La Bamba (song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs.
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Traditional origins
Influenced by Spanish flamenco and a traditional mambo latin rhythm, the song uses jarana jarocha, guitar, and harp. Lyrics to the song greatly vary, as performers often improvise verses while performing. However, versions such as those by musical groups 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 itself, which remains the almost the same through most versions.Template:Dubious 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 Veracruz, where the bride and groom perform the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is not done as frequently as in the past, but the dance is still popular, perhaps through the popularity of 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. The repeated lyric, "Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán" (lit: "I am not a sailor, I am a captain"), refers to Veracruz's marine locale and perhaps the husband's promise that he will remain faithful to his wife.
Valens' version
The traditional song inspired Ritchie Valens' rock and roll version "La Bamba" in 1958. Valens' "La Bamba" infused the traditional tune with a rock drive, in part provided by session drummer Earl Palmer and session lead guitarist Carol Kaye, making the song accessible to a much wider record audience and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history (inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001). The song features a 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. Valens' version of "La Bamba" is ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list not sung in English. The song also 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.
In popular culture
- "La Bamba" was recorded by Harry Belafonte in 1956 and 1960 at Carnegie Hall (LSO6007).
- "La Bamba" was also recorded by the East Los Angeles punk group, The Plugz, with slightly altered lyrics.
- "La Bamba" is featured in the 1987 movie La Bamba.
- 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.
- The Los Lobos cover is a playable track on the 2008 music video game Guitar Hero: World Tour.
- In 1991, Indian film music composer Bappi Lahiri adapted the track without permission and with only minor alterations (new Hindi lyrics were written) for their song "Aashiq Deewana Hoon, Pagal Parwana Hoon" from the soundtrack to the Bollywood movie Afsana Pyaar Ka.
- "La Bamba" was recorded by the popular folk group, The Kingston Trio.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied "La Bamba" as "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 Blues Image, Bobby Darin, Trini Lopez, Nana Mouskouri, The Sandpipers, Selena, Leon Thomas III (for the soundtrack for August Rush), Dusty Springfield, The Ventures, and Clay Walker.
Advertising
The tune of "La Bamba" was used to promote 101, a cigarette that was Chesterfield's extra-long brand. To emphasize its difference from the other extra long brands which were all 100 mm long, commercials in the late 1960s for 101 cigarettes used the phrase "a silly millimeter longer" sung to the tune of "La Bamba".
The tune of "La Bamba" can also be heard in the background of Old El Paso Taco Commercials.
