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.
It Had to Be You
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wandered around and finally found the somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me feel blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.
With all your faults, I love you still,
It had to be you, wonderful you,
It had to be you.
It had to be you, it had to be you.
I wandered around and finally found somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me be blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.
For nobody else gave me a thrill.
With all your faults, I love you still.
It had to be you, wonderful you
It had to be you.
The lyrics to Esquivel's song "It Had to Be You" speak of finding that special someone who makes you feel alive, true, happy, but also brings sadness when they are not around. The singer speaks of wandering around and finally finding "the somebody who could make me be true," indicating that before this person, the singer was not living up to their full potential. This person could make the singer feel blue, but even in sadness, they were glad just to be thinking of the person.
The singer speaks of other people they may have seen who "might never be mean, might never be cross or try to be boss, but they wouldn't do," indicating that no one else could measure up to this person. The singer is willing to accept all of this person's faults because no one else has given them the thrill that this person has. The repetition of "It had to be you" speaks to the idea that this person was meant to be in their life and that there is a deep connection between them.
Overall, the lyrics express deep love and admiration for someone who holds a special place in the singer's heart. The ups and downs of the relationship are accepted because the singer knows that this person is the one they were meant to be with.
Line by Line Meaning
It had to be you, it had to be you.
You were destiny, the one person in the world that was meant to come into my life.
I wandered around and finally found the somebody who
I searched and searched, but finally stumbled upon you, the one for me.
Could make me be true, could make me feel blue,
You have the power to inspire me to be honest and truthful with myself, even when it hurts me deeply inside.
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
I find comfort in the sadness I feel when I think of you, because it reminds me of how much you mean to me.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
I've met other people who are kind, compassionate, and understanding, but they don't evoke the same kind of emotions in me that you do.
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
There are those who are always easygoing and never try to dominate others, but they lack the assertiveness and passion that I find attractive in you.
But they wouldn't do.
Despite their positive qualities, they simply can't compare to you or give me what I need from a partner.
For nobody else gave me a thrill.
No one else has ever made me feel so alive, excited, and fulfilled in my life the way that you do.
With all your faults, I love you still,
Even though you have flaws and imperfections, I choose to accept and appreciate you as you are because my love for you is unconditional.
It had to be you, wonderful you,
You are the one that fate has brought to me. You are wonderful in your own unique way and I can't imagine being with anyone else.
It had to be you.
Without a doubt, it was always going to be you and no one else.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ISHAM JONES, GUS KAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind