Bésame mucho

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Bésame mucho is a famous love song in modern music history, interpreted in different musical styles . It was composed by the Mexican composer Consuelo Velázquez (1916-2005), who also wrote the text, and published in 1941 and recorded for the first time. The song developed into an international hit and jazz standard .

history

The melody of the love song , world-famous as Bésame mucho, quotes a theme by the Spanish composer Enrique Granados (1867–1916). He first used it in the piano piece Quejas o la maja y el ruiseñor ( Eng .: "Lamentation or: the girl and the nightingale") from the Goyescas piano cycle composed in 1911 , of which it is the most famous individual piece. In 1915 he used the same theme in his second opera Goyescas of the same name as the aria of the nightingale . The topic found its way into popular music when Consuelo Velázquez composed the song Bésame mucho in 1935 or 1936 and provided it with his own text. “When I composed the song when I was nineteen, I had never kissed; it was all a product of my imagination, ”Velázquez once said in an interview.

The refrain is:

Bésame,
bésame mucho
como si fuera esta noche
la última vez
Bésame,
bésame mucho
que tengo miedo a perderte
perderte después

Kiss me,
kiss me very hard!
Kiss me like it's tonight
for the very last time.
Kiss me,
kiss me very hard,
because I'm scared, I'll lose you,
lose you afterwards.
(Translation by Werner Bildhäuser)

Emilio Tuero recorded the song with singer Chela Campos in 1941 with this text for the Mexican market. This record was also played frequently on radio stations in the southern United States; Sunny Skylar wrote an English text for the song . At the turn of the year 1943/1944, the first cover versions of Jimmy Dorsey and Abe Lyman came on the market, which, like the version by Andy Russell shortly thereafter , were well placed in the charts. The interpretation of the Dorsey band with singers Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen became a number one hit in the United States; she was at the top for a total of seven weeks (with interruptions). The song became world famous, interpreted by countless musicians over the years and translated into over 20 languages. The French translation of the text is by Pascal Sevran and Serge Lebrail ; Tino Rossi sang the first French version in 1945. There is also a German adaptation written by Ralph Maria Siegel entitled A thousand times I would like to kiss you .

It was recognized by the Real Academia Española in 1999 as the most played song in Spanish history (with the exception of birthday serenades and Christmas carols ) .

meaning

The musical variety with which Bésame mucho has been adapted in many cultures over the decades is remarkable . Its origins in opera have made the song popular with both classical and light music musicians. There are also numerous instrumental versions, especially for guitar and piano . The speed range varies from the carried ballad to medium-fast versions. The piece has also established itself as a jazz standard .

Here is a selection of some interpretations:

The song Besame Mucho (Señora) by the group Easy Connection from 1976 has nothing in common with this song except the title.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ biography
  2. ↑ See Billboard of November 6, 1943.
  3. ↑ a version for string quartet with extended techniques (written by Stefano Scodanibbio )