Joan Sebastian, a Mexican singer, has been an influential figure in the music world with his passionate ranchera songs. His CD, Joan Sebastian con Mariachi, features various songs that deal with the theme of lost and unrequited love. In Peter Manuel’s Popular Music of the Non-Western World. he observes that a large number of Mexican music originates from other countries when he says, “the vast majority of the popular music produced in Mexico has been and continues to be based on imported styles” (Manuel 53).
Mexico was influenced mainly by European and western styles of music, which William Gradante explains when he says that, “Under Porfirio Diaz, Mexico had become a nation that turned toward the United States and Europe for its patterns of cultural, economic, and social development” (Gradante 43). Manuel notes, however that ranchera music is one of the few musical genres whose roots trace back to Mexico (Manuel 55). The word ranchera is closely associated with the word “rancho,” which in Spanish means ranch. The word “ranch” allows one to envision a rural area, with expanding grasslands, and farm animals.
These rural and agricultural lands in Mexico are where the first ranchera songs appeared, which Manuel reveals when he says, “The early canciones rancheras were peasant songs originating in the rural haciendas” (Manuel 55). The term “haciendas” is a Spanish word that describes large farmlands and estates. In his essay, “”El Hijo Del Pueblo’: Jose Alfredo Jimenez and the Mexican ‘Cancion Ranchera,” William Gradante explains that the term “cancion ranchera,” was used to describe the songs that were sung by the common folk such as peasants, farm workers, and ranch hands on ranches, and the estates where they worked (Gradante 44).
The reason that ranchera music became widespread is because of the influence of the Mexican Revolution and of mass media. Gradante explains that during the revolution there was a shift in ideals as this peasant culture became glorified and celebrated, whereas before this music had been viewed by others with contempt (Gradante 43). During the revolution, ranchera music was included in many theaters including those in Mexico City, and as a result this form of music was popularized (Manuel 55). Ranchera, like most music has been spread through the influence of media and technology.
It was also diffused through different forms of mass media, such as television, radio and cinema (Manuel 55). Though radio and records played a major role in the diffusion of ranchera music, it was the cinema and films that had the greatest impact, which is seen when Manuel says, “The real vogue of the cancion ranchera, however, coincided with its incorporation into the mass media: radio, records, and especially the cinema of the thirties and forties” (Manuel 55). Mexican films allowed for ranchera music to reach a greater audience than it had before.
Both Manuel and Gradante agree that Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete were some of the most influential singers of ranchera music, with Gradante stating that “the ranchera’s popularity increased simultaneously with the rise to fame of Pedro Infante” (Gradante 44). Cinema featured artists who both sang and acted, such as Pedro Infante, and as such these artists were glamorized (Manuel 55). These films featured romance, gunfights, and action, which allowed for the lower class to become immersed in this fantasy (Manuel 55-56). In her book, The Migration of Musical Film: From Ethnic Margins to American Mainstream, Desiree J.
Garcia explains that the appeal of the songs in these Mexican films is that they had qualities that reminded people of Mexican culture and nationalism when she says, “Evoking an ideal of manliness, integrity, and patriotism, the songs solidified a connection to the positive aspects of Mexico and Mexican culture” (Garcia 81). This reminder of Mexican tradition, culture, and values is what made ranchera music popular both in Mexico and in the United States (Garcia 81). The instruments that are used in ranchera music include violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuelas, Mexican guitarrones, accordions, and bajo sextos (Manuel 56).
The defining aspect of ranchera music is that it features a strong voice that sings in a melodramatic and emotional tone (Manuel 56). Ranchera music is also highly organized, and includes a chorus that sings in parallel thirds (Manuel 56). According to Peter Manuel, ranchera music has ensembles that accompany the music; these ensembles can either be a conjunto or a mariachi group (Manuel 56). While a conjunto group is usually composed of accordion and bajo sexto players, a mariachi group has “two violins, two trumpets, guitar, vihuela, and bass guitarron” (Manuel 56).
These instruments are also used in other closely related forms of Mexican music such as norteno music and Tex-Mex, which Manuel notes when he says, “The conjunto ensemble and, to a large extent, the cancion ranchera itself, are strongly associated with the norteno and Tex-Mex musics of the northern border regions” (Manuel 56). In The Latin Guitar Handbook, Chris Mello explains that most ranchera songs focus on the topic of love and nationalism when he says that they, “usually contained themes of love, patriotism, or nature” (Mello 67).
Though ranchera music still deals with themes of romance today, Mello says that there was a shift in the themes of ranchera music which occurred when “as a result of unemployment and harder times, the mariachi began to change to themes about revolutionary heroes and current events” (Mello 67). In his book, Musical Ritual in Mexico City: From the Aztec to NAFTA, Mark Pedelty places emphasis on the social power of ranchera music when he says that it is “a social realist genre” (Pedelty 232).
He says that the reason ranchera music has this social force is because, “Rather than evoke an abstract or ethereal sense of love or longing, ranchera song and film narratives often deal with definable characters, living in actual places, taking very specific actions on behalf of the people. Ranchera protagonists, including the singers themselves, represent the people. They sing songs of collective regional or national pride” (Pedelty 232). As shown by Pedelty’s statement, ranchera music does not only deal with issues of love, but also tells individual stories that capture the essence of Mexican culture and identity.
