In 1940 a sixteen-year-old Mexican girl named Consuelo Velazquez wrote a passionate song obviously stating her longing to be kissed. The song was called Besame Mucho and it set fire to the hearts, lips and loins of men and women all over the world. It was recorded by Jimmy Dorsey ans his orchestra with Kitty Kallen singing and became a number one on Billboard Magazine for six weeks in 1944.

Another singer with big bands was a man named Sunny Skylar. He wrote music and lyrics for a number of songs including Amor, And So To Sleep Again and Love Me With All Your Heart. There are other translations of the song but Skylar's seems to be a favorite. Here are the lyrics as interpreted by Sunny Skylar:

Bésame, bésame mucho

Each time I cling to your kiss, I hear music divine

Bésame mucho

Hold me my darling and say that you'll always be mine

This joy is something new

My arms enfolding you

Never knew this thrill before

Whoever thought I'd be

Holding you close to me

Whispering "It's you I adore"

Dearest one

If you should leave me

Each little dream would take wing, and my life would be through

Bésame mucho

Love me forever and make all my dreams come true

A very forthright expression of deep feelings from a teenage girl who had never been kissed when she wrote the song. It is probably a good thing that Skylar stuck with the phrase "besame mucho" instead of going for an English translation like "kiss me much" or "kiss me alot".

And here are the original lyrics by Consuelo Velazquez:

Bésame, bésame mucho

Como si fuera esta noche la última vez

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

If you would like to learn how to play Besame Mucho on the guitar, there are many tabs and chord charts available on the internet. It is quite a simple song to play using the chords A minor, D minor, A major and E major so most guitarists should be able to handle it.

Folklore has it that Consuelo Velasquez started playing the piano when she was only four years old and went on to become a concert pianist. Consuelo wrote many other popular Mexican songs including: Amar y vivir, Verdad amarga, Franqueza, Que seas feliz, Cachito and Enamorada.

The list of vocal and instrumental artists who recorded Besame Mucho is almost too long to mention but some notable ones are:

Andrea Bocelli, Artie Shaw, The Beatles, Charles Aznavour, Chris Isaak, Edith Piaf, The Dead Brothers, Leslie Nielsen(!!), Sammy Davis Jr and Stan Getz.

For lovers of acoustic guitar, Besame Mucho is included on an album of latin standards by flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucia. Other tracks on the CD include: Malaguena, Mantilla De Feria, Granada, Manha De Carnaval, Perfidia, La Virgen De La Macarena and Moliendo Cafe. Paco is one of the world's greatest guitarists and it would be well worth your while to have a listen to this excellent CD. Meanwhile, good luck with your own efforts at playing this luscious song.