La Llorona (song)
Its origins are obscure, but, around 1941, composer Andres Henestrosa mentioned hearing the song in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona, picante, pero sabroso.
Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona, picante, pero sabroso.
corre el agua y nace la flor; si preguntan quién canta ¡Ay, Llorona!
Como el pino era muy tierno, Llorona, Al verme llorar, lloraba.
Hay muertos que no hacen ruido, Llorona, ¡Y es más grande su penar!
Hay muertos que no hacen ruido, Llorona, ¡Y es más grande su penar!
La luna a tus pies pusiera, Llorona, Con el sol te coronara.
Te quiero porque me sale, Llorona, de las entrañas del alma.
One popular interpretation of the song is of the singer feeling trapped by a woman (La Llorona) who has fallen in love with him.
Another interpretation following the lyrics is that the "llorona" represents the singer's deceased or abandoned spouse which would explain the morbid references throughout the song and why the lover never seems to actually try to reach her.
Folklorists of Mesoamerica theorize that La Llorona represents a survival of the basic Mesoamerican myth called, "Why the Earth Eats the Dead.
"[2] "La Llorona" falls under the genre of Mexican folklore and ranchera because of its origins as a legend and its heavy use of the guitar, respectively.
During the 1960s "folksong revival" in the United States, guitarist Jerry Silverman featured a duet arrangement of the song in the final chapter of Volume 2 of "The Folksinger's Guitar Guide," subtitled "An Advanced Instruction Guide" (1964, Oak Publications, New York), and sang the song in Spanish, with both guitar parts overdubbed, on an accompanying record, recently made available on YouTube.
One of the most famous contemporary versions of the song is performed by Mexican star Eugenia León[citation needed].
In 2006, Dulce Pontes recorded a version in Portuguese, A chorona, on her album "O Coração Tem Três Portas".
Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook covered the song on his 2007 album Frontiers, where it is sung by Amanda Martinez.
Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade covered the song on her album Musas Volumen 2 released in 2018.
Recorded with the Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley, this version features lyrics translated to the French as well as an original verse.
It was arranged for orchestra by Emilie-Claire Barlow and Steve Webster; In 2016, Gisela João recorded a cover of the song, which was released as the closing track of her second studio album, Nua.
It is well known that Vargas was a close friend and a frequent house guest of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera.
Kahlo had been drinking in a bar for some time when she notices a ghost sitting down at a nearby table.
A black shawl, which references the song lyrics, is wrapped around the ghost and Kahlo initially is quite hesitant to approach her.
Kahlo continues to listen to Vargas’ interpretation of the song, and becomes overwhelmed by her memories and begins to cry.
Kahlo begins to remember the car accident that changed her life and also her turbulent past with her husband.
The song "La Llorona" is featured in the 2017 Disney-Pixar film Coco; it is performed by Alanna Ubach as Imelda Rivera and Antonio Sol in a guest appearance as Ernesto de la Cruz in the English version and Angelica Vale and Marco Antonio Solis in the Spanish version.
Varga's song is featured in the opening and closing scenes of "Santa Muerte", the pilot episode of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
Composer Bear McCreary adapted the song for the episode "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" in Season 2 of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.
[11] A new arrangement of the song is heard during the end credits of the 2019 Guatemalan film La Llorona, written and directed by Jayro Bustamante.
In keeping with the film, this version abandons the legend in favor of a more political use of the song, referring to the genocide of the Maya-Ixil people of the Guatemalan highland during that country's civil war (1960s–1980s).
