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Rodriguez: Selena songs best in Spanish

Last Thursday was the 21st anniversary of the death of Tejano music queen Selena and April 16th will be her birthday. She would have been 45 years old this year. Remembering Selena made me think of her movie, and then of the Spanish lyrics of a song in the movie which sounded silly when translated into English.

In one “Selena” movie scene, her father asks young Selena to sing a Spanish song, “Reloj.” The lyrics go like this, “Reloj, no marques las horas, porque voy a enloquecer …” In translation, “The clock don’t mark the hours because I’m going crazy …”

“Reloj” is actually a beautiful love song originally recorded by Trio Los Panchos in the 1940s. Los Panchos were hallmarks of the golden age of Mexican cinema. When I was a child, I would hear my dad spin his vinyl records of another band, Los Felinos, with their version of “Reloj.” I loved that, along with other catchy cumbia ranchera songs by Los Felinos, and so I would hear them over and over.

As I thought about this song, and then Selena, I thought how many songs get lost in translation. Many lyrics just don’t have the same effect when translated from Spanish to English or vice versa. Recently, on Facebook, my sister Crisanta, posted an English version of a classic Mexican tear-in-my-beer,” “tequila grito-ing” song, “Volver.”

“Volver” is the ultimate, mariachi, heart-sobbing Vicente Fernandez classic. In the YouTube video, it features a satirized country version of “Volver” in English, as two Anglo-American cowboys sing, “Return, return, retuuuuurrrrn….” I’m just like, “No, I don’t think so.” Not the same.

When Selena became a pop music household name after her death, I heard people remark that they love her music, even though they didn’t understand it. So how does Selena sound in English?

One of her top hits, “Como la Flor” (Like the Flower), sounds like this when translated into English: “I know you have a new love. Nevertheless, I wish you the best. If in me you found no happiness, perhaps someone else will give it to you. Like the flower (like the flower), with so much love, you gave me. It withered. Today I leave. I know how to lose. But oh, how it hurts me. Oh, how it hurts me.”

Ouch! Such a tear-jerker. But … I would argue … more powerful in the Spanish version, especially the “Aaaay, como me duele (oh how it hurts)” part.

Some things are left better in their original language. However, even though you may not understand the words, no translation may be needed.

Bidi bidi bom bom.

Helena Rodriguez is a Portales native. Contact her at:

[email protected]