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.
My Darling Is Gone
Ritchie Valens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ritchie Valens
(are. Valens)
Delfi lp #1206 'Ritchie' October 1959
(posthumously released 'demo' without editing or overdubs)
Bob Keane's Home Recordings May 1958
Richie - vocal & guitar
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Well, my darlin's gone
I'm left all alone
I don't know what I'll do
'Cause I miss her, so
My nights are so lonely
I cried all alone
'Cause my darlin's gone
I don't know what I'll do
When the day that she left me
I never been the same
'Cause I love my darlin'
And I'll never be the same
My nights were so lonely
I cried all night long
'Cause my darlin's gone
And I'll never, never
Be the same
Whoa-ooo-ooo
Never, ever
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh
~
In this song, Ritchie Valens expresses the intense pain and loneliness he feels after his beloved has left him. The lyrics convey the feeling of emptiness and despair he experiences as he struggles to come to terms with the reality that his life has changed forever. The repetition of "oh-ooh" throughout the song serves to emphasize the deep sadness that he feels, and the longing he has for his lover to return to him.
Valens expresses that he doesn't know what he will do without his partner, which reflects the despondency he feels, and the fear of being alone. The lyrics evoke the sense that he has lost a part of himself, and that he is unsure how to move forward. Valens also expresses the idea that he will never be the same again, emphasizing the extent to which losing his lover has affected him. He describes his nights as being particularly difficult, and the constant crying he experiences serves to reinforce the heartbreak he feels.
Overall, this song captures the pain and sorrow that can follow the loss of a significant other. It shows the profound impact that losing a partner can have and highlights the importance of the love, support and companionship that we receive from those closest to us.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my darlin's gone
My beloved is no longer in my life
I'm left all alone
I feel abandoned and isolated
I don't know what I'll do
I have no idea how to move on
'Cause I miss her, so
I feel a deep sense of loss and longing for my beloved
My nights are so lonely
I experience great sadness and solitude at night
I cried all alone
I wept by myself
'Cause my darlin's gone
Because my beloved is no longer with me
When the day that she left me
On the day my beloved departed from me
I never been the same
I have never been unchanged since then
'Cause I love my darlin'
Because I loved my beloved deeply
And I'll never be the same
I will never return to the way I was before
My nights were so lonely
My nights were filled with solitude and despair
I cried all night long
I wept for an extended period of time
'Cause my darlin's gone
Because my beloved is no longer here
And I'll never, never
I will never go back to the way things were
Be the same
Be unchanged from the loss of my beloved
Contributed by Alexandra M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
La música es cultura
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh Oh-ooh, oh-ooh Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Well, my darlin's gone
I'm left all alone
I don't know what I'll do
'Cause I miss her, so
My nights are so lonely
I cried all alone
'Cause my darlin's gone
I don't know what I'll do
When the day that she left me
I never been the same
'Cause I love my darlin'
And I'll never be the same
My nights were so lonely
I cried all night long
'Cause my darlin's gone
And I'll never, never
Be the same
Whoa-ooo-ooo Never,
ever Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh
n00se
Well, my darlin's gone
I'm left all alone
I don't know what I'll do
'Cause I miss her so
My nights are so lonely
I cried all alone
'Cause my darlin's gone
I don't know what I'll do
When the day that she left me
I never been the same
'Cause I love my darlin'
And I'll never be the same
My nights were so lonely
I cried all night long
'Cause my darlin's gone
And I'll never, never be the same
Never, ever
Patrick Stocks
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Well, my darlin’s gone
I’m left all alone
I don’t know 🤷♀️ what I’ll do
Cause I miss her, so
My nights are so lonely 😭
I cried all alone
Cause my darlins gone
I don’t know 🤷♀️ what I’ll do
When the day that she left me
I never been the same
Cause I love 💕 my darlin
And I’ll never be the same
My nights were so lonely 😭
I cried all night long
Cause my darlins gone
And I’ll never, never
Be the same
Whoa 😨 ooo ooo
Never, ever
Whoa 😨 whoa 😨 oh oh oh
ManiacalReflection
I keep coming back to this song, it’s so hauntingly beautiful. Ahead of its time in a way
Tonetwisters
Incredible feeling. And I love how the vocal mic picks up his guitar acoustically so you hear that and the electric tone coming out of the amplifier. This song is just so powerful ... I used to listen to this off my older brother's copy of Ritchie's album back in the very early '60s. This song absolutely captivated me, even at 12 or 13 years of age ...
Amaro Casado Jr
I knew his song this years and now i listen every day, i love very much his songs. Saudações do Brasil!
TheDestroyer 789
Me too
Vitor Oliveira
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
La música es cultura
Oh-ooh, oh-ooh Oh-ooh, oh-ooh Oh-ooh, oh-ooh
Well, my darlin's gone
I'm left all alone
I don't know what I'll do
'Cause I miss her, so
My nights are so lonely
I cried all alone
'Cause my darlin's gone
I don't know what I'll do
When the day that she left me
I never been the same
'Cause I love my darlin'
And I'll never be the same
My nights were so lonely
I cried all night long
'Cause my darlin's gone
And I'll never, never
Be the same
Whoa-ooo-ooo Never,
ever Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh
Numanoid
A superb artist who died way too soon. Ritchie was an original. Never will be another one ever again.
Adrian Gonzales
Even for the 50s ..he had a very unique sound ..from the barrio..thats what made him special
Dave Stanton
He was a very talented guy. This is yet another good tune that he did. What could have been....
Simone Lima
Eternamente em minha vida nobre ser humano, músico lendário como te amo a tua voz 2023 Rondônia Brasil uma estrela Ritchie Valens ❤️