This Week in Latin Music: Los Tigres del Norte, Bad Bunny and ‘Amor Eterno’
In case you missed it, here are some standout moments in Latin music from the week of August 5th.
Los Tigres del Norte, “La Prisión de Folsom (Folsom Prison Blues)”
Johnny Cash aficionados will recall his 1968 album, At Folsom Prison, and its landmark opening song, “Folsom Prison Blues.” Fifty years later, Johnny Cash’s classic would get its first-ever Spanish-language (and accordion) treatment by Los Tigres del Norte. The song was recorded live in the same prison made famous by Cash, which has notably seen demographic shifts in the past five decades: Latinxs now comprise 43% of California’s overall prison population. In their upcoming documentary, directed by Tom Donahue, Los Tigres hope to illuminate the unique experiences of those who are Latinx and incarcerated, through a series of emotional interviews with inmates. The documentary is slated for release in September.
J Balvin and Bad Bunny, “Yo Le Llego”
Superfriends J Balvin and Bad Bunny work hard — and in the new video for “Yo Le Llego,” they play hard. They have much cause to celebrate: as of Friday, their joint LP Oasis has entered its fifth week as the Number One Latin album in the United States.
iLe, “Tu Rumba”
Of the many Puerto Rican artists who took the streets during July’s #RickyRenuncia protests, iLe has been one of the island’s most outspoken advocates for change. “I want my country to be free,” the singer-songwriter told Rolling Stone in April, while touring her sophomore album, Almadura. In her latest single, “Tu Rumba,” iLe proves she’s as much a romantic as she is a revolutionary.
The Return of “Amor Eterno”
Latinx communities across the United States and Mexico have been shaken in the wake of the El Paso shooting, which left 22 dead and 25 injured. The professed shooter, Patrick Crusius, told authorities he had targeted the Mexican community; among those attacked in the Cielo Vista Mall parking lot include U.S. citizens, immigrants and Mexican nationals. This week mourners returned to reclaim Ciela Vista, and with the help of a local mariachi band, they rallied around the classic funeral song “Amor Eterno.” The iconic Mexican balladeer Juan Gabriel first wrote the ranchera while grieving the death of his mother; it was later adopted, and made timeless, by Spanish diva Rocío Dúrcal in 1984.
If you come from a Mexican family, you know this song. It's usually sung at funerals as a last good bye. It ends with the promise that one day we will reunite.
Today, #ElPaso sang it to the 20 victims of Saturday's massacre. #AmorEterno pic.twitter.com/EUACgnqIsl
— Angélica María Casas (@AngelicaMCasas) August 5, 2019
Mon Laferte, “Canción de Mierda”
Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte has put her own rock ‘n’ roll spin on salsa, ranchera, cumbia and more. But she revives the sad girl blues that first put her on the map in “Canción de Mierda” — which literally translates to “Shit Song.” She kicks off her North American tour this weekend in Seattle.
Bad Bunny and Eladio Carrion, “Kemba Walker”
El Conejo Malo returns to his classic trap en español sound with baritone singer Eladio Carrion in the slow-burning “Kemba Walker”.