"Babalú" is a Cuban popular

afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of Afro-textured hair, kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally Hair#Curly hair, curly or Hair#Classification systems, straight hair.Gar ...

song written by Margarita Lecuona, the cousin of composers Ernestina and

Ernesto Lecuona Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1896 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become standards of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as ...

. The song title is a reference to the

Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of We ...

deity Babalú Ayé.

Lyrics

In the song's lyrics, originally written in Spanish creole, the singer wonders aloud what to do with a statue of Babalú Ayé, now that a Santería rite had been invoked by others. He suggests that seventeen candles be lit up, in the shape of a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

, and that a cigar and

aguardiente ( Spanish), or ( Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in I ...

be brought to him, as to pay homage to the deity. He then requests good luck, love from his beloved woman, and safety and protection to both.

History

The song was first published in the United States in 1939 by Peer International. The first publication with an English translation (by Sydney King Russell) was in 1941. "Babalú" was the signature song of the fictional television character Ricky Ricardo, played by

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Lov ...

in the television comedy series ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'', though it was already an established musical number for Arnaz in the 1940s as evidenced in the 1946 film short ''Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra''. By the time Arnaz had adopted the song, it had become a Latin American music standard, associated mainly with Cuban singer Miguelito Valdés, who recorded one of its many versions with

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...

and his Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. Arnaz made the song a rather popular cultural reference in the United States. Whenever Arnaz and his band played the song live, he would finish it with an extended conga solo and chorus-refrain section, mimicking Cuban '' comparsas'' (a popular genre usually associated with the city of

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

). This section has been quoted by other Cuban artists, most notably by

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music that had featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami L ...

in their live presentations.

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (September 13, 1922 (birth certificate) or September 10, 1922 (later documents) – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Yma Sumac (), was a Peruvian-American coloratura soprano. She was one ...

sang it in 1952 in her second single ''

Wimoweh "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were wr ...

/ Babalú'' with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. It was an introduction for Sumac into

traditional pop music Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

recorded the song twice. It was included on his album ''

'' (1956) and his album '' Olé'' (1964).

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

recorded the song on his album Billy's Best! ( Mercury, 1958, with Billy May's Orchestra). In

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer t ...

's " Quick Draw McGraw", the title character's Mexican burro sidekick, who was based on Desi Arnaz, was named

Baba Looey Baba Looey is a fictional Mexican donkey that appeared in '' The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. He is the deputy and familiar to Sheriff Quick Draw McGraw. He speaks Spanish with a Mexican accent. He was originally voiced by Daws Butler. Characte ...

in a nod to the song. The song is performed by Maria Andipa in the 1962 "Death's Dispatch" episode of '' The Avengers''. A Ska rendition was recorded and performed by Ska Cubano a Mambo-Ska band from Britain made up of musicians and singers from many diverse countries. In the early fifties, the song was recorded by Brazilian singer

Angela Maria Angela Maria (13 May 1929 – 29 September 2018), the stage name of Abelim Maria da Cunha, was a Brazilian singer and actress. She was elected "Queen of the Radio" in 1954 and was considered the most popular singer of that decade in Brazil. Dis ...

, and it became her biggest hit.

References

Cuban songs Johnny Mathis songs 1939 songs {{worldmusic-song-stub