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100 Songs That Have Moved Me | Song #018: "La Bamba" (1958)
Title: "La Bamba"
Artist: Ritchie Valens
Composer: traditional folk song
Producer: Bob Keane
Release Date: October 18,1958
Peak Chart Position: #22 (Pop Singles)
Album: Ritchie Valens (1959)
Rolling Stone metadata:
Words from the artist:
How this song moves me:
Sometimes songs have silly personal meanings that few others would understand, much less share. This is one of those songs :) It takes me back to 2010, the beginning of my manic-high reintroduction to my favorite TV show from childhood. This is a cherished clip of a cherished cover (of a cover, no less), because, well, OTP ♥:
Artist: Ritchie Valens
Composer: traditional folk song
Producer: Bob Keane
Release Date: October 18,1958
Peak Chart Position: #22 (Pop Singles)
Album: Ritchie Valens (1959)
Rolling Stone metadata:
Rank: #354
Blurb: Valens' version of this traditional Mexican wedding song was originally the B side to his first hit, "Donna." "La Bamba" entered the Top 40 two weeks before the 17-year-old died in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. (Source)
Words from the artist:
La Bamba is a classic example of the Son Jarocho musical style which originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz and combines Spanish, indigenous, and African musical elements. The song is typically played on one or two arpas jarochas (harps) along with guitar relatives the jarana jarocha and the requinto jarocho. Lyrics to the song vary greatly, as performers often improvise verses while performing.
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 bassist 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. (Source)
How this song moves me:
Sometimes songs have silly personal meanings that few others would understand, much less share. This is one of those songs :) It takes me back to 2010, the beginning of my manic-high reintroduction to my favorite TV show from childhood. This is a cherished clip of a cherished cover (of a cover, no less), because, well, OTP ♥: