In 1940 a sixteen-year-old Mexican girl named Consuelo Velazquez wrote a passionate song obviously stating her longing to be kissed. The song was called Besame Mucho and it set fire to the hearts, lips and loins of men and women all over the world. It was recorded by Jimmy Dorsey ans his orchestra with Kitty Kallen singing and became a number one on Billboard Magazine for six weeks in 1944.

Another singer with big bands was a man named Sunny Skylar. He wrote music and lyrics for a number of songs including Amor, And So To Sleep Again and Love Me With All Your Heart. There are other translations of the song but Skylar's seems to be a favorite. Here are the lyrics as interpreted by Sunny Skylar:
Bésame, bésame mucho
Each time I cling to your kiss, I hear music divine
Bésame mucho
Hold me my darling and say that you'll always be mine
This joy is something new
My arms enfolding you
Never knew this thrill before
Whoever thought I'd be
Holding you close to me
Whispering "It's you I adore"
Dearest one
If you should leave me
Each little dream would take wing, and my life would be through
Bésame mucho
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true
A very forthright expression of deep feelings from a teenage girl who had never been kissed when she wrote the song. It is probably a good thing that Skylar stuck with the phrase "besame mucho" instead of going for an English translation like "kiss me much" or "kiss me alot".

And here are the original lyrics by Consuelo Velazquez:
Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte otra vez
Quiero tenerte muy
Cerca, mirarme en tus
Ojos, verte junto a mí
Piensa que tal vez
Mañana yo ya estaré
Lejos, muy lejos de ti
Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte después

If you would like to learn how to play Besame Mucho on the guitar, there are many tabs and chord charts available on the internet. It is quite a simple song to play using the chords A minor, D minor, A major and E major so most guitarists should be able to handle it.

Folklore has it that Consuelo Velasquez started playing the piano when she was only four years old and went on to become a concert pianist. Consuelo wrote many other popular Mexican songs including: Amar y vivir, Verdad amarga, Franqueza, Que seas feliz, Cachito and Enamorada.

The list of vocal and instrumental artists who recorded Besame Mucho is almost too long to mention but some notable ones are:
Andrea Bocelli, Artie Shaw, The Beatles, Charles Aznavour, Chris Isaak, Edith Piaf, The Dead Brothers, Leslie Nielsen(!!), Sammy Davis Jr and Stan Getz.

For lovers of acoustic guitar, Besame Mucho is included on an album of latin standards by flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucia. Other tracks on the CD include: Malaguena, Mantilla De Feria, Granada, Manha De Carnaval, Perfidia, La Virgen De La Macarena and Moliendo Cafe. Paco is one of the world's greatest guitarists and it would be well worth your while to have a listen to this excellent CD. Meanwhile, good luck with your own efforts at playing this luscious song.