As a child, I knew the tune as a potato chip jingle: “Ay, ay, ay, ay, I’m the Frito Bandito. I love Frito’s cornchips, I love them I do. I’ll get Frito’s cornchips, I’ll take them from you…”
Thus, the genre always caricatured was never taken seriously by me, and why would it? The jingle, paired with a cartoon Mexican bandit, complete with pistols, pot-belly and strong accent, led me to believe that the songs were comical and/or farcical. Lately, though, as I’ve forayed deeper and deeper into Hispanic cultures, I discovered the song from which the jingle came Cielito Lindo, (this is Vicente Fernandez’s classic version) as well as the genre itself, los boleros, and the depth of feeling the genre portrays. In time, the stereotypes of large brimmed Mariachis holding tiny guitars and Coronas has faded as the lyrics began to take on real meaning.
Have, consequentially, discovered Pablo Montero…Isn’t he lovely? I first encountered him, spectating the star-studded telenovela Triunfo del Amor. I also discovered a delightful remake of the traditional piece by Marta Gomez. GrrOOw…Dark, handsome men in tight embroidered pants…What’s not to like? And, Gomez’s remake, with its saccharin poignancy, almost hangs in the air.
I’ve discovered that I really enjoy the boleros – the waltzy jilt of the guitar, the abrasive trumpets and the soft violins blend elements that shouldn’t sound good together but do. The lyrics are emotional, full of heartbreak and heartache, longing and loving. The songs are songs I could see myself memorizing, singing to my children before bed, singing in the shower, singing to a lover, singing at the top of my lungs from happiness or out of sorrow, or both at the same time. For me, THOSE are the best songs, those that capture the “good and bad” always, at every moment, of life, those that can be incorporated into life, making its bittersweet experiences both more bitter and more sweet.
