Songs of Albuquerque
About the Featured Songs:
Researched by Katherine McCully, CSWR
1. Albuquerque
Song: “Albuquerque”
Recorded: 1952, John Donald Robb Collection
Composer and singer: Eddie Gallegos
Born in San Juan, Arizona, Eddie Gallegos moved to Albuquerque and came to love his adopted city. He learned to play the guitar and for 50 years played at La Placita Restaurant in Old Town. In 1956, Gallegos formed a band with Vicente Saucedo and Mike Cárdenas called “Eddie Gallegos y los Conquistadores.” They made a record called “Have Burro Will Travel.” At one time Gallegos' band played for President Kennedy in the White House. In 1972, his band traveled the country with Edwin L. Mechem, the then governor of New Mexico, and promoted the tourism of New Mexico and Albuquerque.
Words:
You are
My most lovely memory.
Your love made me
So happy
The night that you whispered sí.
It seems
T'was yesterday that we met.
My lovely señorita,
How can I ever forget?
Albuquerque,
In the land of romance,
Where gay señoritas
Sing love songs and dance.
Albuquerque
Where I gave her my heart,
Not knowing or dreaming
That we had to part.
Chorus:
The stars shone brightly in heaven;
The moon made it all so very nice.
Your eyes and your lips were my heaven,
But your smile, my paradise.
Albuquerque,
I get lonesome and blue.
Oh, my señorita,
Muchachita, I love you.
2. Albuquerque
Song: “Albuquerque”
Recorded: 1964, John Donald Robb Collection
Composer and singer: Vicente Saucedo
This song glorifies the streets, the monuments, the scenery, and the history of Albuquerque. It was composed and sung by Vicente Saucedo, who moved to New Mexico many years ago from his native Mexico. “Albuquerque” is a Mexican relación, a folk song that describes an attachment to a particular place. The folk songs of the Southwest are the songs of a settled people who love their native valleys and hills. The names of familiar places seem to provide the principal excuse for these types of songs, which are very popular in Central America and Mexico and were imported into the Southwest.
Click here for an MP3 recording of this song.
Words:
Albuquerque, ciudad tan bonita
Con tu nombre que tienes de rey
Tus mujeres, preciosas y hermosas
Y tus parques, que son un placer.
De la sierra se beel panorama
Muy bonito al anochecer
Nuevo México tierra de encanto
Tierra linda que me bio nacer.
Tu bonito canon de tijeras
Tus paseos, que no hay cosa igual
Albuqeurque, la ciudad del Duque
Nunca, nunca te voy a olvidar.
Tus sierras, tus valles dorados
Tus volcanes que muertos están
Y tu Río Grande tan famoso
Que es orgullo de esta gran ciudad.
Muy bonita es tu placa vieja
Muy antigua es por tradición
Y la iglesia es de San Felipe
De Albuquerque el santo patrón.
Albuquerque, de ti me des pido
Me voy lejos muy lejos de aquí
Por muy lejos que de ti me encuentre
Nunca, nunca me olvido de ti.
Albuquerque, a most beautiful city,
With your name that of a king,
Your women, precious and lovely
And your parks, which are a delight.
From the mountains is seen a panorama
So lovely at night fall
New Mexico Land of Enchantment
Beautiful land of my birth.
Your beautiful Tijeras Canyon
Your drives, which have no equal
Albuquerque, the Duke City
I will never, never forget you.
Your mountains, your valleys all gilded
Your now inactive volcanoes,
Your famous Rio Grande
All the pride of this great city.
Your Old Town is very lovely
By tradition very old
And the Church is San Felipe's
Albuquerque's patron saint.
Albuquerque, I bid you farewell
I leave (or go) far, far from here,
But tho' far from you I may wander
Never, never will I forget you.
3. A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E
Song: “A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E”
Recorded: 2003. The Curio Cowboys from the album Duke City Swing
Lyrics: Herb Hendler in 1951
Music: Ralph Flanagan
This song has had a long history since it was written. UNM's own John Feldman, Director of the School of Law Career Services and a member of the Curio Cowboys, wrote “This is the second time we have put out ‘A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E' on one of our recordings. It appears on our earlier compact disc called A Tribute to Ted Daffan & Salute to Johnnie Lee Wills. The song has also been recorded in recent years by Asleep at the Wheel on a compilation disc of songs about Route 66. The version of the song we cover is the recording made by the great Tulsa band leader, Johnnie Lee Wills, in the year the song came out, 1951. His was a Western Swing version of the song, and it was a memorable and convincing performance. The Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys version was on RCA, as was the version by the writers of the song, bandleader Ralph Flanagan, who wrote the music, and Herb Hendler, who wrote the lyrics. We learned from Mr. Hendler that he liked Albuquerque and wanted to write a song about it to express how he felt. He lives in New York City and he was surprised and delighted to know that we still perform his song and that we had preserved it on our recordings.”




4. Lights of Albuquerque
Song: “Lights of Albuquerque” from the album, Man In The Mirror
Copyright: 1985, Sony/ATV Tunes LLC/ PolyGram
Composer: Bob McDill and Dickey Lee
Singer: Jim Glaser
Jim Glaser's first solo album, Man in the Mirror, stayed on Billboard's album chart for more than a year and a half. Of the song “The Lights of Albuquerque,” Jim Glaser writes, “I first saw the lights of Albuquerque in 1958. My brothers and I had just left the farm in Nebraska to go on the road with Marty Robbins. I was 20 years old. We were traveling west on old Route 66 in the middle of the night , and in those days [there] were very few filling stations or any other lights along that route. We met very few cars. Then, suddenly, we topped the edge of the mesa on the east of Albuquerque and there, spread out below us ‘like a diamond in the desert' was your beautiful city. It took my breath away, and I've never forgotten the feeling. Oddly, I didn't write, ‘Lights of Albuquerque.' It was written by Bob McDill and Dickey Lee. When I was looking for material for an album project back in the 80s, they brought the song to me and it brought back the feeling I'd had back in 1958 when I first saw Albuquerque. I recorded the song and it's still one of the most popular songs of my career.”

