Listening Blog # 14 – “Cucurrucu Paloma” – Lola Beltrán (1964)

Instrumentation: Voice (Beltrán and background), Strings (violin), Guitar, Horns (trumpet)

Form: Strophic – Bertrán’s verses have a more conversational feel, as she relates the story through them. She returns after the verses to the chorus “Cucurrucucu Paloma”.

Origin/Genre: This song exemplifies the ranchera genre related to mariachi music. This is foremost evident in Beltrán’s ranchera style of singing, which is quite distinctive, and the typical mariachi instrumentation present in the background. The song is also about (tragic) love, a typical subject for ranchera music.

Melody: The melody of the song seems fairly complex: the melody is characterized by unusual interval leaps and rhythmic syncopation, which seems to give it a feeling of spontaneity and improvisation. It seems likely that this melody, which would be hard to compose on paper or transcribe, would be passed down in the oral tradition.

Texture: The texture of the song varies only slightly: the majority consists of Beltran singing and band accompaniment. However, after Beltrán’s first chorus, the instrumental interlude shows the full texture of the mariachi band, demonstrating an interplay between the strings and horns. As for Beltrán, her thick voice texture is distinctive enough to carry the song. Her style of singing varies between subdued and slightly whispered during the verses, to loud and almost forced during the chorus. The pushed element of her singing creates an atmosphere of tension, urgency, and passion.

Lyrics: The lyrics revolve around a man’s endless passion for his ill-fated lover, even after his death. ‘Cuccurucu’ refers to the cooing sound a dove, or ‘Paloma’ makes, which is the shape the man’s spirit takes after death, singing still in the hopes that his love will return. As such, the song is an incredibly tragic one of lost love, which is in keeping with typical ranchera songs. They often involved love, or other subjects that would invoke passion, such as patriotism. Beltrán does a good job of conveying the immortal passion that this man has for this woman.

Personal Response: As a vocalist trained in the ‘classical’ (European) method, I find the ranchera style of singing to be incredibly different, yet fascinating. Beltrán’s technique seems incredibly forced, which I’ve always been taught is bad technique, but at the same time, it conveys a tension and passion, as well as a vocal weight, that I’ve often felt is missing from the precision and lightness of classical training. Overall, I must say that I am not sure how much I ‘like’ the song, or Beltrán’s voice, which at times sounds, in my opinion, overly heavy, to the point where it is not so much singing as it is yelling. However, I do think that she is a very good fit for the song, and that ranchera style as a whole is an incredibly expressive and passionate musical style.