For Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins annually on September 15, GreenBookofSongs.com ® has selected five songs about famous Hispanics in history. While there are numerous leaders to choose from — elected officials, scientists, social activists, actors and musicians – we focused on heroes whose stories translate well into song.
Pancho Villa Billy Walker
Villa may have been a bandit before becoming a revolutionary leader, but Walker’s song sees him through the eyes of the Mexican villagers whose cause he championed: “He put down gold and silver, and food for us to eat / Said, ‘I didn’t come to harm you,’ and our hearts fell at his feet.”
Viva Zapata! Andy Irvine
You might not expect a Celtic folk singer to write a song of praise for a Mexican revolutionary, but Zapata’s commitment to the poor transcends such divisions. Using Zapata’s famous saying, Irvine captures his heroism well: “Isn’t it better to die on your feet than live upon your knees? / 400 years of bondage, that’s enough.”
Manos, Huesos Y Sang / Hands, Bones And Blood (Waltz For Frida Kahlo) Tish Hinojosa
Kahlo expressed through her brilliant art the tragedy of her life, marked by physical pain and heartbreak. Hinojosa portrays both the beauty and sorrow in this haunting song: “Thousand words painted by love’s broken stroke…Women would dream by your name.”
Picasso And Me Gretchen Peters
Picasso’s life included not just groundbreaking art but also many romantic partners, so it is fitting that Peters tells his story from a lover’s point of view. She watches him struggle with the conventional art world, which can’t yet grasp his genius: “Who made this game, who made these rules?…They’ll never understand him, they don’t know what I know.”
Roberto Clemente Phil Coley
The first Latin American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Clemente was also a humanitarian. He died tragically in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. This story song asks us to recognize both aspects of Clemente’s heroism: “He threw out runners from the outfield while on his knees / Though his right arm was great, honor all of him, please.”
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