How Will the Wolf Survive

Background

In 1983, the band released an extended play entitled ...And a Time to Dance, which was well received by critics but only sold about 50,000 copies. However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to purchase a Dodge van, enabling the band to tour throughout the United States for the first time. The group began composing How Will the Wolf Survive? at the home of Pérez's brother-in-law, a time in which several songs, including "A Matter of Time", were written. Pérez explained, "We'd sit down with a guitar, a tape recorder and a jar of Taster's Choice, and we were coffee achievers all afternoon."

The album's title and the title song were inspired by a National Geographic article entitled "Where Can the Wolf Survive", which the band members related to their own struggle to gain success in the United States while maintaining their Mexican roots. Drummer Louie Pérez recalled, "It was like our group, our story: What is this beast, this animal that the record companies can't figure out? Will we be given the opportunity to make it or not?"

Music

On How Will the Wolf Survive?, the band experimented with various genres, including styles reflective of the group's traditional Mexican roots. "I Got Loaded" features influences of R&B, while "A Matter of Time" blends country and blues sensibilities.

Both "A Matter of Time" and "Will the Wolf Survive?" discuss the lives of immigrants in the United States. "A Matter of Time" is about a Mexican crossing the border in search of a better life.

Reception

Critical reaction to the album was favorable. Mark Deming's retrospective review gushed, "While rarely flashy, even a casual listen offers all the proof you might need that Los Lobos were a band of world-class musicians, with David Hidalgo's guitar work especially impressive throughout." Robert Christgau praised the group's originality: "Their debut LP makes it sound as if they invented the style. Who did the original of that one, you wonder, only to discover that you're listening to the original."

Track listing

1. "Don't Worry Baby" (Cesar Rosas, Louie Perez, T-Bone Burnett) – 2:43
2. "A Matter of Time" (David Hidalgo, Perez) – 3:55
3. "Corrido #1" (Rosas) – 2:42
4. "Our Last Night" (Hidalgo, Perez) – 3:08
5. "The Breakdown" (Hidalgo, Perez, Burnett) – 4:12
6. "I Got Loaded" (Camille Bob) – 3:20
7. "Serenata Norteña" – 2:53
8. "Evangeline" (Hidalgo, Perez) – 2:43
9. "I Got to Let You Know" (Rosas) – 2:35
10. "Lil' King of Everything" (Hidalgo, Perez) – 1:19
11. "Will the Wolf Survive?" (Hidalgo, Perez) – 3:41

Personnel

Additional personnel

Chart performance

The album spent 34 weeks on the U.S. Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of #47 in early March 1985.