Desperado: The Soundtrack
Encyclopedia
The film score to Robert Rodriguez's Desperado
is written and performed by the Los Angeles
rock bands, Los Lobos
and Tito & Tarantula
, performing traditional Ranchera
and Chicano rock
music. Other artists on the soundtrack album include Dire Straits
, Link Wray
, Latin Playboys
, and Carlos Santana
. Musician Tito Larriva
has a small role in the film, and his band, Tito & Tarantula
, contributed to the soundtrack as well.
The album track "Mariachi Suite" by Los Lobos
was awarded a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards.
Desperado (film)
Desperado is a 1995 action thriller film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film stars Antonio Banderas as the former mariachi who seeks revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover....
is written and performed by the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
rock bands, Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
and Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula are a chicano rock band formed in Hollywood California in 1992. The band is best known for its songs, "After Dark", "Back to the House That Love Built", "Strange Face of Love", and "Angry Cockroaches", as well as for its role in Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk Till Dawn as the...
, performing traditional Ranchera
Ranchera
Ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. Ranchera today is also played...
and Chicano rock
Chicano rock
Chicano rock is rock music performed by Mexican American groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use many specifically Latin instruments or sounds...
music. Other artists on the soundtrack album include Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
, Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
, Latin Playboys
Latin Playboys
Latin Playboys is a musical group comprising David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, active in the 1990s.-History:The band began with a series of demo recordings made by Hidalgo on a home cassette tape 4-track machine...
, and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. Musician Tito Larriva
Tito Larriva
-Early life:Larriva was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and El Paso, Texas. As a child he played the violin in the school orchestra and sang in the church and school choirs where he met his wife Janet Carroll. In 1972 Larriva snuck into Yale University for a full...
has a small role in the film, and his band, Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula are a chicano rock band formed in Hollywood California in 1992. The band is best known for its songs, "After Dark", "Back to the House That Love Built", "Strange Face of Love", and "Angry Cockroaches", as well as for its role in Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk Till Dawn as the...
, contributed to the soundtrack as well.
The album track "Mariachi Suite" by Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
was awarded a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards.
Track listing
- "Canción del Mariachi" ("Morena de Mi Corazón") (Los LobosLos LobosLos Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
and Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
) 2:06 - "Six Blade Knife" (Dire StraitsDire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
) 4:34 - "Jack the Ripper" (Link WrayLink WrayFred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
) 2:31 - "Manifold de Amour" (Latin PlayboysLatin PlayboysLatin Playboys is a musical group comprising David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, active in the 1990s.-History:The band began with a series of demo recordings made by Hidalgo on a home cassette tape 4-track machine...
) 2:03 - "Forever Night Shade Mary" (Latin Playboys) 3:00
- "Pass the Hatchet" (Roger & The Gypsies) 3:00
- "Bar Fight" (Los Lobos) 1:54
- "Strange Face of Love" (Tito & TarantulaTito & TarantulaTito & Tarantula are a chicano rock band formed in Hollywood California in 1992. The band is best known for its songs, "After Dark", "Back to the House That Love Built", "Strange Face of Love", and "Angry Cockroaches", as well as for its role in Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk Till Dawn as the...
) 5:51 - "Bucho's Gracias/Navajas Attacks" (Los Lobos) 3:56
- "Bulletproof" (Los Lobos) 1:42
- "Bella" (Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
) 4:29 - "Quedate Aqui" (Salma HayekSalma HayekSalma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
) 2:05 - "Rooftop Action" (Los Lobos) 1:36
- "Phone Call" (Los Lobos) 2:16
- "White Train (Showdown)" (Tito & Tarantula) 5:57
- "Back to the House That Love Built" (Tito & Tarantula) 4:41
- "Let Love Reign" (Los Lobos) 3:22
- "Mariachi Suite" (Los Lobos) 4:22
Personnel
- Tom Baker – mastering
- Antonio Banderas – speech
- Steve Berlin – mixing
- Richard Bosworth – engineer, mixing engineer
- Steve Buscemi – speech
- Bill Jackson – engineer, mixing
- Tito Larriva – producer
- Los Lobos – producer
- Cheech Marin – speech
- Charlie Midnight – producer
- Thom Panunzio – mixing
- Karyn Rachtman – executive producer
- Robert Rodriguez – executive producer
- Cesar Rosas – engineer
- Carlos Santana – performer
- Quentin Tarantino – speech
- David Tickle – mixing