Initially ranchera music was made by and for the working class people, which Rafaela G. Castro explains in her book, Chicano Folklore: A Guide to the Folktales, Traditions, Rituals and Religious Practices of Mexican Americans, when she says, “In the context of Mexican folk music la cancion ranchera is a love song, sung by the common folk, the peasants of the rural countryside” (Castro 197). After the Mexican revolution however, there was a shift in the audience as ranchera music began to appeal to the upper class “because of the movement toward a Mexican identity and a rejection of European cultural values” (Castro 197).
Today, ranchera music is enjoyed by people of all ages, and is particularly listened to by Chicanos and Mexicans living in the United States according to Castro (Castro 197). In chapter 9 of Masculinity and Sexuality in Modern Mexico, “Mariachis Machos and Charros Gays: Masculinities in Guadalajara,” Mary-Lee Mulholland explains that it is younger generation ranchera artists such as Alejandro Fernandez that have allowed ranchera music to reach more people such as women, teenagers, and middle class families, instead of only focusing on urban folks (Mulholland 252).
Joan Sebastian’s songs have the traditional characteristics found in most ranchera songs, such as the use of a mariachi group, a strong voice, and themes about love. One of his more wellknown songs is titled “Tatuajes,” which means “tattoos” (Sebastian). The theme of this song is of lost love. In this song Joan Sebastian laments that he has to part from his loved one, and declares that he will never forget this woman who is causing him heartbreak (Sebastian). The instruments used for this song include guitars, drums, trombones, an electric piano, bass guitars, and a harmonica (Sebastian).
The first instrument that is heard at the beginning of the song is the guitar. Though the trombones, drums, and harmonica each have moments in which they overpower the sound of the guitars, the guitars are at the center of the song, and as such are the focus. The guitars are the focus because they are played throughout the song, instead of at intervals like the trombones and drums. Initially the song is mellow and quiet however, as if following the lead of Joan Sebastian’s voice, the music gains power as the pitch of his voice becomes higher.
Towards the end of the song, Joan Sebastian begins to sing in a lower pitch, and likewise the music slows down and becomes softer as if to allow for his final words of “me voy pero te llevo dentro de mi” to stand out (Sebastian). He repeats these words, which mean “I’m leaving, but I’ll take you inside of me,” to create an emotional response in the listeners as he declares his resolve to never forget his love (Sebastian). The addition of backup singers creates the impression that Joan Sebastian’s voice becomes stronger at certain moments in the song.
The background singers sing the same words as Joan Sebastian however, instead of overpowering his voice they support it by singing at a quieter volume. Because the backup singers sing in unison with Joan Sebastian, emphasis is placed on the parts of the song that they sing together. What allows for the song to be emotional is not only the vocalist’s voice, but also the use of certain instruments. After Joan Sebastian sings the words “hiriendo mi felicidad,” a harmonica plays a sad tune, whose melody recalls the harmonica used in the blues (Sebastian).
The words “hiriendo mi felicidad” mean “hurting/wounding my happiness” (Sebastian). Because the harmonica plays a sad melody after Joan Sebastian sings these words, there is a sense that the harmonica is playing a requiem for this lost happiness. The harmonica is used to express the sadness and emotional distress in the song. After he declares “aunque eres mi necesidad” (“even though are my necessity’), a single quiet melody is played on the guitar (Sebastian). This tune is an emotional one due to the simple aspect of the melody.
The low pitch of the singer’s voice conveys adness, while his higher pitch expresses the strength of his emotions. Another song featured in Joan Sebastian’s album, Joan Sebastian con Mariachi, is “Aunque Me Duela El Alma,” which translates to “Even though My Soul Hurts” (Sebastian). In this song, Sebastian uses a mariachi group and instrumentation, which includes violins, guitars, trombones, and an accordion (Sebastian). Like the song “Tatuajes,” this song is about unrequited love (Sebastian). Whereas “Tatuajes” placed emphasis on the idea of remembering love, in this song Sebastian declares he will forget this love (Sebastian).
The stronger tone of the singer’s voice makes the song less sentimental, instead it is more reproachful. As he declares that he will give the “besos, flores, and pesos” (kisses, flowers, and money) that were meant for her to another person, the violins pick up a quicker tempo and play an aggressive melody (Sebastian). The short and quick notes played by the violins during this part of the song express the anger and disappointment that the singer is also conveying through the lyrics.
Another notable feature of this song is the background singer who is heard more audibly than the background singer of “Tatuajes” (Sebastian). The background singer repeats only certain words throughout the song, and as such emphasis is placed on these parts. In one instance, Joan Sebastian is singing the line “Aunque me vean llorando” (“Even if I’m seen crying’), the background singer repeats the word “llorando” (Sebastian). In repeating the word “crying,” the strong emotion associated with the word is conveyed (Sebastian).
Sebastian and the background singer howl the word together, which creates the impression that they are crying with resentment. Though Joan Sebastian’s ranchera songs are about love, these ranchera songs fight back against cultural imperialism. They also create a sense nostalgia because ranchera music is closely tied with the Mexican heritage and past. Manuel explains that, “the vast majority of the popular music produced in Mexico has been and continues to be based on imported styles” (Manuel 53).
Ranchera arose as a way to combat cultural imperialism and popularize Mexican culture, and traditions, which is shown when Castro explains that the reason ranchera music became more popular is precisely because it promotes “Mexican identity and nationalism,” and in turn rejects all other forms of “cultural value” (Castro 197). Joan Sebastian’s songs, “Tatuajes” and “Aunque Me Duela el Alma,” may appear to only be love songs, but they tell the story of an individual, and as such are relatable for the listeners (Sebastian). Joan Sebastian’s songs ultimately capture the spirit of Mexican culture and tradition.