Festival
Dominic Frontiere and his Orchestra Lyrics

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Perdido, I look for my heart it's perdido
I lost it way down in Torido
While chancing a dance fiesta
Bolero, he glanced as I danced the Bolero
He said taking off his sombrero: "Let's meet for a sweet fietsa"

High was the sun when we first came close
Low was the moon when we said adios

Perdido, since then has my heart been perdido
I know I must go to Torido, that yearning to lose perdido

I look for my heart it's perdido
I lost it way down in Torido
He glanced as I danced the Bolero
He smiled as he tipped his sombrero

High was the moon when we first came close
Low was the moon when we said adios

Since then has my heart been perdido
I must go to Torido, that yearning telude

Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido
The day the fiesta started

Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido
That's when my heart departed

It's perdido!

Overall Meaning

The song Festival, performed by Dominic Frontiere and his Orchestra, features the lyrics of the classic bolero tune Perdido. Bolero music has its roots in Cuba and became popular in the early 20th century. The song opens with the singer looking for her heart, which is lost in Torido, a reference to a fictional place within the rhythmic structure of the song. The singer recalls her chance encounter with her love interest, who approached her during a dance fiesta, enchanted by the way she danced the Bolero. He took off his sombrero and asked her to meet him for a sweet fiesta.

The lyrics are infused with passion and urgency, as the singer reminisces about the fleeting romance that she shared with her lover. The lines "High was the sun when we first came close/Low was the moon when we said adios" suggest that time moved quickly during their encounter, and their love burned brightly, but only briefly. The repetition of "perdido" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's emotional turmoil as she searches for her lost heart in Torido, the place where her love was born.

Overall, the lyrics to Festival evoke the intense feelings of love and loss that can come with chance encounters and fleeting romances, and the passionate rhythms of the music reinforce these emotions. The song is a classic example of bolero music, which has been beloved in Latin America and beyond for generations.

Line by Line Meaning

Perdido, I look for my heart it's perdido
Lost and searching for my heart, which is lost in Perdido

I lost it way down in Torido
I lost my heart in Torido while attending a dance festival

While chancing a dance fiesta
While taking a risk and attending a dance festival

Bolero, he glanced as I danced the Bolero
He caught my eye while I was dancing the Bolero

He said taking off his sombrero: "Let's meet for a sweet fietsa"
He expressed his interest in me and suggested we meet for a sweet festival

High was the sun when we first came close
We first met when the sun was high in the sky

Low was the moon when we said adios
We parted ways when the moon was low in the sky

Since then has my heart been perdido
Ever since then, my heart has been lost

I must go to Torido, that yearning telude
I feel a strong desire to go back to Torido to find what has been lost

Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido oeoeoeoe Perdido
Lost and searching, my heart is truly lost

The day the fiesta started
It was on the day that the festival began