Whether you know him as The Charro de Huentitán, The King of Ranchera Music, or The Idol of Mexico, if you’re a Ranchera fan, you know the work of Vincente Fernandez. After taking his first steps in music as a busker, he gradually rose through the ranks to become one of Mexico’s biggest and most beloved stars. Over the past 60 years, he has won three Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Between two awards, he also managed to sell more than 50 million records worldwide. Here is our pick of the 10 best Vicente Fernandez songs of all time.
10. Para Siempre
Recorded for the album of the same name in 2007, Para Siempre finds Fernandez in a milder mood than usual. The sound is smoother and more sophisticated than standard Fernandez fare – influenced, perhaps, by Mexican artist Joan Sebastian, who elevates what was already a beautiful song with some particularly beautiful contributions. After reaching number two on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs in the United States and topping the charts in Mexico and Colombia, the song was used as the main theme for the Mexican telenovela Fuego En La Sangre, bringing a new audience to the scrapbook and helper. stay on the charts for two years.
9. Me Voy a Quitar de En Medio
Fernandez was never an artist to shy away from experimenting, as evidenced by En Medio’s beautiful Me Voy a Quitar. Recorded in 2000 for the album Entre el amor y yo, it came at a point in Fernandez’s career where he would have been indulgent to hand out the same collection of songs over and over again, glad to know that people would continue to buy. regardless. But Fernandez is no lazy artist, and Me Voy a Quitar de En Medio, with its Spanish, Cuban and Mexican flair and wonderfully deep lyrics, is far from a lazy song.
8. Aca between our
As hiplatina.com notes, Aca Entre Nos is yet another song about Fernandez’s heartbreak. Luckily, he does them so well that there’s always room for one more. A slow burner marked by echoing vocals and growling whispers, the song finds Fernandez giving his macho side on the day off and showing his sensitive side. It doesn’t happen that often, which makes it all the more reason to celebrate when it does.
7. De Que Manera Te Olvido
De Que Manera Te Olvido is a song about unconditional love. The lyrics are decent enough, the vocals are on point, but it’s the melody that grabs you. Since appearing on the 1994 album, Historia De Un Idolo Vol.II, he has become a mariachi staple, and for very good reason.
6. Mujeres Divinas
In Mujeres Divinas, Fernandez sings from the perspective of a man having a conversation with some old people about the rights and wrongs of men who curse women. It ends with the realization that men shouldn’t shoot women cheaply and (in a shocking move to the macho world of ranchers) portraying women as madonnas or whores rather than acknowledging their innate complexities is probably not the smartest move in the world. If you’ve ever wondered what makes Fernandez such a hit with so many women, this song is the answer.
5. Return Return
Named by Latin Post as one of Fernandez’s best songs, Volver Volver is undoubtedly one of the most iconic songs in Fernandez’s catalog. Like many Fernandez songs, Volver Volver is a heartbreaker, written from the perspective of a remorseful man who would do anything to be back in the arms of the woman he loves. The lyrics may be standard Fernandez fare, but it’s the screaming, the crying and, more than anything else, that twittering intro organ that makes the song such a firm favorite.
4. By Tu Maldito Amor
Ranchera’s music and songs of grief go together like love and marriage. If you want to cry and moan over your broken heart, there are a few hundred ranchera songs that will be happy enough to go with you. Of all of them, Por Tu Maldito Amor is perhaps the most tender. The lyrics are touching enough, but the crying voice that Fernandez sings them with makes them even more touching than they otherwise would be.
3. The Ley Del Monte
The battling violins and trumpets are what first catches your eye on La Ley Del Monte, but it’s the lyrics that will keep you hooked. It’s a song that manages to be one of the sweetest revenge songs of all time, as well as an ode to the power of nature, undying love, and rancho life. Basically, that’s it for all listeners; If you haven’t heard it already, indulge yourself by turning the volume up to max and pressing play.
2. Le Rey
El Rey was written by José Alfredo Jiménez in 1971 and now ranks among Mexico’s most famous songs. Many artists have covered it, but few have come close to the original. Fernandez, on the other hand, not only managed to match it, but improved it. The vocals may be a bit harsh and may lack the nuance of Jiménez’s original, but its powerful masculinity and wounded emotion make it utterly irresistible. If one song helped Fernandez win the title of King of Ranchera, it’s this one.
1. Los Mandados
As ocweekly.com puts it, Los Mandados isn’t just Vicente Fernández’s greatest song of all time, it’s one of the funniest, angst, and scathing recordings to ever come out of Mexico. In just three minutes, Fernandez manages to turn US immigration policy into a Smokey prank and bandit-sized proportions, with the demure protagonist gleefully admitting that La Migra has caught him “say, 300 times”. Few songs have managed to make such a hilarious serious point, proving exactly what makes Fernandez such an icon.
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