BÉSAME MUCHO by EMILIO TUERO

“Bésame Mucho” must be one of the most famous Spanish language songs of all time. It was written in 1940 by the Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez. I think this version from 1941 by Emilio Truero was the first recording. Truero, also from Mexico, was a star who appeared in dozens of films.

The song quickly spread around the world and it has been recorded by countless artists. The English version has been equally popular, though it’s interesting to note that the title always remains in Spanish. “Kiss Me A Lot” clearly sounds painfully unromantic compared to “Bésame Mucho”.

A great version by the Chilean singer Lucho Gatica was banned by Spanish radio in the 1950s. I guess they thought it was just too erotic for sensitive Spanish ears.

The Beatles performed a tongue in cheek version of the song, probably inspired by the cool version recorded by The Coasters in 1960.

BÉSAME MUCHO ESTRIBILLO: Bésame, bésame mucho, Como si fuera esta noche la última vez Bésame, bésame mucho, Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte despues Quiero tenerte muy cerca Mirarme en tus ojos Verte junto a mi Piensa que tal vez mañana Yo ya estaré lejos Muy lejos de ti ESTRIBILLO

KISS ME A LOT CHORUS: Kiss me, kiss me a lot As if tonight was the last time Kiss me, kiss me a lot I'm scared of losing you, losing you afterwards I want to hold you very close To see myself in your eyes To see you next to me I think that maybe tomorrow I will already be far away Very far away from you CHORUS

SIE LIEBT DICH by THE BEATLES

GERMAN POP LYRICS: The 1960s – Coda

I will end this series by going back to where it all started – Beatlemania. The Beatles released one German language single in 1964, comprising of reworkings of “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (the lyrics were adapted by Camillo Felgen). Apparently The Beatles were not too keen on the idea, since they realised that Germans were quite happy to buy the English originals. Despite this, and the fact that they learnt the lyrics phonetically, this version of “She Loves You” sounds pretty good. Wisely they refrained from changing “yeah, yeah, yeah” into “ja, ja, ja”!

Translation by absolutelsewhere at lyrics translate, but I have made a few slight changes.

SIE LIEBT DICH Sie liebt dich, yeah, yeah, yeah Sie liebt dich, yeah, yeah, yeah Sie liebt dich, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Du glaubst sie liebt nur mich Gestern hab' ich sie gesehen Sie denkt ja nur an dich Und du solltest zu ihr gehen REFRAIN 1: Oh, ja sie liebt dich Schöner kann es gar nicht sein Ja, sie liebt dich Und da solltest du dich freuen Du hast ihr weh getan Sie wusste nicht warum Du warst nicht schuld daran Und drehtest dich nicht um REFRAIN 1 REFRAIN 2: Sie liebt dich, yeah, yeah, yeah Sie liebt dich, yeah, yeah, yeah Denn mit dir allein Kann sie nur glücklich sein Du musst jetzt zu ihr gehen Entschuldig dich bei ihr Ja, das wird sie verstehen Und dann verzeiht sie dir REFRAIN 1 REFRAIN 2 Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

SHE LOVES YOU She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah You think she loves only me I saw her yesterday She only thinks about you And you ought to go to her REFRAIN 1: Oh, yes she loves you It couldn't be any better Yes, she loves you And so you should be glad You hurt her She didn't know why You weren't to blame And you didn't turn around REFRAIN 1 REFRAIN 2: She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah Because only with you Can she be happy You have to go to her Apologize to her Yes, she'll understand that And then she'll forgive you REFRAIN 1 REFRAIN 2 Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

HELLO GOODBYE by LES INTRIGANTES

FRENCH POP LYRICS

Les Intrigantes were a girl group from Quebec, Candada. This is their version of a Beatles classic, complete with some Franglais in the lyrics. Countless translations of Beatles songs were released in the sixties, but this one is particularly charming. Plus, it you are starting to learn French it has some of the simplest lyrics imaginable.

HELLO GOODBYE Tu dis oui Je dis non Tu dis court Je dis long long long Oh non REFRAIN: Tu dis goodbye Et je dis hello Hello, hello Pourquoi me dis-tu goodbye ? Je dis hello Hello hello Pourquoi me dis-tu goodbye ? Je dis hello Tu as froid Je suis bien Tu dis quoi Moi je n'en sais rien Non, rien REFRAIN

HELLO GOODBYE You say yes I say no You say short I say long, long, long Oh no CHORUS: You say goodbye And I say hello Hello, hello Why do you say goodbye? I say hello Hello, hello Why do you say goodbye? I say hello You are cold I am well You say what I don't know anything No, nothing CHORUS

FLAMENCO By LOS BRINCOS

Part 2: Los Brincos and Spanish Beat Groups in the Sixties

By 1964 the stance of the Franco regime towards rock had relaxed slightly, perhaps because Spain was trying to present a more tourist friendly image to the rest of Europe. The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ appeared on cinema screens and the time was ripe for a Spanish response.

