Everything about La Bamba Song totally explained
"
La Bamba" is a
folk song whose origins can be traced to the
Mexican state of
Veracruz over 300 years ago. It is perhaps best known from a 1958 adaptation by
Ritchie Valens, a
top 40 hit the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs.
Traditional origins
Influenced by
Spanish flamenco and
Afro-Mexican beats, the song uses the
violin,
jaranas,
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 due to the artists' popularity and have become the "definitive" versions. The traditional aspect of "La Bamba" lies in the tune itself, which remains the same through all 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". A dissenting view holds that the dance originated in or near one of the towns named
Bamba in
Angola or the
DR Congo.
The traditional "La Bamba" was often played during weddings in
Veracruz, where the bride and groom performed the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is mostly lost, but the dance survives through the popularity of
ballet folklórico. The dance is performed in much the same way, displaying the newlywed 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" ("Lit: I'm not a sailor") refers to Veracruz's marine locale and the husband's promise that he'll remain faithful to his wife.
At many gatherings, including the youth conventions of
Esperanto (
IJK,
Internacia Seminario), one traditionally dances to La Bamba in a circle. People dance in the circle and people dance out of it. The people within the circle can take a place in the outer circle by kissing one of the people dancing in it, after this ritual one swaps places. Multiple versions are used for this, Spanish as well as partly or completely sung in Esperanto.
Valens' version
The traditional song inspired
Ritchie Valens'
rock and roll version "La Bamba" in the
1950s. Valens' "La Bamba" infused the traditional tune with a rock beat, making the song accessible to the population of the
United States and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history. The song features
simple verse-chorus form. Valens learned the Spanish lyrics phonetically, as he'd 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. Ritchie Valens' tapping into a Mexican folk song unwittingly paved the way for
Twist and Shout and all the other songs based on it since 1962. The first version of the song below is as sung by Richie Valens:
Lyrics
SPANISH:
Para bailar La Bamba
Para bailar La Bamba, Se necesita una poca de gracia, Una poca de gracia, pa' mí, pa' tí y
Arriba, arriba.. y arriba, arriba Por tí seré por tí seré por tí seré.
Yo no soy marinero Yo no soy marinero
Soy capitán soy capitán soy capitán
Ba Ba Bamba
Ba Ba Bamba
Ba Ba Bamba
ENGLISH
In order to dance La Bamba,
In order to dance La Bamba, you need a little grace
A little grace for me, for you
and up up, and up up
For you I'll be, For you I'll be, For you I'll be
I am not a sailor, I'm not a sailor
I am a captain, I'm a captain
Ba Ba Bamba
Ba Ba Bamba
Ba Ba Bamba''
Another common version is:
SPANISH
A para bailar La Bamba, A para bailar La Bamba, se necesita, una poca de gracia. Una poca de gracia, y otra cosita.
Ay, arriba, arriba. Ay, arriba, arriba, arriba ire! Yo no soy marinero; por tí, seré.
ENGLISH
In order to dance La Bamba, In order to dance La Bamba, you need a little grace. A little grace, and a little something.
Hey! Up, up, up I go! I'm not a sailor; for you I'll be
There are
many other variations and additional verses.
Liverpool Football Club fans adopted the song in 2004 in celebration of their manager Rafael Benitez and some of the Spanish players he brought to the club. The original version of the song the fans sung at matches is:
"Ra-Ra-Ra-Rafa Benitez, Ra-Ra-Ra-Rafa Benitez, Xabi Alonso, Garcia and Nunez.
Ra-fa Benitez, Ra-fa Benitez, Ra-Ra-Ra-Rafa Benitez."
There has been multiple versions of the song, as the players mentioned in the song were sold and replacement names were found for the song. These included "Reina", "Nando" and "Torres". It is still sung regularly at games by the Liverpool fans.
Charts
Cover versions
The
Los Lobos version of the song, released in as part of the soundtrack of the
1987 movie
La Bamba about Valens' life, concludes with the traditional ever-faster instrumentation, instead of the "bamba-bamba, bamba-bamba..."
fadeout of Valens' version. The single went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. It also went to No. 1 on the
UK Singles Chart and the Australian
ARIA Chart.
One of the last versions is from the
German-
Portuguese singer
Marco da Silva, released in
2000.
In
1986, "La Bamba" featured as the background music to a British TV ad for the
Vauxhall Nova motor car.
In
1988, Latin superstar
Selena released the song on her album entitled
Preciosa.
In
1988, song parody writer/performer
"Weird Al" Yankovic wrote and recorded a parody of "La Bamba" entitled "
Lasagna".
In
2001, country music superstar
Clay Walker covered this song in his Tex Mex style on his album "Say No More".
In
2004, fans of
Liverpool Football Club adapted the lyrics of "La Bamba" into a song celebrating their new Spanish manager
Rafa Benitez and the Spanish players he brought to the club. The song's popularity grew and became an anthem of their
UEFA Champions League win in 2005.
In
2005, the
Japanese
J-ska band
Yum!Yum!ORANGE recorded a
ska punk cover released in their third album
Orange Funky Radio.
In
2006, it was performed in the Hungarian version of Pop Idol competition (local name: Megasztár) by
Magdolna Rúzsa, a Serbia-born Hungarian singer. Her recording was also released on her first CD album (
A döntőkben elhangzott dalok).
In
2007 a cover by Leon Thomas III was featured on the soundtrack of the film
August Rush.
More cover versions :
Trivia
Tom Miller collected over 80 versions of La Bamba for his Rhino Records compilation
The Best of La Bamba.
"Come a Little Bit Closer" by
Jay and the Americans, later recorded by
Johnny Duncan and
Janie Fricke, has the same tune in part of its chorus.
Further Information
Get more info on 'La Bamba Song'.
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