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Bésame Mucho
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| "Bésame mucho" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Consuelo Velázquez | |
| Language | Spanish |
| Released | 1940 |
| Genre | Bolero |
| Songwriter | Consuelo Velázquez |
| "Besame Mucho" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Vocal Bob Eberle & Kitty Kallen) | |
| Language | Spanish |
| B-side | "My Ideal" |
| Released | December 1943 |
| Recorded | October 7, 1943 |
| Studio | Los Angeles |
| Genre | Bolero |
| Length | 2:59 |
| Label | Decca 18574 |
| Songwriters | Consuelo Velázquez, Sunny Skylar |
"Bésame Mucho" (Spanish: [ˈbesame ˈmutʃo]; "Kiss Me A Lot") is a bolero song written in 1932 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez.[2] One of the most important songs in the history of Latin music, it became one the most popular pop standards of the 20th century as well as a jazz standard. "Bésame Mucho" was recognized in 1999 as the most recorded and covered Spanish-language song of all time.[3][4] Famous versions were sung by Trio Los Panchos and female vocalist Gigliola Cinquetti in 1968, and by Dalida in 1976. English lyrics to it were written by Sunny Skylar.
The song appeared in the film Follow the Boys (May 5, 1944) when it was played by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra[5] and in Cowboy and the Senorita (May 13, 1944) with vocal by Dale Evans.[6] It was also sung by Chris Isaak in the 2003 movie Mona Lisa Smile.[7] It inspired the cult Indian song, Yeh Samaa Samaa Hai Pyar Ka, sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the film Jab Jab Phool Khile.[8]
Inspiration
[edit]According to Velázquez, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing, as she heard, was considered a sin.[9][10]
She was inspired by the piano piece "Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor", from the 1911 suite Goyescas by Spanish composer Enrique Granados, which he later also included as "Aria of the Nightingale" in his 1916 opera of the same name.[2]
In politics
[edit]In 1990, a hitherto clandestine affair between two Brazilian government ministers, Bernardo Cabral (Minister of Justice) and Zélia Cardoso de Mello (Minister for Economy, Finance & Planning), was revealed to public knowledge as the couple danced cheek to cheek to "Bésame Mucho" during a birthday party held for Cardoso de Mello. A married father of three, Cabral was forced to resign as a result.[11]
A few days later, at a ceremony in which Cardoso de Mello was due to receive her country's Order of Military Merit, the regimental band of the presidential guard, Os Dragões da Independência, struck up "Bésame Mucho" as she was presented with her medal. Its musical director, Lt. Geraldo Mendonça da Lima, was subsequently given 3 days' detention for insubordination.[12][13]
Notable versions
[edit]
- Pedro Vargas (inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001)[14]
- Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen with Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra (reached number one in the United States in 1944)[15]
- Andy Russell (reached No. 8 in the US in 1944)[16][17]
- Velázquez herself recorded the song as piano instrumental on her album Piano Interpretations (1955).
- Ray Conniff and His Orchestra and Chorus recorded this song on 25 March 1960, for the album Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin),[18] issued originally on August 8, 1960. A worldwide hit and a trademark for Conniff for decades.
- The Coasters hit the Hot 100 with their version, which peaked at No. 70, in 1960.[19]
- The Beatles (recorded during their Decca audition on January 1, 1962. A second version was recorded during their first session at Abbey Road Studios on June 6, 1962. The latter is included on The Beatles' Anthology 1).[20] It was also performed by the band in 1969 at their Apple Studio and published in the documentary film Let It Be.
- Dean Martin recorded it for his album, Dino Latino in 1962.[21]
- Jet Harris reached No.22 in the UK with their version in 1962.[22]
- Dalida reached No 5 in France and No 10 in Turkey in 1976.
- João Gilberto recorded a cover of the song for his 1977 bossa nova album Amoroso.
