No recording artist has more impeccable street credentials than Joe Bataan,… Read Full Bio ↴No recording artist has more impeccable street credentials than Joe Bataan, the originator of the New York Latin Soul style that paralleled Latin boogaloo and anticipated disco. His musical experience began with street corner doo-wop in the 1950s, and came to include one of the first rap records to hit the charts, 1979's "Rap-O, Clap-O". In between these milestones, he recorded classic albums like St. Latin's Day Massacre, a perennial favorite in the salsa market, Salsoul, which gave the record label its name and helped spark the national explosion of urban dance music, and Afrofilipino, which included one of the very earliest New York disco hits, an instrumental version of Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle".

Born Peter Nitollano, of African-American/Filipino parents, Joe Bataan grew up in Spanish Harlem, where he ran with Puerto Rican gangs and absorbed R&B, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Rican musical influences. His music career followed a pair of stints in Coxsackie State Prison. Self taught on the piano, he organized his first band in 1965 and scored his first recording success in 1967 with "Gypsy Woman" on Fania Records, . The tune was a hit with the New York Latin market despite the English lyrics sung by Joe, and exemplified the nascent Latin Soul sound. In early anticipation of the disco formula, "Gypsy Woman" created dance energy by alternating what was fundamentally a pop-soul tune with a break featuring double timed hand claps, . Joe would take this tendency even further on his influential Salsoul, which fused funk and latin influences in slick yet soulful orchestrations. Salsoul remains influential as a rare groove cult item, but pointed to the future at the time of its release. The LP embodied the artist's highly deliberate and culturally aware musical concept. Bataan theorized the '70s next big thing as a hybrid: an Afro Cuban rhythm section playing Brazilian influenced patterns over orchestral funk. In many ways, his vision was on the money, though most of the money would go to others, and mainstream stardom would elude him. He did, however, get in on the ground floor of the new trend as an early hit maker. His biggest commercial move was a Salsoul production released under the Epic umbrella, and promoted to the new disco market as Afrofilipino, which included 1975's "The Bottle", a much anthologized classic that drives an R&B horn arrangment with a relentless piano montuno.

Always in touch with the street, Joe Bataan picked up on rap very early in the game. His minor rap hit, "Rap-O, Clap-O" was a bit more successful in Europe than in the States, and is remembered as rap's debut in the European market. Nevertheless, his legacy remains his gritty and realistic Latin soul lyrics, his self identification as an "Ordinary Guy", and his highly personal and prophetic merger of Latin and soul influences.

Ordinary Guy
Joe Bataan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't move a mountain top
Everything's ordinary on my block

I don't drive a beautiful car
And I don't own an elegant home
'Cause I don't have thousands to spend
Or a seaside cottage for the weekend

I'm just an ordinary guy you left behind
Ordinary guy you left behind

Exclusive nightclubs are out of style with me
'Cause I don't associate with high society
I don't hang around playboy millionaires

I'm just an ordinary guy you left behind
Ordinary guy you left behind

Subways take me downtown
My apartment is my home
I spend the weekends with friends
Otherwise I'm alone

Walk hard
Pay me no mind
You're ashamed of me
You girl

Walk hard passing by
Don't you know that I'm not the guy
Moving non-stop
You can't see beyond my block

I'm never gonna let you go, girl

Never gonna let you go
Need love so badly

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joe Bataan's "Ordinary Guy" speak of the struggles of an ordinary person living an average life. The opening lines, "I can't move a mountain top, everything's ordinary on my block," set the tone for the song. The singer of the song feels like he lacks the extraordinary qualities and possessions that would make him stand out in society. He doesn't own a luxurious car or a lavish home, nor does he have the money to afford high-end experiences like going on a vacation to a seaside cottage.

Despite this, the singer is content with his life as an ordinary person. He says that he's not interested in hanging around exclusive nightclubs or rubbing shoulders with high society, but instead, he spends his weekends with friends or alone in his humble apartment. The chorus underscores the central theme of the song - that despite his ordinary life, the singer is just an average guy who deserves love and attention.

The lyrics of "Ordinary Guy" are a poignant reminder that everyone, regardless of their wealth or status, deserves love and respect. Bataan's song speaks to the heart of people who feel like they're not good enough or don't measure up to societal standards. It's a celebration of the beauty of ordinary, everyday experiences that make up the lives of many people around the world.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't move a mountain top
I don't have the power to achieve the impossible

Everything's ordinary on my block
The things on my street are average

I don't drive a beautiful car
My car is not luxurious

And I don't own an elegant home
I don't have a fancy or stylish house

'Cause I don't have thousands to spend
I don't have a lot of money

Or a seaside cottage for the weekend
I don't have a vacation home by the beach

I'm just an ordinary guy you left behind
I'm a regular person that you abandoned

Exclusive nightclubs are out of style with me
I'm not interested in fancy clubs

'Cause I don't associate with high society
I don't hang out with the upper class

I don't hang around playboy millionaires
I don't socialize with wealthy men who chase after women

Subways take me downtown
I travel on public transportation to go to the city center