La Bamba (song)

"La Bamba"
Single by Ritchie Valens
A-side	"Donna"
Released	October 1958
Format	7"
Recorded	1958
Genre	Rock and roll Tex-Mex Chicano rock Rock en Español
Length	2:06
Writer(s)	Ritchie Valens
Producer	Bob Keane
Ritchie Valens singles chronology
"Come On, Let's Go" (1958) "Donna" / "La Bamba" (1958) "Fast Freight / Big Baby Blues" (1959)

"La Bamba"
Single by Los Lobos
from the album La Bamba Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side	"Charlena"
Released	July 1987
Format	CD single, 7"
Genre	Rock and roll Tex-Mex Chicano rock Latin rock
Length	2:54
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Ritchie Valens
Producer	Los Lobos
Los Lobos singles chronology
"Come On, Let's Go"/"Ooh! My Head" (1987) "La Bamba" (1987) "Down on the Riverbed" (1990)

"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 ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is the only song on the list not sung in 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 #1 in the U.S. and UK singles charts in the same year. The music video for Los Lobos' version, directed by Sherman Halsey, won the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.

Traditional origins

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. 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 itself, 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".

The traditional "La Bamba" is often played during weddings in Veracruz, where the bride and groom perform the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is not done as frequently as 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" (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. A repeated lyric is "Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán", literally meaning "I am not a sailor, I am a captain"; Veracruz is a maritime locale.

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 drummer Earl Palmer and session guitarist 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. The song ranked #98 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll and #59 in VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock and Roll, both done in 2000.

"La Bamba" was performed as a production number in the 1947 movie Fiesta.

• "La Bamba" was recorded by Harry Belafonte in 1956 and 1960 at Carnegie Hall (LSO6007).
• "La Bamba" was also recorded by the East Los Angeles punk group, The Plugz, with slightly altered lyrics.
• In 1979, singer Antonia Rodriguez recorded a version which hit number thirty-four on the American disco chart.
• The song was rewritten and recorded as "La Bomba," with a humorous anti-nuclear lyric in Spanish, in 1983, by Tonio K. on Capitol records. The version is also included on "La Bamba's Greatest Hits" a cd by reissue label, Rhino Records.
• "La Bamba" is featured in the 1987 movie La Bamba.
• Greek artist Tzimis Panousis released a Greek version of "La Bamba" called "Psofia Glossa" (Ψόφια Γλώσσα) on his 1987 album "Ximia kai Terata" (Χημεία και Τέρατα).
• In 1986, "La Bamba" featured as the background music to a British TV ad for the Vauxhall Nova supermini.
• A few lines of "La Bamba" were sung by Stockard Channing and Dinah Manoff in the 1978 movie Grease. It was also played on Frosty Palace's Jukebox.
• Super Dave Osborne sang "La Bamba" on his show in 1987.
• The Los Lobos cover is a playable track on the 2008 music video game Guitar Hero: World Tour.
• In 1991, Indian film music composer Bappi Lahiri adapted the track without permission and with only minor alterations (new Hindi lyrics were written) for their song "Aashiq Deewana Hoon, Pagal Parwana Hoon" from the soundtrack to the Bollywood movie Afsana Pyaar Ka.
• "La Bamba" was recorded by the popular folk group, The Kingston Trio.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied "La Bamba" as "Lasagna".
• Japanese hip hop group Dragon Ash released a version of "La Bamba" on their 2009 album Freedom.
• The song has also been covered in recordings by Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Blues Image, Bobby Darin, Trini Lopez, Nashville Teens (1964), Nana Mouskouri, The Sandpipers, Selena, Leon Thomas III (for the soundtrack for August Rush), Dusty Springfield, The Ventures, Clay Walker, Wyclef Jean, Johnny Rivers and Deer Tick.
• The song is featured in the 2009 direct-to-DVD film American High School, sung by Trini Lopez.

Charts

Chart (1959)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Pop Singles	22
UK Singles Chart	49
Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report	1
Austrian Singles Chart	3
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)	2
French Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	1
Italian Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Dutch Singles Chart	2
Norwegian Singles Chart	4
Swedish Singles Chart	3
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	57
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	11
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	4

Music Video

The music video for Los Lobos' version of the song was directed by Sherman Halsey and was the winner of the 1988 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.

Advertising

The tune of "La Bamba" was used to promote 101, a cigarette that was Chesterfield's extra-long brand. To emphasize its difference from the other extra long brands which were all 100 mm long, commercials in the late 1960s for 101 cigarettes used the phrase "a silly millimeter longer" sung to the tune of "La Bamba".

The tune of "La Bamba" can also be heard in the background of Old El Paso Taco Commercials.

"La Bamba" was also used in a 1980's advert for the Vauxhall Nova supermini.

See also

• Bambera

References

Preceded by "Who's That Girl" by Madonna	UK number one single (Los Lobos version) July 28, 1987	Succeeded by "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett
Preceded by "Who's That Girl" by Madonna	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Los Lobos version) August 29, 1987 - September 12, 1987	Succeeded by "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett
Preceded by "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar" by Luis Miguel	Billboard Hot Latin Tracks number one single (Los Lobos version) September 19, 1987 - October 31, 1987	Succeeded by "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar" by Luis Miguel
Preceded by "Joe le taxi" by Vanessa Paradis	French (SNEP) number one single (Los Lobos version) October 17, 1987 - December 26, 1987	Succeeded by "Étienne" by Guesch Patti
Preceded by "Laisse parler les gens" by Jocelyne Labylle and Cheela featuring Jacob Desvarieux and Passi	Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single (Star Academy 4 version) October 18, 2003 - November 8, 2003 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Hey oh" by Tragédie