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
- In 1991, Indian film music composer Afsana Pyaar Ka.
- Indian singer and composer "Sarbajit Ghosh" (Joe), wrote a Benglish Version of this song and named it BABY I LOVE YOU, and included it in the second studio album of his band INSOMNIAC-Z, with himself as the Lead Vocalist. The song was a runaway hit.
- In 1992, an instrumental version was used on TVS Television's final program Goodbye To All That.
- "La Bamba was featured as a musical number in the West End and Broadway productions of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story performed by Miguel Angel and Philip Anthony-Rodriguez respectively http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4619
- "La Bamba" was recorded by the popular folk group, The Kingston Trio.
- "Lasagna".
- Japanese hip hop group Dragon Ash released a version of "La Bamba" on their 2009 album Freedom.
- The song has also been covered in recordings by .
- The song is featured in the 2009 direct-to-DVD film American High School, sung by Trini Lopez.
- The song is played whenever the Mexican Luis "Pirata" Fuente.
- The song is performed live by Bruce Springsteen and the E-street band and by Romanian singer Inna.
- The video game Wii Music features this song as a playable option.
- The Lalaloopsy RC Scooters commercial jingle is set to the tune of this song.
Charts
Ritchie Valens version
| Chart (1958-1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company)[14]
|
49 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 22 |
Los Lobos version
| Chart (1987-1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[16] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] | 2 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[18] | 1 |
| France ( SNEP)[19]
|
1 |
| songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS | 7 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 1 |
| Italy ( FIMI )
|
1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] | 2 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[22] | 4 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[23] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] | 1 |
| UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company )
|
1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Country Songs | 57 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| US Billboard Latin Songs | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
|
11 |
Music video
The music video for Los Lobos' version of the song was directed by Sherman Halsey, and was the winner of the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.
See also
References
- ^ "National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888". Worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- ^ a b Steve Sullivan, Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2, Scarecrow Press, 2013, pp.460-461
- ^ Arnold Rypens, The Originals. Accessed 13 April 2015
- ^ "Life Dances La Bamba in Mexico City", Life, 15 October 1945, pp.140-141
- ^ "Fiesta", MovieMagg, February 2, 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2015
- ^ Mats Johansson, Magnus Nilsson, "William Clauson", sunkit.com. Accessed 13 April 2015
- ^ Biography, William Clauson official site. Accessed 13 April 2015
- ^ Richie Unterberger, Liner notes for reissue of Cynthia Gooding's Mexican Folk Songs. Accessed 13 April 2015
- ^ Juanita Linda Et Los Mont-Réal, Discogs.com. Accessed 13 April 2015
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ [1]
- Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 220.
- ^ "ChartArchive - The Chart Archive". Chartstats.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- ^ Richie Unterberger. "Ritchie Valens | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- Les classement single.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Los Lobos" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba". VG-lista.
- )
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Los Lobos – La Bamba". Swiss Singles Chart.