O Paloma Blanca Song
Alexandrie Gallup
Slim Whitman was the punchline to a lot of jokes with my high school buddies in the late 1970s. Mostly this was because of the yodeling, the pencil-thin moustache, and the constant peddling of All My Best, his compilation album that saw mass T.V. marketing throughout the day and late night, but never, apparently, prime-time. It didn't help, for me, that Whitman looked a little too much like my step-grandfather, top-notch charlatan and pianist (in retrospect, I can't say for sure if the adjective should carry over to the noun "pianist").
Part of what got us idiots in an uproar were the various claims put out by the T.V. marketing: "Number One Selling Record in England for more weeks than any singer in history, even Elvis or The Beatles." Elvis? Maybe. The Beatles? Nobody ever outsold the fab four. Even if true, what did that say about the English, or the Canadians, or any other non-United States' market where he was supposedly huge? Like my step-grandfather, Whitman might have been a little too good at self-promotion, as his Wikipedia entry notes, "He claimed he had sold in excess of 120 million records, although the recorded sales figures give 70 million." At best, he seemed another lounge singer, someone hanging out with Englebert Humperdinck or Tiny Tim, so maybe all those sales were going to gullible old ladies like my grandmother.
For you young'uns who doubt the veracity of my marketing critique, here is the advertisement in all of it glory. And, yes, that is an 8-track pictured at the end of the commercial. I never thought I'd say this but, given the rediscoveries for Day 300 and Day 299 (Mick Farren), I miss the 70s.
Inevitably, one of us chowderheads would croon "una paloma blanca" as the definitive (and probably the only one we knew) Whitman song, as that song always opened the advertisement, the Spanish-influenced brass section and guitar warning us of the chorus to come.
We didn't even know what "una paloma blanca" meant (or cared). What would we have thought if we had figured out the translation of "one white dove"? It seems pretty brazen to picture one's self as a white dove, instead of a black crow, or a scarlet tangier, or a simple blue jay. Today I learned that Whitman didn't even write "Una Paloma Blanca" so my ridicule of the metaphor can be passed on to George Baker. I also never realized that a Whitman song was featured in Mars Attacks! as the best defense against Martians (the song apparently made their heads explode), which allowed for another resurgence of popularity in the 1990s. Now, I might actually sit through that whole movie to see that (or those) scene(s). Pop Culture is a fabulous thing, isn't it?
As far as I can tell, "Una Paloma Blanca" was never a hit . . . anywhere, not in Whitman's infamously supportive England, not on a Canadian chart, not on the U.S. Country charts. How did it get elevated to such rare air, the track used to entice unsuspecting T.V. watchers into all the best of this obscure (at least in the United States) cowboy artist? I found one clip (the link below) of Whitman playing the song on what appears to be a T.V. talk show, with his son (looking so much like his dad that no DNA tests were required) introducing him. How big of a star could you have been, Slim, if you needed your son, Byron, to introduce you on a talk show? Your son seems to have partaken in the hyperbole, claiming "Una Palona Blanca" was a big hit in both England and the United States, although I can find no evidence for that claim.
And I admit I have relied almost entirely on Wikipedia to flesh out this Slim post (perhaps in more ways than one). And yet nowhere can I find out why he was called "Slim." Even just referencing him as Whitman through here momentarily sees him as Walt Whitman, one of America's greatest poets. Did he outsell Mark Twain? We need to find some 19th century advertisements.
He does have the same name as his father, so maybe this was the distinction between Ottis Dewey Whitman, Sr. and Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. "Which Ottis do you want?" cries out the bedraggled Mrs. Whitman, "the old fat one or the young slim one?" He also, while in the navy, apparently got transferred from one ship to another because he was spending too much time singing and entertaining the other sailors (and if that isn't a dangerous concept, what is?), which saved him from being on the original ship when it went down. Maybe Slim comes from his slim escape with his life.
Little did Slim know, when he died about 10 years ago, how much he meant to the lives of a small group of bored teenagers in Morgantown, West Virginia, in the 1970s. That's probably because they had no idea Mick Farren existed.
The song 'Paloma Blanca,' performed by Perla, is a poignant expression of heartache and lost love. The lyrics, which are in Spanish, use the metaphor of a 'paloma blanca,' or white dove, to represent a loved one. The dove is traditionally a symbol of purity and peace, and in the context of this song, it seems to embody the innocence and beauty of the love that the singer once had.
The opening lines speak of a note of sorrow and the sight of the dove in a cage, which suggests a feeling of entrapment or the loss of freedom that comes with heartbreak. The singer mentions the lack of consolation and the fading of hope, indicating a deep sense of despair. The use of the word 'ingrata,' meaning ungrateful, points to a betrayal or lack of appreciation from the loved one, which adds to the singer's pain.
The final stanza reveals the singer's unwavering love, which is now dying due to the loved one's inconstancy. The imagery of the white dove, once a symbol of hope and love, now becomes a reminder of what has been lost. The song captures the universal experience of love that has turned sour, the struggle to let go, and the mourning of a love that was once pure and promising.
Camilo Sesto's song 'Paloma Blanca Paloma Ma' is a poignant exploration of longing and unrequited love. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a person who is deeply in love and cannot imagine life without their beloved. The repeated references to 'Paloma Blanca' (White Dove) symbolize purity, peace, and an unattainable ideal. This metaphorical dove represents the object of the singer's affection, someone who remains elusive and distant despite the singer's desperate attempts to connect.
The song's narrative unfolds through the singer's solitary journey, both physically and emotionally. Lines like 'Solo en la calle, no hablo con nadie' (Alone in the street, I don't talk to anyone) and 'Camino sin rumbo en mi propio mundo' (I walk aimlessly in my own world) highlight the isolation and aimlessness that come with unfulfilled love. The singer's world revolves around memories and the hope of rekindling a past relationship, as seen in 'mi mente se pierde en los recuerdos de ayer' (my mind gets lost in yesterday's memories).
The chorus, with its repeated plea 'Paloma blanca, no te escondas de m' (White dove, don't hide from me), underscores the desperation and helplessness felt by the singer. Despite advice from others to move on, the singer remains steadfast in their pursuit, closing their eyes to reality and clinging to the hope of reunion. This unwavering devotion, even in the face of adversity, speaks to the universal human experience of longing and the pain of unattainable love.
Camilo Sesto, known for his emotive voice and romantic ballads, masterfully conveys these deep emotions through his performance. His music often delves into themes of love, loss, and yearning, making 'Paloma Blanca Paloma Ma' a quintessential example of his artistic style.
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