Boleros to Serenade on Mother’s Day in Mexico

Originally published on PRI’s “The World”

I grew-up in Xalapa, Mexico, listening to boleros. Every night, my father used to tune in to his favorite radio show, “Trios Famosos,” in the late ’60s.

Of course, back then, I could care less about this music. It was only in my late teens when I began to appreciate the meaning and the practical purpose of boleros. Songs like “Decidete” or “Make Up Your Mind” would prove useful in my late teens, when I learned to play the guitar.

Every couple months, I’d get together with a few friends and we’d pick songs to sing to our girlfriends, in the wee hours, by their bedroom windows.

Ahhh. Those adolescent years…

Among the most popular boleros are those made famous by Mexico’s trio Los Panchos, the group credited with popularizing the genre.

The trio Los Tres Reyes has a new album that pays tribute to the legacy of Los Panchos with a few of the boleros from their vast repertoire.

This one’s called “Contigo – With You.”

“Contigo”is the kind of bolero you’d sing in a serenade to your beloved. It could also be a good song to play on this Diez de Mayo, Mother’s Day in Mexico.

Just make sure you remember who you’re serenading.