Los Mariachis

The assignment on Monday got me pretty interested in mariachi music and its differences when compared to other types of music. I never took the time to understand the lyrics to mariachi songs before Monday's class; I'm a little sad that it took me so long to open my mind to los mariachis' music and lyrics considering I would say I'm pretty open to most types of music. So I looked up more songs by José Alfredo Jiménez and found that each of them seems pretty similar to the one we heard in class. In class I was surprised that the lyrics we saw in class were somewhat full of despair because the protagonist felt he would be stuck in an unrequited love for life, but that made me realize that a lot of songs in English are more about physical attraction of the moment and not the love so deep it causes pain when not reciprocated or of a deep love and tenderness that only love's touch can provide. From my understanding, most if not all mariachi songs are about some sort of deep love, not lust. Mariachis tend to sing about the real deal sort of long lasting love which is something a lot of people in American culture aren't exactly used to hearing in their music. Not all mariachi music is about love that goes unreturned, and in fact most if not all are meant to touch the heart of the opposite sex. While mariachis are often hired to play at events such as weddings and quinceañeras, in places like Mexico City and Guadalajara they are also hired to serenade women. In my opinion, people in mariachi groups deserve a lot of respect and credit.