Words:
Desert moon, lights the freeway up tonight,
Chevy van, how I wish that you could fly.
Gotta get to her and tell her I was wrong,
But I'm still such a long, long way from home,
And the road goes on, on and on, on and on.
But the Lights of Albuquerque, will soon be shining bright,
Like a diamond in the desert, like a beacon in the night.
And I wonder if she'll take me back, will she understand?
Will the Lights of Albuquerque, shine for me again?
Thinking back, to the foolish things I said.
Looking out, at the white lines up ahead.
Gonna tell her I can't make it on my own.
Oh, this empty feeling won't leave me alone.
It goes on and on, on and on, on and on
But the Lights of Albuquerque, will soon be shining bright,
Like a diamond in the desert, like a beacon in the night.
And I wonder if she'll take me back, will she understand?
Will the Lights of Albuquerque, shine for me again?
5. Albuquerque
by Al Yankovic

Song: “Albuquerque” from the album Running With Scissors
Copyright: 1999 Volcano entertainment III L.L.C.
Composer and Singer: “Weird Al” Yankovic
Thanks to radio host Dr. Demento, “Weird Al” Yankovic broke into the novelty song business in 1979 with “My Bologna,” a parody of The Knack's tune “My Sharona.” In the 80s and 90s, Yankovic and his accordion became a staple of MTV, with elaborate music video parodies of pop icons, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Puff Daddy. Yankovic has a loyal following and a solid hold on his reputation as the best selling novelty song producer of all time. “Albuquerque” is the last song on the album Running With Scissors. Clocking in at 11 minutes and 23 seconds, it is not just the longest song in the album, but it is the longest song “Weird Al” has ever made.
-See: http://www.weirdal.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weird_Al
Here are the lyrics from the album booklet.
NOTE: The following lyrics are type exactly as they appear in the booklet.
Lyrics:
Way back when I was just a little bitty boy
living in a box under the stairs in a corner of
the basement of the house half a block down
the street from Jerry's Bait Shop... You know
the place... Well anyway, back then life was
going swell and everything was juuuuust
peachy ... except of course for the undeniable
fact that every single morning my mother
would . . . you know what? The rest of these lyrics aren't gonna fit on here. There's just no room
left. What a drag, huh? I guess we didn't plan this out very well . . . probably should've used a
smaller font or a bigger piece of paper or something. Sorry. We all feel just horrible about this.
Well, I guess you'll just have to listen really carefully and try to figure out the words for yourself.
Good luck.
Albuquerque is the twelfth (12th) song on the Running With Scissors album. It is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic.
If you want the whole song, then go to the following website:
http://www.com-www.com/weirdal/albuquerque.html
6. Cruzin' Central
Song: “Cruzin' Central” from the album South Broadway/Broadway Del Sur
Copyright: 2000 Encanto Music Productions.
Composer and Singer: Freddie Chavez
Freddie is a native of Albuquerque and has more than four decades of experience in the entertainment and recording industry. He has performed throughout the Southwest, as well as Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Reno. Freddie currently performs at a variety of nightclubs and casinos and various functions in New Mexico, both as a solo act and with his band “The Freddie Chavez Foundation.” About his album Freddie says, “South Broadway is the area in Albuquerque, NM, where I grew up. I remember listening to my dad's band rehearsing rancheras for their weekend gig at the Paloma Bar on the corner. Other bands down the street practiced the latest Rock and Roll. Late night Fridays and Saturdays you could hear Little Richard and Fats Domino wailing on the jukebox from the corner café. I heard gospel singing on Sundays coming from across the street. Mariachis performed during the procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiestas. When I wrote and recorded these songs, I thought of all these things and felt I had to dedicate this music to my barrio, South Broadway/Broadway Del Sur. Viva La Musica!!!!”

7. Albuquerque

Song: “Albuquerque” from the album La Baraja
Copyright: 1998 Del Valle Productions
Produced and arranged by Eva Torrez and The Cast
Composed by: Robert Brown
Singer: Eva Torrez and The Cast.
This comes from an interview with Gene Lopez, Eva's husband. “Eva grew up here in Albuquerque and watched her father practice with his band. While they rehearsed, Eva sang along. When her father heard her sing, he started her singing career. Throughout her life, she has performed with several different groups, but most of her recordings are with her brothers, Sam, Richard, and Ben Jr., also known as The Cast. Today Eva is widely known throughout New Mexico and Colorado and has performed in many areas in the Southwest. Eva's brothers have retired, so Eva has put together her own band and is working on a new CD, which will be out later this year through Alta Vista Records.

8. Albuquerque
Song: “Albuquerque” from the album Thirst
Copyright: 1998-2005 Buck Young Music
Composer and singer: Tom Ross
Tom Ross gave this song to the city of Albuquerque and it is their official Tricentennial song. The song invokes a number of regional mythologies and places. From "The Light (La Luz) Trail" snaking the mountainside and the three sister volcanoes dormant and deep in the West Mesa, to our moody Rio Grande River, he paints an illuminating landscape in song. Tom Ross writes, “The first image that came through was of the Sandias, and how they catch storms and stall them over the heart of the city and the rest [of the song] just flowed like an arroyo after a storm.”
––For more information, see www.albuquerque.org.

Inscribed and translated by J. D. Robb