Meaning of "Acapulco 1922"?

[beerslayer]

Hi, all -

I know the cardinal rule of newbies in any forum is to search for the answer before posting the question. I did search and didn't find anything that seemed to cover this, so I decided to post the question in hopes that someone here might know the answer. If it has already been answered somewhere, sorry for not finding it.

The question has to do with the song "Acapulco 1922" on the TJB's first album. I've often wondered whether that title has any meaning - did something momentous happen in Acapulco in 1922? Something that may or may not relate directly to the TJB? Something with personal meaning to someone in or closely associated with the TJB? It doesn't seem like the sort of title to have been pulled out of thin air, but then maybe that's exactly the effect they wanted.

If anyone knows why the TJB named this song the way they did, please enlighten me! Thanks!

 

[Harry]

"Acapulco 1922" has an interesting history. It appeared on both the first Tijuana Brass album (THE LONELY BULL) as well as on the first Baja Marimba Band album (BAJA MARIMBA BAND). On both LP's, the song is credited to "Dave Alpert." But on the newest CD from Shout! Factory, the song is credited to Herb Alpert.

As we've learned, the song had always been written by Herb, but was given to brother Dave, probably for two reasons. One, as a kind gesture to his brother, the other, to make it seem that Herb wasn't so much a sole contributor to THE LONELY BULL.

As to why its titled what it is, it's likely just a way of theming the song to the whole "south of the border" idea that flavored much of the Brass' output - especially early on. We know that "The Lonely Bull" song had been written as "Twinkle Star" so changing titles to fit the theme certainly wasn't unheard of.

Julius and the BMB took the idea even further, actually arranging the song in a "1922" style for their version, making it very old-timey sounding. (Evidently the folks at Collectors Choice thought was even more old-timey than that, titling it as "Acapulco 1822" on their CD!)

Several of us have noted that the TJB arrangement of "Acapulco 1922" owes a great deal to an earlier record put out by Herb as Dore Alpert, "Little Lost Lover" (RCA 47-7988). The whole song sounds like an early clone of "Acapulco 1922", yet "Little Lost Lover" is credited as having been written by Ray Stanley.

Oh - and welcome to the A&M Corner Forum!

Harry

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

As can be seen, the single credit is Eldon Allan, nom de tune of Dave Alpert. I suspect that the Shout credit is erroneous - someone saw "Dave Alpert" and thought that it should be Herb. Just a thought.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I know the cardinal rule of newbies in any forum is to search for the answer before posting the question.

Welcome to the Corner! While it is always a good idea to read and search, actually around here we're very tolerant of newbie questions, because a lot of information got buried in a previous version of the forum software that's now inaccessible (for the present, at least) - so ask away. The quantity of answers you get probably depends as much on how busy people are with their "real lives" as anything else.

Be sure to visit tijuanabrass.com and read the FAQ there, if you haven't already. That covers a lot of the common questions we've gotten over the years.

 

[beerslayer]

Thanks for the welcome, folks!

I've joined so many different forums at one time or another and been flamed so severely for (politely!) posting a question that was asked and answered in that forum three years ago that I tend to add disclaimers like the above when posting any question that doesn't seem terribly obscure (ok, stop to breathe). Of course, some forums are nicer than others...

I gather, then, that there is no known reason (other than general Mexican flavoring) to name that song "Acapulco 1922" - that nothing special happened in Acapulco in 1922 to anyone associated with the TJB. Or is this still unknown, and all statements about the name origin are merely speculation?

I'm guessing that old 45 might be worth something...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I just searched Acapulco on Wikipedia, and skimmed over the article -- didn't spot anything relevant, so just to be sure I did a search in the article for "1922" and then just "22" and found nothing. So my guess is, maybe the song is a tribute to some prominent Mexican person who was born in Acapulco that year?

 

[beerslayer]

Are any of the TJB's members (or their spouses) old enough to have been born in or around 1922? I'm not familiar with the individual members' bios so maybe the answer to this is pretty obvious...

