A Rock and Roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
Valens died in a plane crash outside Clear Lake, Iowa while on the Winter Dance Party tour. Also killed in the crash were the pilot of the plane and rock and roll stars Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The song American Pie, by Don McLean is a tribute to the three musicians who died, and a reflection of the changes in music since their deaths. In the song he calls the day of their death "the day the music died," a phrase that came from newspaper headlines that announced the tragedy on February 3, 1959
Brought up hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar, R&B and jump blues, by the age of 5 he expressed an interest in making music of his own. He was encouraged by his father to take up guitar and trumpet, and it is also known that he later taught himself the drums. One day, a neighbour came across Ritchie trying to play a guitar that had only two strings. He re-strung the instrument, and taught Ritchie the fingerings of some chords. While Ritchie was left-handed, he was so eager to learn the guitar that he mastered the traditionally right-handed version of the instrument. By the time he was attending Pacoima Jr. High School, his proficiency on the guitar was such that he brought the instrument to school and would sing and play songs to his friends on the bleachers.
When he was sixteen years old, he was invited to join a local band named The Silhouettes as guitarist. Later on, the main vocalist left the group and Ritchie assumed this position as well. In addition to the performances with The Silhouettes, he would play solo at parties and other social gatherings.
A completely self-taught musician, Valenzuela was an accomplished singer and guitarist. At his appearances he often improvised new lyrics and added new riffs to popular songs while he was playing. This is an aspect of his music that is, sadly, not heard in his commercial studio recordings. Due to his high-energy performances, Valenzuela earned the nickname "The Little Richard of the Valley".
In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. "La Bamba" was named one of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. In 2004, "La Bamba" was named #345 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time.
Cry Cry Cry
Ritchie Valens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ritchie Valens
(R. Kuhn, R. Valens)
Recorded: Sept 25, 1958 Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA
Released DELFI #4133 1960 Flip side (B) of Paddiwack Song
Sessions by Bob Keene and Rene Hall
Ritchie - vocal & guitar, Irving Ashly or Carole kaye - rhythm guitar
Rene Hall - Danelectro 6 string bass, Buddy Clark - standup bass
Well, now my baby's gone
She left me all alone
Well, now my baby, tears fall
I don't have no one home
Ev'ry night so dark and lonely
My heart is heavy, like a stone
Cry, cry, all night
Ooh-ooh-yeah
Well, now little darlin'
Come back home
Yeah-yeah, one time
Come on, little darlin'
Oh, one more time
Come on and say a-you'll be mine
Now that you gone and left me
I'll always have you on my mind
Cry, cry, all night
Ooh-ooh-yeah
Well, now little darlin'
Come back home
(guitar & instrumental)
Well, now little baby
I'm 'onna leave my home cell
I'm gonna try and lose you
From outta my head
And then if I can't lose you
I'm 'onna die in my bed
Cry, cry, all night
Ooh-ooh-yeah
Well, now little darlin'
Come back home.
(short instrumental & guitar to end)
~
The song Cry Cry Cry by Ritchie Valens is a sad lament on lost love. The lyrics begin with the singer talking about how his baby has left him alone, and he now cries all night since he has nobody else at home. The nights are described as being dark and lonely, with the singer's heart feeling like a stone. The chorus repeats the phrase 'Cry, cry, all night' as the singer cries for his lost love to come back home. He reassures her that she'll always be on his mind, and he wants her to return to him.
The second verse has the singer trying to move on from his heartbreak, saying he'll leave his home cell and try to lose the memory of his lost love. But he also says that if he can't forget her, he'll die in his bed. The song ends with a short instrumental section and then the guitar fading out. Overall, the lyrics are a powerful expression of heartache and longing for a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, now my baby's gone
The singer has been abandoned by his lover.
She left me all alone
The singer has been left by his lover without anyone to keep him company.
Well, now my baby, tears fall
The singer's lover is crying in his absence.
I don't have no one home
The singer is alone without his lover.
Ev'ry night so dark and lonely
The singer is explaining how he feels in the absence of his lover.
My heart is heavy, like a stone
The singer's heart is completely broken.
Cry, cry, all night
The singer is crying throughout the night due to his sadness.
Well, now little darlin'
The singer is addressing his lover affectionately.
Come back home
The singer wants his lover to return back to him.
Yeah-yeah, one time
Singer is asking his lover for one chance.
Come on, little darlin'
The singer is inviting his lover to come back to him.
Oh, one more time
The singer is requesting his lover to come back to him one more time.
Come on and say a-you'll be mine
The singer desires to claim his lover as his own.
Now that you gone and left me
The singer's lover has already left him.
I'll always have you on my mind
The singer promises to always think of his lover, despite their break-up.
Well, now little baby
The singer is addressing his lover by another sweet name.
I'm 'onna leave my home cell
The singer is planning to leave his place of confinement.
I'm gonna try and lose you
The singer is attempting to forget about his lover.
From outta my head
The singer wants to remove all thoughts of his lover from his mind.
And then if I can't lose you
The singer will always be unable to forget about his lover.
I'm 'onna die in my bed
The singer will die sad and lonely due to his inability to forget about his lover.
short instrumental & guitar to end
An instrumental outro is used to close the song.
Contributed by Isaac N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.