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.
I Get a Kick out of You
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mere alcohol,
Doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me, why should it be true,
That I get a kick out of you.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
I'm sure that if,
It would bore me terrifically,too,
Yet I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick every time I see you,
Standing there before me,
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
You obviously don't adore me.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Flying too high,
With some gal in the sky,
Is my idea of nothing to do,
But I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick, out of you.
Esquivel’s song “I Get a Kick out of You” expresses the idea that love is more intoxicating than any other form of drug or alcohol. The song begins with the lyrics, “I get no kick from champagne, mere alcohol, doesn't thrill me at all”. The singer of the song is sharing that they don't get any pleasure from drinking, which may be a stark contrast to many other individuals they may know who indulge in alcohol. However, the singer explains that they get a kick out of the person they love, even though that person may not reciprocate those feelings. They continue on to explain, “I get a kick every time I see you, standing there before me, I get a kick though it's clear to see, you obviously don't adore me.” Here, the singer reveals that they derive pleasure from merely looking at their love interest and being in their presence.
The lyrics of the song suggest that love is more potent and stimulating than other pleasurable activities such as drug use or alcohol consumption. The song contrasts the idea of being high on cocaine or flying in a plane with the idea of being in love, creating a comparison that shows that no other experience is quite as invigorating as the feeling of being with someone you love. The song's melody and arrangement reinforce this message with a bouncy, upbeat rhythm indicating that love can be both exuberant and exhilarating.
Line by Line Meaning
I get no kick from champagne,
Champagne doesn't excite me or give me a rush.
Mere alcohol,
Just the basic effects of alcohol doesn't interest me at all.
Doesn't thrill me at all,
I don't find the effects of alcohol exciting or stimulating.
So tell me, why should it be true,
I am wondering why people find excitement in something that doesn't excite me.
That I get a kick out of you.
However, being around you brings me excitement and happiness.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
Some people find their excitement and rush from cocaine.
I'm sure that if,
I believe that if I were to try it just once,
I took even one sniff,
...and took even one sniff of cocaine,
It would bore me terrifically,too,
...it wouldn't interest me at all either.
Yet I get a kick out of you.
Despite that, being around you still brings me excitement and happiness.
I get a kick every time I see you,
Every time I see you, I feel a burst of excitement and joy.
Standing there before me,
When you're standing right in front of me.
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
Even though it's obvious that you do not have the same strong feelings for me.
You obviously don't adore me.
It's clear that you do not love me in the same way that I love you.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Some people find excitement and thrill from flying in an airplane,
Flying too high,
...flying at a high altitude,
With some gal in the sky,
...often with a romantic partner on board.
Is my idea of nothing to do,
This is not my idea of a good time,
But I get a kick out of you.
...but being around you still brings me excitement and happiness.
I get a kick, out of you.
Overall, being around you brings me excitement and happiness, unlike anything else.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind