Musical Montage: Los Lobos “La Bamba”
Although they seem like a more modern trend given how many musical biopics have come out in recent years, they were happening over 30 years ago as well with movies like La Bamba. Starring Lou Diamond Phillips as the tragic Chicano rock star Ritchie Valens, who died at age 18 alongside The Big Bopper and Buddy Holly in the airplane crash known as “The Day the Music Died”. The movie follows Valens’ rise to fame before his fateful flight and his relationship with his brother Bob (Esai Morales) and his girlfriend, Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck). Obviously, the soundtrack was a massive part of the movie and the band Los Lobos provides six covers of Ritchie Valens songs, including his signature song, “La Bamba”. There were covers from artists like Brian Seltzer and Bo Diddly as well and the soundtrack album was a massive hit, going 2x Platinum and hitting #1 on a number of album charts. Los Lobos made a music video for their version of “La Bamba” that featured clips from the movie as well as a guest appearance by Lou Diamond Phillips. Check it out below.
