La Bamba , released in 1958 ,is a traditional Mexican folk song that became a hit for the young rocker Ritchie Valens after he died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The song is very popular with Mariachi bands and is often played at weddings. The lyrics are in Spanish: Para bailar la Bamba se necessita una poca de gracia means To dance La Bamba you need to have a little grace. The verses start with a man telling his fiancée, Im not a sailor, Im a captain, indicating his big ambitions. In the next verse he sings, In order to get to heaven you need a big ladder and a little ladder, a little ladder and a big ladder. At this point, hes climbing for the heavens, and then comes the refrain where he says, Up and up and up Ill go. The song if filled with the optimism of youth, and hit the mark with the teenage audience that consumed this early rock. This song was only a modest hit when it was released in November, 1958, but it became far more popular when the Ritchie Valens movie La Bamba was released in 1987. Valens was born Richard Valenzuela in Pacoima, California to Mexican-Indian parents. He didnt speak fluent Spanish, but could understand his mother and speak a fair Spanglish. He did, however, make a huge impact on the Hispanic audience in the United States, who saw one of their own become the first rock star. Ritchie Valens was just 17 when this song was released, and was the same age when he died. He made his first recordings in March, 1958, so he was actively recording only for about 10 months.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:12:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015