- Plácido Domingo (received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Performance in 1983)[23]
- Luis Miguel on the album, Romances (1997), No. 1 on the Mexican ballads chart and among the top ten best-performing songs of 1998 in Venezuela.[24][25]
- Zoé (nominated for a Latin Grammy for Record of the Year in 2012)[26]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sapna Maheshwari (November 4, 2017). "On YouTube Kids, Startling Videos Slip Past Filters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Wikidata Q119270203. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Fox, Margalit (January 30, 2005). "Consuelo Velázquez Dies; Wrote 'Bésame Mucho'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ by SocialMusik (December 5, 2019). "Bésame mucho, la canción en español más versionda - Social Musik". Socialmusik.es. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Hispanic Heritage Month: The 50 Best Latin Songs of All Time". Billboard.com. September 15, 2020. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Follow the Boys (1944)". imdb.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "Cowboy and the Senorita (1944)". imdb.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
- ^ "Mona Lisa Smile Soundtrack". Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ "Chronicles of plagiarism in Indian film music". Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Bésame Mucho Consuelito Velazquez News Feature". YouTube. August 19, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2011.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ Burton, Tony (March 14, 2008). "Did You Know? Consuelo Velázquez and "Bésame mucho". : Mexico Culture & Arts". Mexconnected.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "Headliners; Internal Affair". New York Times. New York. October 21, 1990. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Band Hits Sour Note". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, CA. November 6, 1990. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Army Bandleader's detention (Port.)". Google Books. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Latin GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". Latin Grammy Award. Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2001. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 132. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 476. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Gilliland, John. (March 23, 2020). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #11 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 177.
- ^ "A 50 años del Bésame mucho de los Beatles". BBC. July 9, 2012. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. October 1962. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "JET HARRIS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Complete List of the Nominees for 26th Annual Grammy Music Awards". Schenectady Gazette. The Daily Gazette Company. January 9, 1984. p. 49. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ "Lista de popularidad". El Siglo de Torreon (in Spanish). February 10, 1998. p. 28. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
- ^ Aguirre, Jesús (1998). El consumo cultural del venezolano (in Spanish). Caracas, Venezuela: Fundación Centro Gumilla. p. 1995. ISBN 9789806361799.
- ^ "Juan Luis Guerra Leads Latin Grammy Nominations with Six". Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
External links
[edit]- "Bésame Mucho chord arrangement for guitar". jazzguitar.be. June 30, 2014.
Performances in Spanish
- "Bésame Mucho, performed by Consuelo Velázquez (Piano) & Daniel Riolobos (Singer)". YouTube.com. June 4, 2011. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
- "Bésame Mucho, performed by Cesaria Evora". YouTube.com. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
- "Bésame Mucho, performed by the Mexican group Zoé". YouTube.com. February 27, 2012. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
Bésame Mucho
View on GrokipediaOrigins and Composition
Consuelo Velázquez's Background
Consuelo Velázquez Torres was born on August 21, 1916, in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, Mexico, though she spent much of her early childhood in nearby Guadalajara.[5] [1] From a modest background, she displayed prodigious musical talent as a child, playing the piano by ear starting at age four and performing her first public recital at six.[1] Velázquez received initial piano instruction in Guadalajara before relocating to Mexico City, where she enrolled at the National Conservatory of Music to study classical piano under esteemed teachers.[5] Despite her formal training in performance, she developed her compositional skills independently, without structured guidance, drawing on innate aptitude and personal introspection to craft melodies infused with romantic sentiment.[6] Her early efforts culminated in original works published in her late teens, reflecting themes shaped by youthful experiences and relational dynamics, including her eventual marriage and family life. She passed away on January 22, 2005, in Mexico City at age 88, following respiratory complications.[5] Throughout her career, Velázquez garnered acclaim as a pioneering Mexican female composer, receiving honors such as the Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Special Citation of Achievement Award for her enduring contributions to music.[7]Inspiration and Writing Process
