Songoftheday 7/18/15 - Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán...

"La Bamba" - Los Lobos
from the album La Bamba (Original Soundtrack) (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 14

Today's SOTD is a cover of a 50s classic remade for the film made about its original singer, Ritchie Valens. Valens, who was born in California but who drew upon his Mexican heritage like no other popular solo rock star of the time. In 1958, he covered an old folk song from the Mexican Gulf regino of Veracruz called "La Bamba", which before had been used in the 1947 movie Fiesta with Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse (it's a minute and 36 seconds in after "Tapatio")...

Valens released "La Bamba" as the "flip-side" to his #3 hit "Donna", and it climbed to #22 on Billboard's pop chart in 1958..

Sadly, Valens didn't get to continue his burgeoning career, dying in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, with Ritchie only 17 years old. However his legacy carried on longer than his three hit singles did, and influenced the band that would pay him tribute.

Los Lobos also hailed from California, and they incorporated their Chicano heritage into their love of folk and rock, and in 1984 they released their landmark album How Will The Wolf Survive, which is still on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of rock and roll. The title track from the set also became a minor pop hit, peaking at #78 on Billboard's Hot 100. They also appeared on a song on Paul Simon's classic Graceland album, and in 1987 were commissioned to record eight of the twelve songs on the movie made about Valens' life, La Bamba. Lou Diamond Phillips starred as the singer, but he was miming the band's recording of his hits. Nevertheless, the films and the album were a huge success, far more than they could have realized, turning "La Bamba" from a novelty exotic folk song into a party staple...

Los Lobos' version of "La Bamba" topped the American pop chart for three weeks in August and September of 1987. Naturally, the track also topped the Latin Tracks chart in Billboard, and crossed over to the Mainstream Rock (#11), Adult Contemporary (#4), and even the country (#57) charts in that magazine. Internationally the single was just as huge, going to #1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The soundtrack album also topped the American chart, and most importantly brought back Valens' contribution to music as a worthy peer to the oft-feted Holly.

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Many other artists have took on "La Bamba", including Dusty Springfield in 1965...