Heartbeatgoa.memories -The Moreno boys were mesmerized. - Francis Rodrigues, Canada

The chica was a glorious sixteen, shiny dirty-blonde hair a flowing mane in the sea breeze. But it was her electric hips sashaying that madetheir hearts skip. "Ai, ai!" cried Luis "Boy" Moreno, more than hecould take, as he scrabbled for his guitar. "Mamma, mamma!" writhed Jose "Josele" Moreno as hersoft curves made large dunes in the sands of his heart. "Her name," announced Boy "is Maria of course,and so she's from Lisbon, not here in Seville!" "Her body," insisted Josele, "sings to me!" The girl in the mini bikini sketched the word"Isabel" sweetly with her toe in the wet sand. Then whirled a few jiggly cartwheels, with acheerleader pom-pom flourish. It was more than the Morenos could bear. "So our Maria's also....Isabel!" croaked Boy,"Look at her hips flip pom-pom-pom!" "That bikini's so hot," spat Josele, "it's chilli!A...chilli bikini...sets my heart on fire!" "A perfect chorus for a hot number!" said Boy. The Morenos, with Eduardo Rodriguez, were "LosPayos", Spain's most famous sixties' surfer band. "Chilli...bi...ki...ni....pom, pom, pom, pom!" they warbled. She heard them, and looked up, and when hersea-green eyes lashed them, they swooned. "Chilli...bi...ki...ni....pom, pom, pom, pom!"they stuttered again, in softer gasps. The ocean rumble sprayed their words away, andshe whispered back what she thought she heard. "Shirri...bi...ri...bi...pom, pom, pom, pom!" Sweet nonsense of course, but the besotted Morenoslapped it up and added her sketches in the wet sandto write "Maria Isabel", the biggest surfer hit of 1968. It's exactly forty years now, since a year later"Maria Isabel" was transmuted into Portugueseacross the border, and then splashed out into thecolonies, an even greater hit! You'll find all this - and tons of more riches -in the "Greatest Konkani Song Hits" volume. Youknow it all by now - music, lyrics, translations! Fifteen days left to August 20th......steady now... "Maria Isabel"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeOgizZ1rEI Enjoy! Musically yours,Francis.