Consuelo Velázquez, then 16 years old, composed "Bésame Mucho" in 1932 as a bolero expressing romantic longing.[8] She drew inspiration from observing a couple kissing on the street, an experience that sparked the song's theme of urgent affection despite her own lack of personal romantic encounters at the time.[9] Velázquez later recounted in interviews that she had never been kissed herself when writing the piece, emphasizing her youthful imagination over direct experience, and noting that kissing was viewed as sinful in her conservative upbringing.[7] The melody incorporated influences from classical music, particularly the aria "Quejas, o la maja y el ruiseñor" by Enrique Granados, which Velázquez acknowledged as a source of melodic ideas during her piano studies.[9] No substantiated evidence supports plagiarism claims against the song; instead, accounts attribute its creation to Velázquez's original synthesis of bolero rhythms with these borrowed elements, composed on piano in her family home.[9] Following composition, Velázquez initially shared the song privately among family and friends, circulating handwritten or piano-played versions without immediate formal publication, which delayed its wider recognition until the early 1940s.[7] This process reflected her early self-taught compositional approach, honed through solitary practice rather than institutional training.[5]Lyrics and Themes
Original Lyrics and Meaning
"Bésame Mucho," composed by Consuelo Velázquez in 1940, features Spanish lyrics structured in a simple, repetitive bolero form that intensifies the plea for physical intimacy. The core refrain—"Bésame, bésame mucho / Como si fuera esta noche la última vez"—urges repeated, fervent kisses as if facing imminent finality, underscored by the explicit fear of loss: "Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después." Subsequent verses deepen this urgency through desires for proximity—"Quiero tenerte muy cerca / Mirarme en tus ojos, verte junto a mí"—while anticipating separation: "Piensa que tal vez mañana / Yo ya estaré lejos, muy lejos de ti." This textual repetition amplifies emotional immediacy, evoking sensual longing without advancing to consummation.[10][11][12] The lyrics' central theme revolves around passionate, anticipatory love marked by vulnerability to parting, portraying kissing as a desperate safeguard against absence rather than mere affection. This reflects a causal dynamic where desire stems from insecurity—each embrace hedging against potential eternal loss—grounded in the narrative's temporal tension between present closeness and future distance. Velázquez's composition, her first major work at age 24, drew from observed romance, as she later recounted writing it before experiencing her first kiss, channeling untested passion into a vivid, imaginative appeal that resonated with 1940s Mexican norms emphasizing restrained, idealized yearning over explicit fulfillment.[7][9][13] Such thematic restraint aligns with bolero conventions, prioritizing emotional and sensory buildup—gazing, holding—over resolution, thereby capturing a universal yet culturally contextualized fear of relational fragility.[14][15]Translations and Cultural Interpretations
"Bésame Mucho" has been translated into more than 20 languages, facilitating its global dissemination across diverse musical traditions.[16][7] The English adaptation, credited to Sunny Skylar in 1944, deviated from a direct rendering of the Spanish lyrics to incorporate poetic flourishes that heightened emotional immediacy, such as lines evoking divine music in embraces and eternal possession.[17] This version retained the core plea for intense affection while aligning with Anglo-American lyrical conventions of the period.[18] In Allied contexts, particularly the United States, Skylar's rendition resonated as a poignant expression of wartime longing, symbolizing farewells between soldiers and partners amid World War II uncertainties, with recordings like Andy Russell's 1944 release amplifying its role as an anthem for separated lovers.[9] This interpretation imbued the song with themes of transient intimacy driven by conflict's disruptions, contrasting its original Latin American framing as an unadulterated bolero of sensual romance and possessive desire, uninfluenced by geopolitical strife.[19] Translations into languages like French ("Embrasse-moi fort") and others similarly localized nuances, adapting the imperative for copious kisses to fit cultural idioms of passion and ephemerality without diluting the underlying erotic urgency.[20]Musical Characteristics
Genre, Structure, and Style
"Bésame Mucho" exemplifies the bolero genre, a Latin American style originating in Cuba with slow, romantic tempos and rhythmic patterns derived from the habanera, though Mexican adaptations like this song shift to a 4/4 time signature for broader accessibility compared to the traditional Cuban 2/4.[21][22] The bolero rhythm features a steady pulse emphasizing the second and fourth beats, often accentuated by percussion such as maracas or claves alongside string sections that provide melodic sustain and harmonic padding.[23][24] Structurally, the composition follows an ABAB form over 32 bars, akin to a verse-chorus alternation without a bridge, allowing for repetitive lyrical phrasing supported by cyclical chord progressions.[25][26] Harmonically, it relies on straightforward diatonic chords—primarily A minor, D minor, and E dominant—creating a modal framework in A Aeolian with occasional harmonic minor inflections, which contributes to its adaptability for reinterpretation in jazz or other idioms.[27][28] This simplicity, evident in lead sheets, contrasts with more complex Cuban bolero harmonies while preserving emotional intimacy, as seen in empirical chord analyses mirroring contemporaries like "Sabor a Mí."[29] Recordings typically span 2 to 3 minutes, aligning with bolero conventions for concise expression, with style emphasizing fluid string lines over percussive drive to evoke tenderness rather than dance propulsion.[30] The Mexican evolution from Cuban roots introduces subtle rhythmic smoothing for vocal prominence, differentiating it through reduced syncopation while retaining the genre's core sentimentality.[31][32]Influences and Technical Elements
