Friday 16 October 2009
Tune of the Day: La Cucaracha
Traditional Spanish and Mexican tune
“La Cucaracha” (literally, “The Cockroach”) is a traditional Spanish folk corrido, a popular narrative song form. It became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. It has additionally become famous as a verse played on car horns.
The origins of “La Cucaracha” are obscure, with some versions of the lyrics discussing events that took place during the 15th century. Whatever its origin, it would be during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century that the song would see the first major period of verse production as rebel and government forces alike invented political lyrics for the song. So many stanzas were added during this period that today the song is associated mostly with Mexico.