Bambi's Musical Musings

It was early 1998 and the airwaves were flooded with the theme to a song that had premiered just before Christmas. The film was very much under the radar, practically an indie film, really. I doubt you’ve ever heard of Titanic or its theme song “My Heart Will Go On”. Oh, you’ve heard of it? My mistake! Jokes aside, the massive success of “My Heart Will Go On” is due in large part to the very distinctive voice and style of Céline Dion. Céline isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but in 1998, you couldn’t pass a car or tune into a pop radio station (or in my case, go to the prom) without hearing the opening notes of the distinctive Irish tin whistle being played. You immediately know the song within 2 seconds because like it or not, it’s that iconic. And though romantic power ballads aren’t really my chosen form of musical expression, you can bet your Grammy Award that I was belting it out to “All By Myself” (my favorite Céline song) and “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” while researching for thi...

Like many Americans, I was largely exposed to mariachi music through the Disney movie, Coco . Set in the Mexican town of Santa Cecelia, Coco tells the story of 12-year-old Miguel, an aspiring mariachi who has to hide his talent for and love of music from his entire family. The patriarch of the family was a musician who abandoned his wife and child for fortune and fame. As a result, no one in the family is allowed to play or enjoy music. This is a shame not only because Miguel possesses natural talent but also because mariachi is such a joyful expression of music. Known for upbeat rhythms and energetic melodies, mariachi has become synonymous with celebrations like weddings, festivals and quinceañeras. I learned that mariachi is both a noun and an adjective, meaning that a mariachi could refer to an entire band, a single musician or an instrument used to create the music, such as a guitar, harp or trumpet. Mariachi Cobre is an ensemble that performs at Epcot Center. In the early days o...

Like any 80s baby worth their salt, I grew up with the Back to the Future trilogy. For the uninitiated, in the franchise’s first installment, Marty McFly accidentally travels back in time from 1985 to 1955, where he alters the course of his parents’ lives, and therefore his own, in the process.  Over a week, Marty races against the clock to re-establish order in his parents’ timeline so they can fall in love and eventually create a family that includes him and his siblings. The fate of his existence rests on his parents falling in love at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, where he is also in attendance.  In 1985, Marty is a guitar player in a rock band. They’ve just auditioned to play their own school dance (parallels!) and have been declined for being “too darn loud”. So of course, 1955 Marty ends up on stage at his parents’ dance, playing the very romantic “Earth Angel” by The Penguins (American, 1954). Despite being The Penguins only hit, “Earth Angel” is a doo-wop song...