Cielito Lindo
"Cielito Lindo" is a popular traditional song of Mexico, written in 1882 by Quirino Mendoza y Cortés (c. 1859–1957).[1] In recent decades it has come to be widely known as a theme song for Mexicans, particularly in international circumstances, like the soccer championship World Cup, where Mexican fans sang it to the Mexican national team. There have been controversies and hurt feelings when the song has been used in parodies perceived by some Mexicans as racist slurs[citation needed], or by commercial advertisers such as the Frito Bandito mascot of Frito-Lays corn chips snack.
The melody was used as the basis for a popular English-language song, "You, Me, and Us," which became a hit for Alma Cogan in the United Kingdom in 1957.
A related Son huasteco version, sometimes called "Cielito lindo" from La Huasteca in Mexico, is one of the most popular songs played by Conjunto
Lyrics[]
Spanish | literal English Translation | metaphoric English Translation |
---|---|---|
De la Sierra Morena, Ese lunar que tienes, Si tu boquita morena, De tu casa a la mía, Una flecha en el aire, |
From the Sierra Morena mountains, Refrain: That beauty mark you have If your little brown mouth From your house to mine An arrow in the air |
Through dark tresses, heavenly one, Refrain: That beauty mark you have If your little mouth (Refrain) From your house to mine Cupid shot off an arrow, |
External links[]
- Mariachi Vargas performs Cielito lindo and Cielito lindo huasteco
- Conjunto Huasteco Los Camperos de Valles perform Cielito lindo huasteco
See also[]
- "México Lindo y Querido", another traditional Mexican song
Notes[]
- Cielo means sky or heaven. It is also a term of endearment comparable to sweetheart. Cielito would be "sweetie".
Lindo means beautiful. - In the article ¡Hasta que me cayó el veinte![1] Mr. Ortega discusses the origins of the first verse of the song which most students of Spanish have difficulty making logical sense of. According to his research, in the early 1600s armed bandits lived in the Sierra Morena mountains of Spain and one risked one's life going there. The first verse of "Cielito Lindo" was written in a song from that time. But as time moved along so did the meaning of the verse as people began romanticizing it. "Your face is the Sierra Morena. Your eyes are thieves who live there." The verse had other melodies put to it and variations of the lyrics. Mr. Quirino Mendoza, the composer of the song we know, adapted the verse to his own melody and added a refrain and more verses.
References[]
- ^ "Biografía de Quirino Mendoza y Cortés" (in Spanish). Mexico: Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México (SACM). Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- Mexican songs
- Western music (North America)
- Trini Lopez songs