Friday, February 29, 2008

El Mojado (The Wetback)

Whether its Shakira or Celia Cruz or Antonio Carlos Jobim, Latin America offers a rich and unique catalog of musical styles that are popular in many parts of the globe. Additionally, many Hispanic artists are talented and popular within the region but are perhaps not as known internationally because of the nature of the themes they address in their music or their reluctance to be part of multi-national record labels. These artists are often more interested in using their popularity as a means of addressing social issues and not simply limiting the scope of their talents to catchy tunes. Ricardo Arjona, a famous Guatemalan singer, certainly used his music as a social tool in his song “El Mojado,” or “the Wetback.” It is a song with brilliant lyrics that attempt to show the dehumanizing effects of the illegal immigrants' plight and the senselessness behind the sometimes hostile stances taken by the US government and some Americans against them. You can read the lyrics here and see what I mean by his use of lyricism to address a real, complex issue, and you can also see the excellent music video below:


1 comment:

Mateo C. said...

The bassist from Intocable is my cousin Felix.