“Te juro que te amo” (1972) – Los Terrícolas * Written by Bruno Lauzi, Mogol, Oscar Prudente, and J. Ramirez * 45: “Te juro que te amo” / “Lloraras” * Venezuela LP: Lloraras * Label: Discomoda
Nowadays one will likely hear the Terricolas’ mid-seventies Mexican radio ballad, with its eerie sci-fi organ and disembodied female backing vocal, fighting through static on an AM station. The band name, which translates to the Earthlings, contributes to the record’s odd dimensionality. They were a group of young adults from Venezuela who released the record in 1972, then saw it get much bigger in 1975. Counterfeit versions of the original combo will occasionally surface in Latin American oldies circuits or mimed videos due to messy legal ownership of the name. The “Te juro que te amo” single had followed the familiar seventies procedure of reworking a European schlager hit to regional effect. This one had originally been a 1970 Italian hit for singer Michele (Maisano) as “Ti giuro che ti amo,” although the J. Ramirez who gave it Spanish lyrics is a puzzle. (Adapted from a previous post at Boneyard Media.)