She sang in public for the first time in a radio contest at the age of ten. She didn't win that year, but won the next year. Her early singing caught the attention of a movie producer who introduced her to the cinema audiences as "Ana Belen" in the movie "Zampo y Yo" when she was thirteen.
Ana didn't want to become a child-star and focused on her studying. It wasn't until she finished drama school that she went back performing in public, being theater her prefered way to do so. She did small incursions in movies till she was offered major parts.
In 1973 she was cast opposite Víctor Manuel in Morbo and he became her husband as well as the composer of the songs included in her first album. In 1982 she released "Ana en Rio", an album with Brazilian music that included the song "Balance" and became an instant hit.
In 1986, took one more step and became one of the first female movie directors in Spain with the movie "Cómo ser mujer y no morir en el intento" which earned her the Gold Medal of Spanish Cinematographic Academy. That year concluded with another major success, a tour with Victor Manuel and many special guests of which they released a live album: "Mucho mas que dos". The success of this tour lead to a new one, "El Gusto es Nuestro" with Miguel Rios, Joan Manuel Serrat y Victor Manuel.
She releases several albums through the 90's that achieve great success like "Veneno para el Corazon" that included Spanish versions of Cole Porter songs among others, "Mirame" full of duets with the most important Spanish voices or "Lorquiana", a double CD with popular songs and poems of Federico García Lorca.
The new century finds her busy with filming and recording songs. Albums "Peces de Ciudad" or "Viva L'Italia" are released as she appears on stage plays and her name is on some of the most acclaimed films of the moment.
In 2006, she is currently touring with her husband Víctor Manuel across Spain with "Una Cancion me Trajo Aqui", a CD+DVD has been released of their very first performance in Segovia.She also has a new album in the works and a new movie pending.
Los Cuatro Muleros
Ana Belén Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que van al campo,
El de la mula torda,
Moreno y alto.
De los cuatro muleros
Que van al agua,
El de la mula torda,
De los cuatro muleros
Que van al río,
El de la mula torda,
Es mi marío.
A qué buscas la lumbre
La calle arriba
Si de tu cara sale
El brasa viva.
Ana Belén's song Los Cuatro Muleros tells the story of a woman who is deeply in love with one of the four muleteers who pass through the countryside, ostensibly to water the mules or pass by the river. The muleteer in question is described as being dark-skinned and tall, and traveling on a mule with a bay coat. The woman's emotions run deep as she claims that the mere sight of him steals her soul away.
Towards the end of the song, Ana Belén drops a powerful line that reads "¿A qué buscas la lumbre / La calle arriba / Si de tu cara sale / El brasa viva?" which translates to "What are you looking for in the light / Up the street / When from your face comes / The live ember?". This line highlights how important the man is to her, to the point where she sees his face as the brightest part of her world.
Line by Line Meaning
De los cuatro muleros
Que van al campo,
El de la mula torda,
Moreno y alto.
Out of the four muleteers who go to the fields, the one with the speckled mule is tall and dark-skinned.
De los cuatro muleros
Que van al agua,
El de la mula torda,
Me roba el alma.
Out of the four muleteers who go to the water, the one with the speckled mule steals my soul.
De los cuatro muleros
Que van al río,
El de la mula torda,
Es mi marío.
Out of the four muleteers who go to the river, the one with the speckled mule is my husband.
A qué buscas la lumbre
La calle arriba
Si de tu cara sale
El brasa viva.
Why do you seek light up the street when your face shines brightly.
Contributed by Avery B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jean
on Nana de Sevilla
madre