Along the way, El Chicano had many personnel changes; members who didn't join until the '70s included Ersi Arvizu (lead vocals), Hector "Rudy" Regalado (timbales, vocals), Max Garduno (congas), Danny Lamonte (drums), Brian Magness (bass), Joe Perreira (bass), Jerry Salas (lead vocals, guitar), Rudy Salas (guitar), and Steve Salas (lead vocals), among others. (The Salas brothers went on to join another East L.A. band, Tierra, which was an El Chicano spinoff and is best-known for its hit 1980 cover of the Intruders' Philadelphia soul ballad "Together"). After creating a buzz in East L.A. in the late '60s, El Chicano signed with MCA in 1970 and recorded its debut album, Viva Tirado. The instrumental title song, which was written by jazz pianist Gerald Wilson, was released as a single and became El Chicano's biggest hit; the recording reached number 28 on Billboard's pop singles chart and number 20 on its R&B singles chart. On regional L.A. charts, "Viva Tirado" spent about 12 weeks at number one. "Viva Tirado" (which was inspired by Mexican bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado) was a rarity; in the '60s and '70s, one rarely saw any type of jazz instrumental — straight-ahead, fusion, soul-jazz, or otherwise — climbing that high up the national Billboard charts. When a jazz instrumental became a hit single in the pop or R&B markets, it was the exception instead of the rule. While the "Viva Tirado" single didn't make El Chicano national superstars — they were never as big as Santana — the band did acquire a loyal cult following and was especially popular in the Mexican-American neighborhoods of the southwestern United States. El Chicano's second biggest hit came in 1973 when MCA released the brown-eyed soul classic "Tell Her She's Lovely" as a single. Nationally, the tune (which features Jerry Salas on lead vocals) wasn't a major hit; "Tell Her She's Lovely" only reached number 40 on Billboard's pop singles chart and number 98 on the magazine's R&B singles chart. But in Mexican-American neighborhoods, the song was huge — among Chicano Baby Boomers, "Tell Her She's Lovely" was as popular as War's big '70s hits. The band also composed the theme to Robert Blake's 1970s television cop show “Baretta" . El Chicano's contract with MCA ended in 1976; that year, the band recorded its first post-MCA album, This Is...El Chicano, for the independent Shady Brooke label (where the L.A. residents enjoyed more creative control than they had during their six years at MCA). The band's next LP, Look of Love, was released on Musidisc in 1977; then in the early '80s, El Chicano briefly recorded for Columbia, which released the romantic blue-eyed soul tune "Do You Want Me" as a single in 1983. Although not a national chart-buster, the song became a minor hit (primarily in Mexican-American areas). El Chicano, enjoyed newfound attention in the 1990s after rapper Kid Frost sampled "Viva Tirado" for his hit "La Raza." and the band made a long overdue return to the studio with 1998's album Painting the Moment which showed some creeping influences of smooth jazz into the band's sound. Released on Thump, that CD marked the return of original lead guitarist Mickey Lespron, who had not recorded with El Chicano since the '70s.
Inevitably, El Chicano (whose Spanish name means "the Chicano" or "the Mexican-American") has been heavily influenced and compared to Latin Rock pioneer Carlos Santana. Despite similarities in approach, El Chicano has displayed a distinct style of its own and Santana is certainly not the band's only influence. Over the years, El Chicano has been stylistically affected by everyone from Chicano soulsters like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters to Latin soul-jazz favorite Pucho to salsa heavyweights such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Mongo Santamaria. El Chicano's members were not only affected by the Mexican-American experience, they were also well aware of what Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians were doing on the East Coast and in the Caribbean, as well as contemporary jazz and funk artists.
The Look Of Love
El Chicano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is in your eyes
A look your smile can't
disguise
The look of love
Is saying so much more than
Just words could every say
And what my heart has heard
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
Now that I have found you
You've got the look of love
It's on your face
A look that time can't erase
Baby be mine, tonight
Let this be just the start of
So many nights like this
Let's take a lovers vow
And seal it with a kiss
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
now that I have found you
Don't ever go
Don't ever go
I love you so
The look of love
Let this be just the start of
So many nights like this
Let's take a lover's vow
And baby we'll seal it with a kiss
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
Now that I have found you
In this song, El Chicano is describing the look of love in his partner's eyes. He mentions that it is a look that cannot be disguised by a smile or any other expression. This look of love is strong enough to convey much more than words could ever express. It takes his breath away and he can barely contain his excitement waiting to hold her in his arms.
The singer expresses his desire to start a new chapter in his love life with his partner. He wants them to take a lover's vow and seal it with a kiss. He cannot wait to hold her again and expresses how long he has waited just to love her. The lyrics convey a sense of excitement and anticipation for the future.
Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of someone's love for their partner. It captures the excitement, anticipation, and happiness that comes with finding true love.
Line by Line Meaning
The look of love
The expression on your face that conveys affection and adoration
Is in your eyes
It can be seen in the way you gaze at me
A look your smile can't disguise
Even if you're smiling, the loving way you look at me still shines through
Is saying so much more than
The expression is conveying more than
Just words could ever say
Any declaration of love in words would not be enough to match the intensity of the look
And what my heart has heard
The look has communicated to my heart
Well, it takes my breath away
It's so overwhelming that it leaves me breathless
I can hardly wait to hold you
I'm excited about holding you
Feel my arms around you
I want to embrace you
How long I have waited
I have been longing for this moment for a very long time
Waited just to love you
All this time I've been waiting for the chance to love you
Now that I have found you
Now that I have finally met you
You've got the look of love
Your expression is filled with love
It's on your face
It can be seen in your facial expression
A look that time can't erase
Even as time goes by, the expression remains as strong as ever
Baby be mine, tonight
I want you to be mine for this night
Let this be just the start of
I hope this is the beginning of
So many nights like this
Many more amazing nights like this
Let's take a lovers vow
Let's make a promise to each other as lovers
And seal it with a kiss
We'll solidify it with a kiss
Don't ever go
I don't want you to leave ever
I love you so
I love you very much
Writer(s): HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
D Perez
on I Want You To Know
Her mom and dad not sure but would be OK if their daughters older sister chaperoned her on their date to the Fair.
I think it's from an old Spanish short story
clever lyrics either way
Jesse
on The Latin One
Part of it was played in the movie Donnie Brasco
rilisgomez
on Chachita
i love this piece, but can anybody give me the meaning behind it.