| La Bamba (song) |
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The traditional song inspired Ritchie Valens ’ Rock 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 . Ironically, Valens himself did not speak Spanish natively. 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''" ("I'm not a sailor") refers to Veracruz's marine locale and the male's promise that he will remain faithful to his wife. The Los Lobos version of the song, released in 1987 as part of the soundtrack of the movie about Valens' life, concludes with the traditional ever-faster instrumentation, instead of the "bamba-bamba, bamba-bamba, ..." Fadeout of Valens' version. EXTERNAL LINKS |