Decoding "Despacito": An Oral History of Latin Music - Softcover

Cobo, Leila

 
9780593081334: Decoding "Despacito": An Oral History of Latin Music
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0593081331 ISBN 13: 9780593081334
Verlag: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2021

Inhaltsangabe

A behind the scenes look at the music that is currently the soundtrack of the globe, reported on and written by Leila Cobo, Billboard's VP of Latin Music and the world's ultimate authority on popular Latin music.

Decoding "Despacito" tracks the stories behind the biggest Latin hits of the past fifty years. From the salsa born and bred in the streets of New York City, to Puerto Rican reggaetón and bilingual chart-toppers, this rich oral history is a veritable treasure trove of never-before heard anecdotes and insight from a who's who of Latin music artists, executives, observers, and players. Their stories, told in their own words, take you inside the hits, to the inner sanctum of the creative minds behind the tracks that have defined eras and become hallmarks of history.

FEATURING THE STORIES BEHIND SONGS BY:
José Feliciano • Los Tigres Del Norte • Julio Iglesias • Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine • Willie Colón • Juan Luis Guerra • Selena • Los Del Río • Carlos Vives • Elvis Crespo • Ricky Martin • Santana • Shakira • Daddy Yankee • Marc Anthony • Enrique Iglesias with Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona • Luis Fonsi with Daddy Yankee • J Balvin with Willy William • Rosalía

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Leila Cobo is the vice president and Latin industry lead at Billboard and heads the Billboard Latin Music Conference. She has published two novels and three books about Latin music, including a top-selling biography of the late Jenni Rivera.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter 1

“Feliz Navidad”

José Feliciano

1970

Players

José Feliciano: Artist, composer

Rick Jarrard: Producer

Susan Feliciano: Wife, fan

If you could pinpoint the beginnings of what would later be termed “crossover,” some of it would undoubtedly be found in the music of José Feliciano. In 1968, the Puerto Rican guitarist and singer captured the public imagination with his mind-bending cover of “Light My Fire,” a vocal tour de force where the voice shares as much glory as Feliciano’s guitar. One can find bolero references here, but, really, this is an homage to the Doors and Jim Morrison, performed by a Puerto Rican virtuoso whose music is as steeped in the blues as it is in Latin music. The track was produced by the man who would become Feliciano’s longtime friend and producer, Rick Jarrard.

“Light My Fire” would peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, establishing Feliciano as a force in the business and paving the way for his 1968 Grammy as Best New Artist.

After that success, you might think that “Feliz Navidad” was part of a carefully planned strategic move. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Feliciano was working on an album of Christmas songs, with a couple of originals to be included among the covers. Jarrard suggested an original track and Feliciano came up with “Feliz Navidad” almost on a whim. The song became bilingual, he said, because he didn’t want pop radio not to play it.

To understand how revolutionary, and prescient, this decision was, you only have to look at what the future of Latin music would hold, with bilingual songs populating the charts in record numbers five decades later.

As for “Feliz Navidad,” its popularity grew slowly but surely through the years, finally attaining that rarest of standings: It’s now a classic holiday song. In both Spanish and English.

Rick Jarrard

We’ve been friends for so many years. We’re brothers. He calls me every day and every night and we end up having a Grand Marnier or something over the phone. A little salud.

My first record with José was the Light My Fire album, and that was a great, but exciting, challenge. I’m a great admirer of Latin music. Man, I love percussion. And that’s one of the reasons I loved José and I always tried, even from the first album, I’d say, “Hey, José, let’s toss a little Spanish in there.” And I loved it when he sings it because it was so emotional and so romantic. He is such an incredible guitarist and musician. I love rock, but I also love classical, and José had all those elements combined.

Susan Feliciano

When Rick first met José, he went to see him perform at the Golden Bear Club in Southern California. He heard some of the stuff he was doing onstage and drew inspiration for how the album was to be based on that, just building on the obvious. So he did a number of songs that were on the Feliciano album. As it turns out, “Light My Fire” was a hit the year before and Rick said, “José, you know we have a little time left, do you want to lay down ‘Light My Fire’?”

And José said, “Oh, Rick, it was a hit a year before. I don’t think so.” But he ended up doing it almost in jest, and “Light My Fire” became “Light My Fire.” Fast-forward three years. José and Rick have an extraordinary relationship. True brothers. I’ve seen him open his veins for José. With Rick it’s real. It’s not just words. They speak every day. They have for a long, long time.

José Feliciano

I never expected “Feliz Navidad” to be so iconic. I wrote it for a Christmas album that I did with Rick Jarrard, the same producer I had just done my English album with.

I was feeling kind of lonesome for my family in Puerto Rico, and Rick and I were doing the Christmas album, and Rick said to me, “You know, José, you should write a Christmas song.” And I looked at him a little bit bewildered and said, “Rick, I don’t know that I can write a Christmas song that’s as good as the ones that are already out there. Like songs by Mel Tormé and his cohort.” Rick said, “No, man, just write the song.”

And I wrote the first lyric of the song: “Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad [Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, and a happy and prosperous New Year].”

Rick Jarrard

I love Christmas, José loves Christmas. We were doing the Christmas album, and we picked a bunch of traditional songs, some of which hadn’t been done in a long time. I was at his house, and we were working together on the songs he had picked, and it’s so funny because he had parrots at the time and they were screaming. I’ll never forget that scene. It’s locked in my mind. After we worked on “Silent Night” and the other songs, I said, “José, man, it would be great if you could write an original Christmas song.” And this was such a funny scene, because we talked and talked and laughed and joked around. And he said, “How about this? ‘Feliz Navidad, feliz Navidad.’ ” I said, “Man, I love that!” And he said, “Ricky, that is so simple, no one will ever like this song.” I said, “José, we are recording that on our next session.”

He is such a great musician. He felt the song was too simple, that it was not up to his normal level of expertise. He was totally serious about that. And I said, “José, I love it. We’re putting it on the next session.” And he said, “Okay.”

That’s one thing about José: We’ve always worked together and respected each other immensely. And if I want to try something, he’ll try it. And if he wants to try something, I’ll say, “Okay, let’s do it.” And he was open to that and we put that on the next session, and, lo and behold, we got “Feliz Navidad.”

Susan Feliciano

They’re working on a Christmas album, and it was supposed to be the greatest story ever told, and they were very careful in choosing the pieces and the instrumentals. It’s beautifully done. And Rick goes to José, and says, “You know, José, we need a Christmas song.” And José goes, “Oh, Rick, I don’t think so. How can I compete with Irving Berlin?” And Rick says, “Come on, José.” And fifteen minutes later they had “Feliz Navidad.”

José Feliciano

And then I said to myself, “Well, let me make it bilingual, so the radio stations can’t turn me off.” So I did the lyric: “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.”

It just came to me; there’s no rhyme or reason. The first lyric came to me, then I put the English lyric into it, not realizing that I had made it the only bilingual Christmas song ever in the world. I created a monster. Because this song has become the iconic Christmas song. Oh, most definitely. The only “Latin” Christmas record that you heard in English was “¿Dónde está Santa Claus? [Where Is Santa Claus?]” [a 1958 novelty hit performed by child star Augie Ríos, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents]. That was the Christmas song people listened to. Along came “Feliz Navidad” and it was...

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Verlag
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Erscheinungsdatum
2021
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0593081331
ISBN 13 
9780593081334
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
320
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