Before listening to the song

1. The graffiti below are related to the theme of the song: What do we see in each one? Can you anticipate what the song is about?

“Girl Balloon“ by Pixel2013[1]	“Street art” by Oglala1[2]
“Graffiti” by markjhemmings9[3]	“Peaceful Hearts Doctor“ by Eva Blue[4]

2. Definitions. With a partner, define the following words. What are the differences between them.

   cariño          pasión        amor         fraternidad

3. Lila Downs is a popular Mexican and US singer (double nationality). In order to learn more about her life and her music, listen to the interview. Answer the questions and share your answers with your classmates.

3.1. What does Lila say about her mother? And father? What was Lila´s personal conflict when she was young? And how did she face it?

3.2. How has Lila´s indigenous heritage influenced her life and art? What does she think about how indigenous people and cultures are considered in Mexico?

3.3. What´s Lila perspective on US-Mexico relations and US politics? How does her multicultural upbringing influence her opinion?

3.4. What´s Lila Downs´ view of music and art? What does she want to accomplish with her songs? What are some of the topics in her songs?

Song and music video

4. Listen to the song and watch the music video on YouTube.

5. Below you have a translation of the lyrics.

With my pain,
Causing sorrows, I wander around.
There is not word of affection for me,
They all look at me with scorn and hatred.

My heart
He is tired, very tired of suffering,
Many times I have heard him say
These words that fill me with pain:

Urgent
a person who lulls me into his arms
Whom to tell about my wins and failures
Who comforts me and stops my suffering.

Urgent
Someone who wakes me up with a loving kiss
Who gives me the love denied to me
Because I do have a right to live too.

Urgent
a person who lulls me into his arms
Whom to tell about my wins and failures
Who comforts me and stops my suffering.

Urgent
a person who lulls me into his arms
Whom to tell about my wins and failures
Who comforts me and stops my suffering.

Urgent
Someone who wakes me up with a loving kiss
Who gives me the love denied to me
Because I do have a right to live too.

After listening to the song

6. Two “voices” take part in this song:^[5] Who are they? What does each “voice” say? In your opinion, what´s the main one?

7. One of the main semantic fields in the song is that of emotions. Underline those words that refer to emotions. Is there anything that stands out to you? What actions in the lyrics are related to suffering? Which ones to happiness? According to the lyrics, what´s the key to achieve happiness? Do you agree? Explain your answer.

8. According to the Diccionario de americanismos, a cantina (canteen) is “a popular establishment where alcoholic beverages and, sometimes meals, are served.” In Mexico, these places of socialization had access rules that did not allow “women, men in uniform nor minors” to enter, as the sign at the entrance of the cantina in the image below reads. Nowadays, everyone can enter and signs are kept as mementos from other times.

8.1. Why do you think women, children and men in uniform were not allowed to enter Mexican cantinas?

8.2. What is the cantina in the video like? What characters are there? What do they look like? How do they dress? What do they do? What emotional states and attitudes do they show? How is the light? And the furniture?

8.3. What is striking about this particular cantina? Especially if we consider what we just read about these popular places.

9. Xochimilco is one of the districts of Mexico City. It is famous for its canals that date back to pre-Hispanic times. Trajineras are colorful boats that are used to navigate the canals. There you can also find chinampas that are floating gardens built by the people who lives in the area. They pile soil on top of a “raft” made from branches and vegetation. Over time, this vegetation takes root in the lake floor, more soil piles, and the “island” becomes more stable. Currently, water pollution and urbanization threaten this delicate ecosystem.

“Trajineras” by Jflo23^[8]

Vicente Fernández has a version of this same song in his album Primera fila. You can listen to it live in this video.

Final assignment

10. Write an opinion essay on the influence of media (literature, cinema, music, soap operas…) on our idea of a romantic relationship. Include examples and your personal opinion on the issue.

References

Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española. Diccionario de americanismos. www.asale.org/obras-y-proyectos/diccionarios/diccionario-de-americanismos.

Downs, Lila. “Urge.” Salón, lágrimas y deseo, RCA, Sony Latin, 2017.

—. “Urge.” YouTube, 25 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=N74oanqa9k8. 2 April 2021.

“Emotion.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 April 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream. 5 April 2021.

Fernández, Vicente. “Urge.” YouTube, 8 Oct. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3HqYnsjFno. 2 April 2021.

Kellog, Michael. Wordreference Spanish-English Dictionary. Wordreference. www.wordreference.com/english/AboutUs.aspx?dict=enes. 3 April 2021.

“Lila Downs – Singing with love and with a broken heart.” YouTube, uploaded by q on cbc, 3 July 2017. www.youtube.com/watch?v=emWhzgrwMKcwww.youtube.com/watch?v=HpVOGnmX09M. 2 April 2021.

Moreno, Violeta. “‘Urge’ a Lila Downs mostrar riqueza cultural.” Milenio, 24 Aug. 2017,    www.milenio.com/espectaculos/urge-lila-downs-mostrar-riqueza-cultural. 1 April 2021.