The melody of "Bésame Mucho" exhibits notable similarities to the opening bars of Enrique Granados' "Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor" from the 1911 piano suite Goyescas, where shared intervallic patterns and phrasing suggest possible unconscious borrowing or influence from Spanish classical traditions on Mexican composition.[33] As a bolero, the song inherits stylistic precedents from Cuban models, including the harmonic simplicity and slow rhythmic sway of "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" (1929, music by Nilo Menéndez), which helped popularize the genre's romantic minor-key structures across Latin America before Velázquez's 1940–1941 creation.[34] Early recordings, such as the 1941 Mexican versions by artists like Trío Calaveras, relied on minimal instrumentation—vocals with piano and guitar accompaniment—to emphasize lyrical intimacy, eschewing complex orchestration in favor of the bolero's chamber-like origins.[2] The piece's diatonic minor-key framework and repetitive ii-V-I progressions in 4/4 time provide technical flexibility, allowing substitutions with modal scales (e.g., Dorian over minor chords) that facilitated jazz improvisations, as seen in standards repertoire, while its melodic contour supported rhythmic shifts for rock-infused reinterpretations without altering core causality.[35]Release and Early Reception
Initial Recordings and Release
"Bésame Mucho" was first commercially recorded in 1941 by Mexican singer Emilio Tuero, a prominent figure in Mexico's Golden Age of cinema, for RCA Victor in Mexico.[9] The recording featured Tuero's baritone vocals and marked the song's debut on disc, following its composition by Consuelo Velázquez around 1940.[36] Velázquez herself contributed an early version that year, performing vocals while accompanying on piano, which highlighted her role as both composer and interpreter.[37] The official release occurred in 1941 through RCA Victor's Mexican branch, distributing the song on 78 rpm records primarily within Mexico and select Latin American markets.[38] Early promotion included airplay on Mexico City radio stations, where the bolero's romantic melody resonated with local audiences familiar with Tuero's cinematic fame.[9] This domestic exposure laid the groundwork for its reception, though sales figures from the era remain undocumented in available records. Initial reception in Mexico and broader Latin America was modest, with the song gaining traction through radio broadcasts and live performances rather than immediate chart dominance.[39] It achieved regional familiarity among bolero enthusiasts before expanding internationally, reflecting the era's limited distribution networks for Latin recordings outside urban centers.[40] No precise sales data exists for these debut pressings, but the recording's availability via RCA Victor positioned it for gradual adoption in Latin markets.Popularity During World War II
![Capitol Records 78rpm record label for Andy Russell's "Bésame Mucho" USA release, 1944][float-right]"Bésame Mucho" achieved widespread popularity in the United States during World War II, driven by big band recordings and its inclusion in entertainment for military personnel. Andy Russell's English-language version, released in 1944 by Capitol Records, became a commercial success, entering the Billboard best-selling records chart and peaking at number 10 while remaining listed for five weeks.[41] The song's romantic bolero rhythm offered an exotic contrast to wartime austerity, appealing to soldiers through its themes of urgent affection amid uncertainty.[9] Its dissemination accelerated via U.S. military morale efforts, appearing in the Army-Navy Hit Kit of Popular Songs for April 1944, distributed by the Special Services Division to provide sheet music and lyrics for troop entertainment.[42] Concurrently, the track featured in the 1944 film Follow the Boys, performed by Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra, exposing it to broader audiences through Hollywood's wartime production output.[43] This exposure contributed to its status as a hit among separated couples, with the plea for passionate kisses resonating as a simple escape from deployment realities.[19] The bolero's Latin origins provided a causal draw in Anglo-American markets, where familiarity with Mexican music was limited but curiosity peaked via radio and jukebox play during 1943-1945.[44] Multiple big band covers, including Jimmy Dorsey's with vocalists Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen, reinforced its chart presence through combined record sales and sheet music demand.[45] Empirical metrics from the era, such as sustained Billboard rankings, underscore its appeal without reliance on post hoc narratives of universal wartime sentiment.[46]
