Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan--The oldest and greatest of the Mariachis

As long as I can remember, I've loved guitar music--Spanish cante jondo, Portuguese fado, and especially mariachi from south of the border. I was reminded just now of Mariachi by an NPR program about Mariachi Vargas, Mexico's oldest and premier Mariachi group and inspired to offer some of my favorites and some of the best Mariachi mucic in this hub, leading off with my favorite La Malaguena Salerosa and followed by other favorites "Cielito Lindo" and three versions of "Adelita" including one by Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. [Adelita was a heroine of the Mexican revolution.].

Mariachi songs are interpreted mostly by tenor-pitched singers, a characteristic feature in this type of music. Mariachi songs are even interpreted by opera singers like "Cielito Lindo" interpreted by the Three Tenors on distinct occasions. Most notably, the tenors Placido Domingo and José Carreras worked on a tour with Alejandro Fernandez where they sung along several classic Mariachi and Mexican folk music. (From Wikipedia) As is the case with flamenco and fado, many of the songs' themes are sad, about lost or unrequited loves and various other tragedies. For example, La Malaguena Salerosa is about a man telling a woman (from Málaga, Spain) how beautiful she is, and how he would love to be her man, but that he understands her rejecting him for being too poor. [Salerosa means tasty, salty, livel, graceful in English, I just learned from the Internet and from a native Spanish speaker friend.]

The themes of many mariachi songs are reminiscent of the love poems of Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda.

Que bonitos ojos tienes
Debajo de esas dos cejas
Debajo de esas dos cejas
Que bonitos ojos tienes.

Ellos me quieren mirar
Pero si tu no los dejas
Pero si tu no los dejas
Ni siquiera parpadear.

Malaguena salerosa
Besar tus labios quisiera
Besar tus labios quisiera.
Malaguena salerosa
Y decirte nina hermosa.

Que eres lin........da y hechicera,
Que eres linda y hechicera
Como el candor de una rosa.

Si por pobre me desprecias
Yo te concedo razon
Yo te concedo razon
Si por pobre me desprecias.

Yo no te ofrezco riquezas
Te ofrezco mi corazon
Te ofrezco mi corazon
A cambio de mi pobreza.

Malaguena salerosa
Besar tus labios quisiera
Besar tus labios quisiera.
Malaguena salerosa
Y decirte nina hermosa.

Que eres lin........da y hechicera,
Que eres linda y hechicera
Como el candor de una rosa.
Y decirte nina hermosa.

*********************************************

Malaguena Salerosa [english Translation] lyrics

What pretty eyes you have,
Under those two eyebrows.
Under those two eyebrows,
What pretty eyes you have.

They want to look at me.
But if you don’t leave them
But if you don’t leave them
Not even to flash…

Rose leaves of Málaga
To kiss your wanted lips
To kiss your wanted lips
Rose leaves of Málaga
And telling you, beautiful girl…

That you are pretty and magical,
That you are pretty and magical,
As the innocence of a rose.

If in poverty you despise me,
I give you truth.
I give you truth,
If in poverty you despise me.

I do not offer you wealth (riches)
I offer you my heart.
I offer you my heart
In exchange for my poverty.

Rose leaves of Málaga
To kiss your wanted lips
To kiss your wanted lips
Rose leaves of Málaga
And telling you, beautiful girl…

That you are pretty and magical
That you are pretty and magical
As the innocence of a rose
And telling you, beautiful girl.

[This, in my opinion, isn't a very good translation. It's awkard as is the one in my comment below. A good poet should do a translation of these lyrics from the most popular mariachi song.]