Bésame Mucho - a timeless classic that speaks to those impacted by the wars of today.

“Bésame Mucho” - while most people around the world know this song, many may not know who wrote it, when was it written and the meaning behind it. As I was preparing for one of my final Spanish classes of the year at the Bet Shalom community in Barcelona*, I decided to find the answers to these questions and share them with my students.

We learned that Consuelo Velázquez, a young Mexican composer wrote this song in 1930 and released it in 1941. Some say that she wrote about her own search for passion, never having been kissed at the time she wrote it; she was barely sixteen years old. While others say that she was voicing the uncertainty that couples in the 1940s were experiencing. She sang about the fleeting, yet intense relationships that were so common in those war-ridden times.

Whatever the story behind the song may be, it undoubtedly became an anthem of love for couples separated by WWII. As we learned about this song, we realized how timeless music can be. The women in my Spanish class were impacted by the war in Ukraine, many of whom were separated from their husbands and loved ones. After translating the lyrics from Spanish to Russian, all of a sudden the words, that were once unknown, made perfect sense.

• “Bésame, bésame mucho, como si fuera la última vez.” (Kiss me, kiss me a lot; as if it were the last time. Целуй меня, целуй меня крепче. Так, будто это - наша последняя ночь.)
• "Bésame, bésame mucho. Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después." (Kiss me, kiss me a lot. As I'm afraid to loose you afterwards. Целуй меня, целуй меня крепче. Боюсь тебя потерять.)
• Quiero tenerte muy cerca. Mirarme en tus ojos, verte junto a mí. (I want to have you very close. See myself in your eyes. See you next to me./ Я хочу, чтобы ты был очень близко. Увидеть себя в твоих глазах. Увидеть тебя рядом со мной.
• Piensa que tal vez ma?ana, yo ya estaré lejos, muy lejos de ti. (Think that perhaps tomorrow, I will be far away, very from away from you./Подумай, может быть, я завтра уже буду далеко, в дали от тебя)

And as my students listened to the song, now understanding the lyrics, their eyes filled with tears, and so did mine. The uncertainty, the distance, and the desire for closeness are concerns that my students have experienced as a result of the war.

I’ve always loved this song, but this time, hearing it in Spanish class with my students gave it a new meaning. It is as relevant today as it was nearly 95 years ago when it was first introduced to the world. From the Beatles to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Plácido Domingo, "Bésame Mucho" transcends cultures, languages, and ages.

Thanks to music, we can travel to unknown places, experience untapped emotions, and dream beyond our wildest imagination. And it is music that can sometimes capture our feelings much better than we could express them on our own.

It is often said that the teacher becomes the student, and this was no different. Thanks to my students, I learned about a timeless classic, a song that has been translated into more than 20 languages, and adapted into a multitude of musical variations. I am eternally grateful to the women in my class for inspiring me to learn, to dive deeper into songs, history, and culture and for helping me find ways to make Spanish language learning go beyond the pages of a text book.

*This past year, I've spent time in Barcelona, Spain as a JFNA volunteer teaching Spanish to Ukrainian refugees impacted by the war in Ukraine. Thank you to JFNA and ROI Community for the ongoing support throughout this time.