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I seriously doubt that there's any significance to 1922. My guess is it just sounded like a good title and that's what it became. Not everything has to have something Zen to it.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Mike Blakesley]

My wife occasionally asks why an instrumental is titled the way it is. She can understand why "Mexican Road Race" is titled, but what about something like "Bo-Bo?"

 

[Captaindave]

Perhaps something that the composer knows or understands, but since it is an instrumental, there is no revelation in any lyrics.

The song dates back to the Lonely Bull album - 46 years ago - and 1922 would have been only 40 years earlier at that time, and maybe easily within the memory of someone.

Maybe someone is reminiscing about that place in the past, and this is the melody that he hears.

Maybe the composer is writing about what he thinks might have been the sounds of that place at that time. This is what you might have heard as a melody in that place and that time.

I think that often composers write from personal experiences, so it may be something personal to that person.

 

[4haverstocks]

An idle thought... could "Acapulco 1922" be a telephone number? From Wikipedia:

"From the 1920s through the 1950s, most larger American cities used the Bell System standard format of two letters which began the exchange name followed by four numbers, as in DUnkirk 0799."

Maybe it's a phone number that someone heard and thought it'd be a cool song title. ...unless I'm completely wrong.

Dan

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Wasn't that two letters plus a number, followed by four digits? My grandparents' phone in the "old days" used to be FIreside 7-2202.

Then you have one of the most famous phone numbers of all, BEechwood 4-5789.

 

[Rudy]

Wasn't that two letters plus a number, followed by four digits? My grandparents' phone in the "old days" used to be FIreside 7-2202.

It may have depended on the area--they may have added the additional number when they realized they were running out of phone numbers. I

remember my grandparents' phone number was TUxedo 1-6323; my other grandmother was LAkeview 6-6596, and mom's aunt was LAkeview 6-8975. Ours was SLocum 4-7381. When they changed our phone number in the late 60s, they dropped the "name" of the exchanges around here, although many relatives still recited the phone numbers the old fashioned way.

Then you have one of the most famous phone numbers of all, BEechwood 4-5789.

PEnnsylvania 6-5000?

 

[Harry]

When I grew up in the '50s, our phone number was the seven letter/number combination of SUnset 9-6246. So you'd dial SU 9-6246 and later on became known as 789-6246.

But when I was a kid, I also found some very old business cards of my dad's, and the phone number was SUnset-6246, without that extra "9" in the exchange.

So it's not really out of the question that "ACapulco-1922" could have been a phone number. But personally, I think it's meant as a song that takes us back to old Acapulco circa the year 1922.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

But personally, I think it's meant as a song that takes us back to old Acapulco circa the year 1922.

...back when phones had cranks on the side of them.

 

[bob knack]

Someone dial it and see who answers.

Now, how about Peru '68?

 

[LPJim]

My # was Melrose 8-4334; later 638-4334.

 

[Harry]

Someone dial it and see who answers.

I just did. In area code 215, a man answered with a kid screaming in the background. (I used "ACA" as the prefix, which translates to "222").

Harry
...wasting time, online...

 

[Rudy]

Someone dial it and see who answers.

Now, how about Peru '68?

I just called it. Freight Train Joe answered. Says "Hi".

 

[bob knack]

I've created a monster. :goofygrin:

 

[Harry]

Maybe it was a license plate:

Harry

 

[TonyCurrie]

Maybe it was a license plate:

Harry

Shucks - no end to your talents, Harry!!

 

[mikeargo]

I just searched Acapulco on Wikipedia, and skimmed over the article -- didn't spot anything relevant, so just to be sure I did a search in the article for "1922" and then just "22" and found nothing. So my guess is, maybe the song is a tribute to some prominent Mexican person who was born in Acapulco that year?

Yes--it's the birthday of El Whizzer . . . :bandit:

-Mike A.

 

[Rudy]

I've created a monster. :goofygrin:

Wait until I finish designing the t-shirts.

 

[Harry]

How about TjB songs on a customized Yeti