Elijah Wald describes corridos as ballads with intriguing stories and social commentary. Songs of Mexicans and Mexican-American immigrants, corridos tend to take the political view that "drug abuse is entirely a Yankee problem," and that Mexicans crossing the border are "simply poor Mexicans servicing a demand in the United States" (222-3). Narcocorridos, the type of corrido that focuses on crime, take an special interest in drug use, and often counter the notion "that the narcotraficantes use the drugs themselves" (223). Wald uses English translations of lyrics to make the music accessible to his readers, and uses the lyrics to back up his claim that by staying true and consistent as a style of song, "corridos have proved their enduring power" (229).
Discussion Questions:
Wald says that "corridos continue to include social commentary as well as hot crime stories" (217). Can we view this dialectic the same way we can view Slick Rick's "Children's Story?" Is this type of storytelling--a combination of crime and caution--intrinsic to non-native music?
No comments:
Post a Comment