Adriana Varela is regarded as one of the main Argentine tango singers of recent times, with a prominent singing career that begun in 1991 with a cassette named "Tangos". Two years later she launched her second record, "Maquillaje", where she also included her previous works. This record would prove very successful, with the special participation of renowned artists such as singer Roberto Goyeneche and pianist Virgilio Expósito. For this album she was awarded the ACE award two years in a row.
She is nowadays a star that shines most, the best seller, the most sought-after recording artist, the one who most often appears in the Buenos Aires venues. She is, as well, the one most resisted by the traditional tango lovers, who regard her as a bad fake of "Polaco" Goyeneche in his last stage and think that she is rather a speaker than a singer.
On the opposite side, she is admired by many ones that do not often listen to tango - especially those between age 30 and 45- but however are precisely attracted to her style. To these features we have to add her good-looking figure and her sensual personality.
Adriana's case could be a similar case to Julio Sosa's in the 60s. He was widely acclaimed either by those not very close to tango or as well by young people, but he was hardly accepted by the connoisseurs of Buenos Aires music.
Between 1991 and 1996 she recorded three more albums, "Corazones Perversos", "Tangos De Lengue - Varela Canta A Cadícamo", and "Tango En Vivo", which was recorded live on June 1996 at the Coliseo Theatre in Buenos Aires.
Between the years 1996 and 1998 her fame increased, with her participation on famous festivals such as "La Mar De Músicas" in Cartagena, the Porto Alegre festival, and the Grec Festival in Barcelona. In the latter, the full audience stood up to cheer her performance for a considerable time, as a proof of her increasing popularity.
In the years that followed, she has begun the creation of a new album, "Cuando El Río Suena", under the artistic direction of Jaime Roos, and has participated in the Bajofondo Tango Club alternative "electro-tango" group, where she has a notable performance as lead singer in the songs "Perfume" and "Mi Corazón", among others.
Varela has also acted minor roles in movies such as Al Corazón, directed by Mario Sábato, and in Marcelo Piñeyro's Plata Quemada, and is also known for her outspoken left-wing politics, which she has never attempted to hide.
Volver
Adriana Varela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
de las luces que a lo lejos
van marcando mi retorno...
Son las mismas que alumbraron
con sus palidos reflejos
hondas horas de dolor..
Y aunque no quise el regreso,
La vieja calle donde el eco dijo
tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer,
bajo el burlon mirar de las estrellas
que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver...
Volver... con la frente marchita,
las nieves del tiempo platearon mi sien...
Sentir... que es un soplo la vida,
que veinte años no es nada,
que febril la mirada, errante en las sombras,
te busca y te nombra.
Vivir... con el alma aferrada
a un dulce recuerdo
que lloro otra vez...
Tengo miedo del encuentro
con el pasado que vuelve
a enfrentarse con mi vida...
Tengo miedo de las noches
que pobladas de recuerdos
encadenan mi soñar...
Pero el viajero que huye
tarde o temprano detiene su andar...
Y aunque el olvido, que todo destruye,
haya matado mi vieja ilusion,
guardo escondida una esperanza humilde
que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón.
In Adriana Varela's iconic tango "Volver," the lyrics are a profound reflection on the inevitable recurrence of the past in our lives. The song begins with the main character's observance of distant lights signaling his return to the place where he once loved and suffered. He sees the same lights that illuminated his anguish and despair years ago. Despite his initial reluctance to return to this place, he reconciles with the fact that one always returns to their first love.
As he walks down the old streets, echoes remind him of his past, and the stars sneer at his return to the place where he originally failed to conquer his love. The chorus focuses on the main character's realization that time has gone by, and he is no longer the young man he once was. He is physically worn, and "the snows of time" have taken a toll on his head. Nevertheless, he still feels a sense of hope and an emotional attachment to the memories of his past.
The last verse of the song reveals the singer's fear of confronting his past and the pain it might bring. Still, he understands that it is inevitable, and even the most determined traveler is bound to stop and face their ultimate destination. Finally, he acknowledges that despite his lost hopes, he still cherishes a little bit of hope in his heart, which is his ultimate inheritance.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo adivino el parpadeo
I can guess the flicker
de las luces que a lo lejos
of the lights in the distance
van marcando mi retorno...
that are marking my return...
Son las mismas que alumbraron
They are the same ones that lit up
con sus pálidos reflejos
with their pale reflections
hondas horas de dolor..
deep hours of pain..
Y aunque no quise el regreso,
And even though I didn't want to come back,
siempre se vuelve al primer amor..
you always go back to your first love..
La vieja calle donde el eco dijo
The old street where the echo said
tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer,
yours is their life, yours is their desire,
bajo el burlón mirar de las estrellas
under the mocking gaze of the stars
que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver...
who today see me return with indifference...
Volver... con la frente marchita,
To return... with a withered forehead,
las nieves del tiempo platearon mi sien...
the snows of time have silvered my temples...
Sentir... que es un soplo la vida,
To feel... that life is a breath,
que veinte años no es nada,
that twenty years is nothing,
que febril la mirada, errante en las sombras,
that the feverish gaze, wandering in the shadows,
te busca y te nombra.
seeks you out and names you.
Vivir... con el alma aferrada
To live... with the soul clinging
a un dulce recuerdo
to a sweet memory
que lloro otra vez...
that I cry for once again...
Tengo miedo del encuentro
I am afraid of the encounter
con el pasado que vuelve
with the past that returns
a enfrentarse con mi vida...
to confront my life...
Tengo miedo de las noches
I am afraid of the nights
que pobladas de recuerdos
that are full of memories
encadenan mi soñar...
that chain my dreams...
Pero el viajero que huye
But the traveler who flees
tarde o temprano detiene su andar...
sooner or later stops in his tracks...
Y aunque el olvido, que todo destruye,
And even though forgetfulness, which destroys everything,
haya matado mi vieja ilusión,
has killed my old illusion,
guardo escondida una esperanza humilde
I keep a hidden humble hope
que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón.
which is all the fortune of my heart.
Contributed by Zoe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.