Juan García Esquivel (January 20, 1918 – January 3, 2002) was a Mexican band leader, pianist, and composer for television and films. He is recognized today as one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of largely instrumental music that combines elements of lounge music and jazz with Latin flavors. Esquivel is sometimes called "The King of Space Age Pop" and "The Busby Berkeley of Cocktail Music." Esquivel is considered one of the foremost exponents of a style of late 1950s-early 1960s quirky instrumental pop that became known (in retrospect) as "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music".
He was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, and his family moved to Mexico City in 1928 where he studied at the UNAM.
Esquivel is considered the king of a style of late 1950s-early 1960s quirky instrumental pop known today as lounge music. Esquivel's musical style was highly idiosyncratic, and although elements sound like his contemporaries, many stylistic traits distinguished his music and made it instantly recognizable, including exotic percussion, wordless vocals, virtuoso piano runs, and exaggerated dynamic shifts. He used many jazz-like elements; however, other than his piano solos, there is no improvisation, and the works are tightly, meticulously arranged by Esquivel himself, who considered himself a perfectionist as a composer, performer, and recording artist.
His orchestration tended toward the very lush, employing novel instrumental combinations, such as Chinese bells, mariachi bands, whistling, and numerous percussion instruments, blended with orchestra, mixed chorus, and his own heavily-ornamented piano style. The chorus was often called upon to sing only nonsense syllables, most famously "zu-zu" and "pow!" A survey of Esquivel's recordings reveals a fondness for glissandi, sometimes on a half-valved trumpet, sometimes on a kettle drum, but most frequently on pitched percussion instruments and slide guitars.
Esquivel's use of stereo recording was legendary, occasionally featuring two bands recording simultaneously in separate studios, such as on his album Latin-Esque (1962). The song "Mucha Muchacha" makes particularly mind-bending use of the separation, with the chorus and brass rapidly alternating stereo sides.
He arranged many traditional Mexican songs like "Bésame Mucho", "La Bamba", "El Manisero" (Cuban/Mexican) and "La Bikina"; covered Brazilian songs like "Aquarela do Brasil" (also known simply as "Brazil") by Ary Barroso, "Surfboard" and "Agua de Beber" by Tom Jobim, and composed spicy lounge-like novelties such as "Mini Skirt", "Yeyo", "Latin-Esque", "Mucha Muchacha" and "Whatchamacallit". He was commissioned to compose the music of a Mexican children's TV show Odisea Burbujas.
His concerts also featured elaborate light shows years before effects like that became popular in live music. He performed in Las Vegas on several occasions, often as the opening act for Frank Sinatra.
Several compilations of Esquivel's music were issued starting with Space Age Bachelor Pad Music in 1994. The apparent success of these releases led to reissues of several of Esquivel's albums. The first reissues were compiled by Irwin Chusid, who also produced the first CD reissues of Raymond Scott and The Langley Schools Music Project.
The last recording on which Esquivel worked was Merry Christmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad in 1996, for which he did a voiceover on a track by the band Combustible Edison. This album also included several obscure tracks from his past sessions. The last CD released during his lifetime, See It In Sound, was actually recorded in 1960, but was not released at the time because the record company believed it would not be commercially successful. When finally released in 1998, it exhibited very unusual and introspective stylings absent from his other works, including a version of "Brazil", played as a musical soundscape of a man bar-hopping where the band plays different renditions of "Brazil" at each bar.
Esquivel also worked as a composer for Revue Productions/Universal Television; where he scored the TV western series "The Tall Man," and wrote the familiar Revue/Universal TV logo fanfare.
Tribute performances (current)
Jan 14, 2011 Boston - Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica - CD Release for "The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel"
Mar 18, 2011 New York City - Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica - CD Release for "The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel" (first-ever live performance of Esquivel's big band studio orchestra music in NYC)
Influences
Kronos Quartet recorded a string quartet arrangement of Esquivel's song "Mini Skirt" for their album Nuevo.
05 Who's Sorry Now
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's Sorry Now?
Who's heart is aching for breaking each vow?
Who's sad and blue?
Who's crying too?
Just like I cried over you.
Right to the end,
Just like a friend,
You had your way,
Now you must pay;
Esquivel's song "Who's Sorry Now?" is a melancholic ballad about a failed relationship. The lyrics are retrospective, as the singer is no longer heartbroken, but instead is questioning who is the one that regrets their actions. The lines "Who's sorry now? / Who's heart is aching for breaking each vow?" suggest that one of the individuals in the relationship had been unfaithful or had broken promises, causing the heartache that was experienced by both parties. They are now separated, and the singer is attempting to move on, but still feels the loss of the relationship.
The lyrics further deepen in emotion in the second verse with the lines, "Right to the end, / Just like a friend, / I tried to warn you somehow." These lyrics express a sense of abandonment, as the singer hints that they had tried to prevent the relationship from ending but were not successful. Despite this, they remain hurt and wish for their former partner to feel the same pain they felt. The song ends on a bitter note, with the lyrics "You had your way, / Now you must pay." It is clear that whoever caused the heartbreak will experience the same pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's Sorry Now?
Who is expressing regret now?
Who's Sorry Now?
Who is apologizing now?
Who's heart is aching for breaking each vow?
Whose heart is feeling pain for not keeping their promises?
Who's sad and blue?
Who is feeling depressed and unhappy?
Who's crying too?
Who else is shedding tears?
Just like I cried over you.
Similar to how I wept over you.
Right to the end,
Until the very end,
Just like a friend,
As if I were a friend,
I tried to warn you somehow.
I attempted to forewarn you in some way.
You had your way,
You got what you wanted,
Now you must pay;
Now you must face the consequences;
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Ted Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
StarryStuff
One of my absolutely favorite Esquivel tunes. Ridiculous and delightful.