La Bamba (song)


"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. Valens' version of "La Bamba" is included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in —and 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 sung in a language other than English.
"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 No. 1 in the U.S. and UK singles charts in the same year.

Traditional versions

"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 Arpa jarochas along with guitar relatives the jarana jarocha and the requinto jarocho' Lyrics to the song vary greatly, 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, 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". Or the name may perhaps be derived from the Kimbundu word "mbamba" meaning "master" as in someone who does something adeptly or skillfully.
A traditional huapango song, "La Bamba" is often played during weddings in Veracruz, where the bride and groom perform the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is observed less often than 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" 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 the captain"; Veracruz is a maritime locale.

Early recordings

Although an obscure and possibly non-existent 1908 Mexican recording has been cited, the earliest certain recording of the song is that by Alvaro Hernández Ortiz, credited as El Jarocho, which was released on the Victor label in Mexico in about 1939. This recording was reissued on a 1997 compilation by Yazoo Records, The Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 4.
According to a 1945 article in Life magazine, the song and associated dance were brought "out of the jungle" at Veracruz by American bandleader Everett Hoagland, who introduced it at Ciro's nightclub in Mexico City. It became popular, and the song was adopted by Mexican presidential candidate Miguel Alemán Valdés who used it in his successful campaign. Later in 1945, the music and dance were introduced at the Stork Club in New York City by Arthur Murray. A popular version by Andrés Huesca and his brother Victor, billed as Hermanos Huesca, was issued on Peerless Records in Mexico in about 1945-46. Huesca re-recorded the song for RCA Victor in 1947, and the same year the song featured as a production number in the MGM musical film Fiesta, performed by a group called Los Bocheros and with the songwriting credited to Luis Martinez Serrano.
The Swedish-American folk singer William Clauson recorded the song in several languages in the early and mid 1950s. He claimed to have heard the song in Veracruz, and in performance slowed down the tempo to encourage audience participation. Another version, "somewhat bowdlerized", was recorded by Cynthia Gooding on her 1953 Elektra album, Mexican Folk Songs. The song was also recorded for the French market in 1956 by Juanita Linda and her backing group Los Mont-Real.

Ritchie 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 musicians Earl Palmer and Carol Kaye, making the song popular with a much wider record audience and earning it a place in rock history. The musicians on that session were Buddy Clark: string bass, Ernie Freeman: piano, Carol Kaye: acoustic rhythm guitar, René Hall: Danelectro guitar, Earl Palmer: drums and claves, Ritchie Valens: vocals, lead guitar.
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. The song ranked No. 98 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll in 1999, and No. 59 in VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in 2000. Furthermore, Valens' recording of the song was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.
When the Los Lobos cover of Valens' version peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1987, Valens was retroactively credited with writing a No. 1 single.
In 2019, Valens' version was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Also is included in the Rock n roll Hall of fame's list "500 songs that shaped rock n roll".

Charts

Los Lobos version

Music video

The Los Lobos version remained No. 1 for three weeks in the summer of 1987. The music video for Los Lobos' version, directed by Sherman Halsey, won the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film. It featured Lou Diamond Phillips. The music video was the winner of the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.
In the video, the band performs at a carnival in front of a merry-go-round at night. In between, clips from the movie are shown. While they are performing, the carnival-goers dance near and on stage. Phillips joins the band for the song's final chorus. At the end of the music video, in the morning, the band is still playing on their acoustic guitars on the empty carnival grounds while janitors clean up around them.

Charts

Chart Peak
position

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Other notable versions

In 1960, Harry Belafonte's live version of the song was released on his album Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall. His previously recorded but unreleased studio version from 1958 was included in a 2001 compilation, Very Best of Harry Belafonte, under the title "Bam Bam Bamba."
Trini Lopez performed his own version of "La Bamba" on his album Trini Lopez Live at PJs, released in 1963; this recording of the tune was later reissued as a single in 1966. Also in 1963, Glen Campbell recorded the song on his album The Astounding 12-String Guitar of Glen Campbell.
"La Bamba" was the B side of the September 1968 release of Neil Diamond's "Shilo".
In 1979, singer Antonia Rodriguez recorded a disco version which hit number thirty-four on the American disco chart. In 1980, singer Perla recorded a version on her Spanish album.
Texas rock band Los Lonely Boys have frequently performed "La Bamba" in concert. They cite Valens as an influence in their music.
"Weird Al" Yankovic included a parody of the song, titled "Lasagna", on his album Even Worse. "Lasagna" is largely inspired by Los Lobos' version of "La Bamba" and prominently features accordion, Yankovic's main instrument. As the title suggests, the lyrics are about Italian cuisine, and are sung in a mock Italian accent.
Wyclef Jean and Dora the Explorer in the 2010 Mega Music feast on Nickelodeon.