ORIGINS

Consuelo Velázquez was born in August 21 1916 and died in January 22, 2005. She is a popularly also known was a Mexican concert pianist, songwriter and recording artist.

According to her obituary, she was 88 years old when she died. Most music resources, however, list her birth date as August 29, 1924, in Ciudad Guzmán, state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Velázquez was the songwriter and lyricist of many Spanish standard songs, such as Amar y vivir, Verdad amarga, Franqueza, Que seas feliz, Abuela abuela, Cachito, Enamorada and, most notably, the enduring 1940s-era standard Bésame mucho, a romantic ballad which was soon recorded by artists around the globe, making it an international hit.

Velázquez, who is said to have begun playing the piano at the age of four, started her professional career as a classical music concert pianist, performing at Palacio de Bellas Artes and XEQ Radio, but later became a singer and recording artist. According to Velázquez herself, she was strongly influenced by Spanish composer Enrique Granados.

Velázquez also was elected to the Mexican Congress, served as president for SACM (Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico), and was vice-president of CISAC (International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies). She died of respiratory problems in Mexico City. Velázquez had been in hospital since she suffered a fall in November 2004.

Did You Know? 

The song "Bésame mucho" (Kiss me a lot) was written by a young Mexican woman who had never been kissed.

This article is a tribute to Consuelo Velázquez, who died January 22, 2005, at the age of 84.

Consuelo Velázquez was one of Mexico's best known modern songwriters. She wrote her most famous song – "Bésame mucho" – before her 20th birthday. When asked, years later, whose love had inspired the powerful lyrics, she replied that she had written it before she had ever been kissed, and said that the entire song was a "product of imagination".

Quite some imagination! The song has been translated into more than 20 languages, and been sung in many different styles, by dozens of artists ranging from The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Wes Montgomery, The Morton Gould Orchestra, Andy Russell, Pedro Vargas, Linda Ronstadt, Valentino's Sax, Diana Krall and Plácido Domingo to Sammy Davis Jr., Magdalena Zárate, Jose Carreras, Joao Alberto, Elvis Presley and Mexican heart-throb Luis Miguel.

Words of "Bésame mucho"

Bésame, bésame mucho, 
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez. 
Bésame, bésame mucho, 
Que tengo miedo perderte, 
Perderte otra vez.

Quiero tenerte muy 
Cerca, mirarme en tus 
Ojos, verte junto a mí, 
Piensa que tal vez 
Mañana yo ya estaré 
Lejos, muy lejos de ti.

Bésame, bésame mucho, 
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez. 
Bésame mucho, 
Que tengo miedo perderte, 
Perderte después.

Unofficial English translation:

Kiss me, Kiss me a lot, 
As if tonight were the last time. 
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, 
Because I'm afraid of losing you, 
To lose you again.

I want to have you very close 
To see myself in your eyes, 
To see you next to me, 
Think that perhaps tomorrow 
I already will be far, 
very far from you.

Kiss me, Kiss me a lot, 
As if tonight were the last time. 
Kiss me, a lot, 
because I'm afraid of losing you, 
To lose you later.

The last and go...

Bésame mucho"(Kiss me a lot) was first recorded in 1941 (by Emilio Tuero and Chela Campos) and became a huge Big Band hit during the Second World War. In 1999, the song, the only Mexican song ever to have topped the U.S. hit parade for 12 straight weeks, was declared the "Song of the Century" at a Univisión event in Miami, Florida.

In addition, "Bésame mucho" featured in several movies, including "A toda máquina" (1951), "The moon over Parador" (1988), "Sueños de Arizona" (1993), and "Moskva Slezam ne Verit", a Russian movie which won the 1980 Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

"Bésame mucho" brought fame and numerous awards to Consuelo Velázquez, including a Special Citation of Achievement Award from the U.S. Broadcast Music Incorporated. Invited to Hollywood to meet the legendary Walt Disney, she found him .