Besame Mucho

About This Song

“Bésame Mucho” (“kiss me a lot” or “kiss me again and again”) is a song written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez who was only 15 years at the time. It is one of the most famous boleros, and is considered by many as the most popular Mexican song ever written. According to Velázquez herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin. She was inspired by the piano piece “Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor” from the 1911 suite Goyescas by Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Stevan Pasero’s arrangement of “Besame Mucho” is quite unique: a lilting bolero-rhumba-esque styled rhythm evoking an “expressive” ab-lib tempo and laced with alluring minor chords (w/major 7th jazz notes added) that induce a romantic and endearing quality & counterpoint. This rendition is a wonderful performance piece and audiences will appreciate hearing a one-of-a-kind rendition of this timeless Mexican masterwork.