Costalegre Jalisco Mexico

I spent the day outside working in the herbs garden, getting it clean, trimmed and generally spruced up. Today is the first day of Spring so I had to do it!

I had my head-set on and listened to a couple of the local Spanish radio stations. It seemed that many of the songs had to do with "Back home in Mexico".

Now I recognize that maybe these tunes are not that popular in and around the Melaque/ Barra area ... so does anyone listen to the local radio and if so what are the popular songs? Are they themed in a patriotic mode? I mean they can't ALL be song about the "Heart".

So ... What's Hot and What's Not?

There are no local radio stations here.

The closest one is from Manzanillo and it plays a lot of "Romanticos" which almost always contain corazon, mujer etc.

Thanks rgm for the info ...

That seems somewhat surprising that there aren't a few more stations broadcasting into the area.

I do remember the hotel from downtown Barra and how it blasts out music until all hours into the morning. Seems like all that was 'rock'n roll' sorta stuff.

thanks again

I've listened to a Cihuatlan station in the past ... that even had a English speaking DJ for a few hours in the early evening. Had a good eclectic mix of music ..... but I usually listen to my own or the neighbors lately.

Not quite right. The station in Cihuatlan is 560am. Quite eclectic, but most of the music is romantic in nature. Not sure what JCT means by "patriotic" mode--we do get that every Monday when the kids to the honores at school.

Young people here like a variety of music and you'll find that on the radio--lots of it is latin pop, such as Juanes, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Thalia, etc. They listen to a wide selection of music from the otro lado as well...Britney, Eminem, etc. There are the Mexican oldtimers too like Jose Jose, and classic american rock. You name it, we've got it here.

Not all of the songs were "patriotic" ... some was 'rap' crap!

BUT ... what I was asking was about the level of "sense of nationalism" in the music of Mexico.

I remember a song a few years back written and song by a country/western singer tilted "Produ to be an American"; by Lee greenwood. It was taking advantage of the mood in the USA post 911.

What I hear in the songs from the local Mexican radio stations maybe is sorta playing on the fact that most folks here are from places in Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima, Michoacan, Guanajuato etc. etc. One of the songs has the singier sorta shouting the names of various states in Mexico and the audience following along with an appropriate shout.

So are songs like that played there?

They certainly have their regional favorites .... like Jalisco and Mariachis. Or age based favorites of rap or rave .... but I've never hear anything as obnoxious as "proud to be and American". There are the equivalents of country with all the "trucks, dogs, booze, Ford, broken hearts" ... but it's just country.

I agree with Sparks--nothing could ever be as obnoxious as "proud to be an american"--made me want to gag.

Some regional favorites include "Guadalajara, Guadalajara", "Caminos de Guanajuato" (with its famous refrain of "la vida no vale nada"); also "Mexico Lindo y Querido"

The Himno Nacional is a typical national anthem full of war imagery.

Thanks Deidre and Scott for the comments. I thought I was the "bad guy" for not liking "Proud to be an American". I ( especially now with the bullshit that George W is putting out ) am not proud at all.

Back to the subject of what are the locals listening to in the area.

When we have visited the area the only music I have heard is that in the restaurants and bars. I find that Mexicans who are here and are working (mostly landscaping projects) ... they want to listen to the radio and to sing songs about home.

When I've watched fellas working in Mexico (work doesn't bother me ... I can watch for a long time) I have not been aware of them listening to music. I wonder if the radio stations here are providing the "connect" to home. Maybe the music is only a carrier. If the announcer was talking about things going on "back home" ... I'll bet the fellas would be listening.

Can you believe that I'm already planning the trip for the winter of 06-07?

A silly song has nothing to do with being an American. Be proud of the progress made in the medical field by Americans. Be proud of what your forefathers overcame to settle the country. Be proud of the men and women in the armed forces that are giving up so much to try and help others. Be proud to be an American and forget about Bush, Greenwood and other who think they speak for the rest of us. If you cant do that, why not give up your citizenship and say the hell with it. BTW, I'm not angry at anyone, just an American who is proud.

JCT2--People here in Melaque listen to the radio all the time. The gal who cleans for me always has the radio tuned to the local station, and anytime we have construction work done, the workers have a portable radio with them and the music blares all day long. Ride a bus and music most likely will be on. People on the beach have their boomboxes going as well. And many a vehicle cruises down the street with the stereo going so strong that my windows vibrate. Mexicans are very connected to their music, so my guess is that your Mexican workers are listening to the radio because they love the music, not necessarily due to nostalgia or homesickness.

Beachbum, fact is that those people up there actually voted for Bush & his ilk, and the subsequent policies of that administration have hurt the image of your nation worldwide. I can understand you being proud of your individual accomplishments as well as the many good things that have come from your country, but that pride must now be at least somewhat tinged with shame for the innumerable problems that Bush has provoked. I have one American friend who lives in Washington, near the Canadian border. She tells me when she travels and people ask where she is from, she responds with something like "just south of Vancouver"--she doesn't actually lie and claim to be Canadian, but she certainly hopes that is what people will think. Many people are sophisticated enough to separate the US national from the US policies, the individual American from the American government--others aren't, and that's where the hostility towards Americans comes from.

Deidre, I can understand why people feel the way they do. However, Oregon didnt vote for Bush as we are a Democratic state. All I ask is that the average person in the US isnt mistaken for a polititian. We are normal folk who work hard, love our country despite its shortcomings, and try daily to improve things. That said, its not improving and as long as big money is running the country, it will only get worse. In 1991, the Ambassador to Kuwait came aboard our ship and flat out said, dont believe anyone who tells you this war isnt about oil. The second gulf war is no different. Thanks for your understanding and now you know why so many of us are moving SoB

One good thing about having a US passport is that you can say the US is a piece of shit and you have every right to do so without being called a traitor. Although at times you'd think speaking out against your motherland was against the law. In fact, with the patriot act, you speak out and you may become a target of the government. To keep this ontrack, it's almost impossible to give up your US passport. It is however, under new guidelines, easier to obtain a Mexican passport. If you have lived under an FM-3 or higher, for 5 years, you are eligible. I'm going for it this year..soon. Good protection in case the big one hits up north. The existing US government will not survive the massive debt and the continued terrorism especially against the Iraqi Freedom Fighters. Reagan blew the Russians out of the water by outspending them. The world knows they can do the same thing to the US. Yea, sell those houses up there, if you can now, and find that piece of paradise south of the border. I think it's time for another Whole Earth Catalog/access to tools only for Mexico. The time is right. Everyone plant Papaya.

While that's not the silliest thing I've ever heard, saying the US won't survive is incorrect. Despite massive debt, the US always survives, usually on the backs of the working class. They will simply raise taxes, tariffs, add more taxes and go deeper in debt. Capitalism at its finest. That said, I'm through with this subject as it usually leads to fights and hard feelings when politics are discussed. Thanks for the inputs.

Not silly ... just making a point. Books and movies take story lines to extremes so you can visualize an alternative future. Believe it or not, lots of people have a pretty cut-n-dried view of human evolution .... so much so they won't even acknowledge 'evolution'. We need alternatives!

The fact is the US has been sitting in the drivers seat for a long time - and between China and Islam .... we better get pretty damned creative if we even want a seat on the bus. Chest beating and tired phrases are not gonna get it.

How did this ever turn political ?