Fernando Arbex, ex-drummer with Los Estudiantes, put together a new group featuring the singers Juan Pardo and Antonio ‘Junior’ Morals, who had both had (separate and unsuccessful) stints as lead singer with Los Pekenikes (before that group switched to instrumentals). With two strong singers Los Brincos could emulate Lennon/McCartney style harmonies, and crucially they did it with original songs rather than covers. At first they hedged their bets, singing in both English and Spanish, but it was the Spanish songs that charmed the nation.

Now it had been shown that you could sing rock in Spanish and be successful other groups quickly followed suit, though few of them had the songwriting flair of Los Brincos.

The idea behind their breakthrough song was pretty simple: What would The Beatles sound like playing flamenco? It’s arguably the first ever attempt at flamenco rock, and despite not being particulary authentic it remains one of the most enjoyable. It appeared on their first LP in 1964.

FLAMENCO Si me preguntas a dónde voy y si tú quieres saber quién soy piensa que es fácil de adivinar que yo soy yo, oh oh, oh oh oh oh Si te preocupa mi por venir no puedes dejar de pensar en mí no lograrás hacerme cambiar: soy como soy, oh oh, oh oh oh oh Aaa, aaa, aaa, aaa Hey, hey , hey hey Piénsalo bien y decídete, no tengo tiempo para perder, pronto mi novia tú vas a ser, lo digo yo , oh oh, oh oh oh oh Nunca jamás te arrepentirás porque si buscas felicidad solo a mi lado la encontrarás lo digo yo, oh oh, oh oh oh oh.

FLAMENCO If you ask me where I’m going And if you want to know who I am Realise that it’s easy to guess That I’m me oh oh, oh oh oh oh If you’re worried about me coming You can’t stop thinking about me You won’t manage to make me change I’m how I am oh oh, oh oh oh oh Aaa, aaa, aaa, aaa Hey, hey , hey hey Think about it carefully and make up your mind I don’t have time to waste You’re going to be my girlfriend soon That’s what I say oh oh, oh oh oh oh You’ll never ever regret it Because if you’re looking for happiness You’ll only find it by my side That’s what I say oh oh, oh oh oh oh

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CHORDS / ACORDES

Intro: Dm – C – Bb 

Verse: A – Bb(#11) (repeat)

Bridge: Dm – C – Bb – A
Coda: A – Bb – B – C – B – Bb – A

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS By THE BEATLES

This week we go in the opposite direction again, from English to Spanish. This is my literal translation, but the group Los Mustang recorded many versions of the Beatles songs in Spanish during the sixties.

Thanks to an agreement with EMI they actually released their versions a couple of weeks before the originals came out! Unsurprisingly, this meant they were hugely successful. This song became “La ayuda de la amistad”, but I think a lot of the charm of the song is lost in their translation (judge for yourself below).

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS What would you think if I sang out of tune, Would you stand up and walk out on me. Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, And I'll try not to sing out of key. CHORUS: Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends, Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends, Mmm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends What do I do when my love is away. Does it worry you to be alone How do I feel by the end of the day Are you sad because you're on your own REPEAT CHORUS BRIDGE: Do you need anybody? I need somebody to love. Could it be anybody? I want somebody to love. Would you believe in a love at first sight? Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time. What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine. REPEAT CHORUS REPEAT BRIDGE REPEAT CHORUS

CON UN POCO DE AYUDA DE MIS AMIGOS ¿Qué pensarías si cantara desafinado, te levantarías y me dejarías? Déjame tus oídos y te cantaré una canción y trataré no cantar desafinado. ESTRIBILLO: Oh, voy tirando con un poco de ayuda de mis amigos Mmm, me flipo con un poco de ayuda de mis amigos Mmm, voy a intentarlo con un poco de ayuda de mis amigos ¿Qué es lo que hago cuando mi amor está lejos? ¿Te preocupa estar sólo? ¿Cómo me siento al final del día? ¿estás triste porque estás sólo? REPETIR ESTRIBILLO PUENTE: ¿Necesitas a alguien? Necesito alguien a quien amar ¿Podría ser cualquiera? Quiero alguien a quien amar. ¿Creerías en un amor a primera vista? Si, estoy seguro que pasa a todas horas. ¿Qué es lo que ves cuando enciendes la luz? No puedo decírtelo pero sé que es mío. REPETIR ESTRIBILLO REPETIR PUENTE REPETIR ESTRIBILLO

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CHORDS / ACORDES:
Verse / Estrofa:
E – B – F#m
F#m – B – E
Chorus / Estribillo:
D – A – E
Bridge / Puente:
C#m – F# – E – D – A