The Three Tenors Sing "Cielito Lindo" (My Favorite Spanish Song)

I'm taking my first semester of Spanish at the local community college here in Hollister, and enjoying it very much.  Learning a foreign language has always been easy to me for some reason, and I am getting a solid A in the class. (That's me in the sombrero - it's a Photoshop.) I know we as conservatives often attach negative feelings to many things Spanish, Mexican or Hispanic, because of the influx of illegal immigrants, the gangs and the drugs.  However, Hispanic culture is often rich and beautiful and we should not be blind to those qualities.

A song I have loved since childhood is the Spanish song from Mexico, "Cielito Lindo."  Per Wikipedia,

"Cielito lindo" is a popular Ranchera song from Mexico, written in 1882 by Quirino Mendoza y Cortés (c. 1859–1957).[1] It is roughly translated as "Lovely Sweet One". Although the word "cielo" means sky or heaven, it is also a term of endearment comparable to sweetheart or honey. "Cielito" can thus be translated as "sweetie"; "lindo" means cute, lovely or pretty. Sometimes the song is known by words from the refrain, "Canta y no llores". ["sing and don't cry"]

Commonly played by mariachi bands, it has been recorded by many artists in the original Spanish or in English and other languages using the melody of the song. In recent decades it has come to be widely known as a theme song for Mexicans, particularly at international events, like the FIFA World Cup.

When I was a kid I didn't know the words so would just sing, "Ay, ay, ay, ay!  Oh my sombrero!"  That's all I knew and it was wrong.  The refrain is quite famous.  It goes:

Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,  [Sing and don't cry]
Porque cantando se alegran, [Because singing gladdens,]
Cielito lindo, los corazones. [My dear, our hearts.]

The full words and translation of this great song can be found here.

Finally, here singing a shortened version of the song are the "Three Tenors" [the Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and the Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti]:



A longer version, with a lovely children's choir, can be viewed here.

Stogie News: Mexico, Music, and Morgan Hill

Stung by a Ten Pound Bee
Ugh, I developed bursitis this past week and it was very painful.  That is the reason for my lack of posting.

I wrenched my arm moving my bass amplifier upstairs, and a couple of weeks later bursitis was in full, throbbing pain mode.  Bursitis is a condition when little sacs of fluid (called bursae) between muscle and bone swell up.  It hurts like living hell.  Imagine getting a bee sting on your shoulder, but the bee was as big as a tennis ball and weighed 10 pounds.  The result of this was that I had to sleep sitting up for the past week, getting 2 or 3 hours of sleep per night.  Finally, I went to the doctor and he gave me some topical ointment that actually works, and some pain pills and today I feel much better.  I actually had eight hours of sleep last night, laying down, in an actual bed.  Kewl!

Playing Music with Mexicans in Morgan Hill
My band played at a private party, out in the open, in Morgan Hill last Sunday.  The weather was gorgeous, and since we practice every week we are, to use a term of art, very "tight."  Confident, self-assured and in key.  The lady who was having a birthday was Mexican and there were many Mexicans there, including two other bands, both of which sang their songs in Spanish.  We had shared practice space with one of these bands earlier in the week and became fast friends.  Most Mexicans are very nice people and have a beautiful culture, that no doubt would show its better aspects if the terrible Mexican government could be replaced with one that is pro business, efficient and free of corruption.  What Mexico needs most is REGIME CHANGE.

That being said, I still oppose illegal immigration without reservation.  Instead of applauding a Mexican president for attacking our national sovereignty, we should be pressuring him and other Mexican politicians to enact reforms that will increase Mexican prosperity and opportunity for its own citizens, who would then have less of a need to enter our country illegally.  Border fences and guards are necessary and needed, but they are only treating the symptoms of the disease.  Ultimately, the actual cause (Mexican poverty) must be solved to end the problem.  That doesn't mean us bailing them out or giving them boatloads of free money.  It means Mexicans themselves must find a way to prosper in their resources-rich country.  Hint:  it's spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

Diversity Lane Cartoon: The Border With Mexico