Another recording in the seemingly endless vault of San Antonio westside soul, Joe Bravo’s “It’s Okay” was originally written and recorded by Tex-Mex music mogul Manny Guerra and The Sunglows. With its simple R&B arrangement, heavy-handed vocal reverb, and spikes of maniacal laughter interspersed throughout the song (which is so over the top it’s nothing short of brilliance), It’s Okay retains a uniquely dark and unsettling overtone for an R&B/pop single. The song follows a young man’s woes of heartbreak and ultimate acceptance of lost love, pouring over the details of the story in a seemingly drunken stupor. But, maybe that’s what makes it such a great teenage love song.
I can’t recommend Ruben Molina’s Chicano Soul: Recordings and History of an American Culture enough to our readers. Full of great stories, pictures/record scans, concert bills (and related ephemera), label discographies, and in-depth conversations with artists and band members of the era, Molina covers the little-known subgenre in great detail with unfettered determination to the cause. I thought I might borrow his lyric transcription of It’s Okay as written in the liner notes of the book and share it here–it’s just too good not to share, in my opinion. I might note that the laughs were written in the lyrics as per Manny’s original composition of the song. Enjoy:
He he he ha ha ha ha
It’s alright, I’ve been hurt before
You don’t love me anymore
He, ha
Maybe someday, I’ll find a way without you
What am I saying?
It’s okay, huh
Baby, I can see
It’s okay
But, but will it make you happy?
Maybe someday I’ll find a way without you
He he he he ha ha ha ha
Someday, huh, it won’t be long.
He he he he ha ha
You’re going to find yourself all alone
LISTEN: Joe Bravo y Su Orquestra-It’s Okay
