One Time, One Night

Album: By the Light of the Moon (1987)
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Songfacts®:

  • In this song, an old man reflects on what has become of the so-called 'American dream.' He tells the stories of multiple American hopefuls whose lives ended in tragedy, including a newlywed couple who became the victims of a shooting, a man who was killed in a car crash and a woman who was forced into an unhappy marriage.
  • This song plays during the opening credits of the 1988 film, Colors, as directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Sean Penn.
  • This opens By the Light of the Moon, Los Lobos' second album on a major label.

Comments: 3

  • Alan K from Sf Bay AreaGreat song! Relevant social commentary about some of the other sides of life in the U.S.
  • Perry E Duffy from Coloradogreat lyrics, very initiative writer lyrics........
  • Gettin' It Right from CaliforniaAs to the comment above about a woman forced into an unhappy marriage? No. It's of a young GIRL who married for American citizenship, now trapped in a country she doesn't know, with nothing she had wished or hoped for (and likely was promised) coming true.
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