"La engañadora" (translated in the US as "Anything Can Happen When You're in Havana", "The Gay Deceiver" or simply "The Deceiver") is a song written by violinist

Enrique Jorrín Enrique Jorrín (December 25, 1926 – December 12, 1987) was a Cuban charanga violinist, composer and music director. He is considered the inventor of the '' cha-cha-chá'', a popular style of ballroom music derived from danzón. Biography Jor ...

and first recorded by

Orquesta América Orquesta América is a Cuban charanga orchestra founded in Havana in 1942, and later based in Mexico City and California. The band pioneered the cha-cha-chá in 1953. History The band was founded in 1942 by singer Ninón Mondéjar with Alex ...

in March 1953. Shortly after its release it became

Panart Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Naci ...

's biggest-selling single. It is widely considered the first cha-cha-cha and one of the most influential Cuban songs.

Background and composition

Born in 1926 in

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

, Enrique Jorrín took up the violin at age 12. He later attended the Municipal Conservatory of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Arcaño y sus Maravillas Arcaño y sus Maravillas was a Cuban charanga founded in 1937 by flautist Antonio Arcaño. Until its dissolution in 1958, it was one of the most popular and prolific danzón orchestras in Cuba, particularly due to the development of the danzón- ...

, Cuba's most important charanga. The band, directed by

Antonio Arcaño Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director ...

and featuring brothers Israel López "Cachao" and

Orestes López Orestes López Valdés (August 28, 1908 – January 26, 1991), nicknamed Macho, was a Cuban multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. As a double bassist he was a founding member of the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, and later a member of t ...

, who wrote most of the group's repertoire, was the main exponent of the

danzón Danzón is the official genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in USA and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring set footwork ...

, a popular style of ballroom music. At the time, the López brothers were experimenting with the last section of the danzón, in which they incorporated a

montuno Montuno has several meanings pertaining to Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally, ''montuno'' means 'comes from the mountain', and so '' son montuno'' may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente. Ano ...

, giving rise to the so-called danzón nuevo ritmo, the origin of the

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

. During his time with Arcaño, Jorrín grew as a danzón composer, and by the time he left the band to join

, in the late 1940s, he was a well-respected musician. Jorrín realized that mambo was very difficult to dance compared to other ballroom styles due to its high syncopation. Thus, he decided to alter its melody to make it more danceable and accessible. Jorrín applied this principles to "La engañadora", a song he composed in Havana sometime in 1951, the year it was first performed before an audience. The lyrics of "La engañadora" talk about an attractive, voluptuous woman who passes through the streets of Prado and Neptuno in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Success

Between 1953 and 1954 it is estimated that Panart sold 13,000 copies of the single, something completely unprecedented for Cuba's first

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

. On June 30, 1953 a cover was recorded by singer Miguelito Valdés backed by pianist René Hernández's conjunto, and billed by Seeco as a ''ritmo de cha cha chá''. The name "cha-cha-chá" actually came from the refrain of its original B-side, "Silver Star", which also became a hit. In the original Panart issue, "La engañadora" is billed as a "mambo-rumba" and "Silver Star" as a danzón. Miguelito Valdés' cover was followed by many other versions recorded in Cuba,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and the US, by artists such as René Touzet,

Tito Rodríguez Pablo Rodríguez Lozada (January 4, 1923 – February 28, 1973), better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both m ...

and

Pérez Prado Dámaso Pérez Prado (December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger who popularized the mambo in the 1950s.''On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture'' Louis A. Pérez Jr. - 2012 ...

, establishing the song as a Cuban

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

Aftermath

After the success of "La engañadora", the popularity of Orquesta América grew as Jorrín kept writing one hit after another: "El alardoso", "Nada para ti", "El túnel"... Cha-cha-cha had eclipsed both mambo and danzón as the most popular dance style in Cuba. Jorrín claimed to be responsible for the success of Orquesta América and was uncomfortable with the band's credits, which always stated "Orquesta América de Ninón Mondéjar". He was named the orchestra's music director in 1954, but Mondéjar still insisted on receiving credit. This led to the departure of Jorrín in August 1954, forming his own band in Mexico City. In November, Mondéjar also moved along with Orquesta América to Mexico City. At this point, the only hit-making charanga in Cuba was

Orquesta Aragón Orquesta Aragón is a Cuban musical band formed on 30 September 1939, by Orestes Aragón Cantero in Cienfuegos, Cuba. The band originally had the name ''Ritmica 39'', then ''Ritmica Aragón'' before settling on its final form. Though they did not ...

, which had briefly collaborated with Jorrín before his departure from Orquesta América. However, in December 1955, some members of Orquesta América returned to Havana and in January 1955 founded Orquesta América del 55.

Personnel

The following musicians recorded the song during the March 1953 recording session at Panart Studios, Havana:Díaz Ayala, Cristóbal. "Orquesta América",
Discography of Cuban Music, Volume 2 - 1925-1960
', updated fall 2013. * Ninón Mondéjar: musical director, vocals * Enrique Jorrín: first violin * Antonio Sánchez Reyes "Musiquita": second violin * Juanito Ramos: flute * Álex Sosa: piano * Manuel Montejo "Camagüey": double bass * Julio Salas: tumbadora * Augusto Barcía: timbales * Gustavo Tamayo: güiro

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enganadora, La Cuban songs Cha-cha-cha 1953 songs Panart singles 1953 singles