canciones en vivo
NUMERO UNO
Está Llorando mi Corazón - Beto y sus Canarios
My Heart is Crying
This was the song that made me want to make this project. As a child, I didn't know Spanish the way I do now; it was not taught to me. Still, I enjoyed the music and its rhythm, which was all I could grasp onto without knowing the language. I was always with my grandma -- she'd take me everywhere. This song was often played in car rides to and from places, at home while she played cards, while she cooked our favorite meals. This song was everywhere around me.
My grandma loved this song so much, she taught the lyrics to the chorus to my cousin and I so we could sing it for her. If we wanted a toy from the Dollar Store, a snack from a fast food restauraunt, anything, you'd better sing grandma her song. This was the first song I ever learned to sing in Spanish, and now, was the song that took me the longest to listen to after she passed. The minute I heard the trumpets, the minute I saw its name pop up on my car radio when I had bluetooth connected, I would burst into tears. I can feel my grandma in this song sometimes, especially when she's been on my mind the heaviest. It likes to pop up when I least expect it, like when I'm procrastinating an assignment, when I'm cleaning, or when my grandma pops into my mind. I like to think of it as her reminding me that she's right there yelling at me to do my homework, cleaning alongside me, and letting me know she's never actually not here with me.
I made this animation brighter, more colorful and calm before the song plays. It reminds me of her that way.
NUMERO DOS
When Doves Cry - Prince
The one thing I always loved about my grandma was that she loved music of all kinds. As a child, I was always surrounded by music and partially this was because of her. Of course she still had her favorites, and those were the songs and music genres I'd hear most often surrounding her, but if something else played that wasn't exactly a banda or a mariachi song, she'd still appreciate it. Prince was one of those artists for her. I don't have any particular memory of her and Prince, but I've heard stories from my mom and my aunts about it. This song was her favorite, Kiss being a close second. After I found that out about my grandma I found a new love of this song, though I've never admitted that to anyone until now.
I'd imagine my grandma developed an affinity to Prince after hearing my aunts and my mom play his music so often. My grandma was a headstrong woman, very firm in her beliefs and she never changed to please anyone. But the fact that she began to enjoy Prince's music for her kids, or that she developed a taste for it from spending time with her kids often, makes me love her family oriented spirit even more. She always wanted her family close and around her at all times. Now that she's gone I find it hard, too, to be without people around. When I hear this song now, despite its lyrics, I imagine it as a song about togetherness and care; about unity despite the problems or chaos.
NUMERO TRES
Volver Volver - Vicente Fernández
The one thing about my grandma is that she always loved to joke around and have a good time. She was a big party person when she was young, and that never changed as she got older. Music became a big part of her life because of that, I'd imagine. The house was never quiet, and I heard so many different groups from her time through cassette tapes, of newer groups. Vicente Fernández was one of those artists. He was a very popular mariachi singer, and passed away very recently in December of last year. When that happened, my mind instantly went to the fact that music was dying along with her. Artists she loved the most were going just as unexpectedly as she did, and I remember breaking down a lot during that time not only because of this, but because Christmas was quickly approaching and it would be the first Christmas I spent without her. Without her music.
The reason why I chose this specific song is because of one fond memory I have. I don't have the video of said memory anymore, but if I did it would be here also. It was several New Year's Eves' ago. Family friends of ours would rent out a bowling alley for the night and invite my family over to spend New Year's Eve there with them. This was one of those occasions. It's tradition to play Volver Volver once the clock hits midnight. I remember sitting at one of the tables with my grandma just talking to her and keeping her company when the DJ plays a different song by Vicente Fernández; it wasn't midnight yet. I ask my grandma, "Grandma, do you like Vicente Fernández?" and she tells me, "No! He's too popular." When I knew that she had a couple of his cassette tapes, and it's practically sacrilegious to not like Vicente Fernández as a Mexican. Then, midnight struck and the DJ puts Volver Volver on. It was hard at this time for my grandma to stand for long periods of time without support, but she did. She stood and she began singing the song as loud as she could, and I remember laughing so hard because only moments before was she saying she hated his music. I can't listen to this song now without thinking of that moment, and of how happy she was singing beside me, holding me tight not only for support, but because I was beside her and she wanted to hold me.
