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.
Zorongo Gitano
Ana Belén Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Te están bordando una capa
Con agremán de alhelies
Y con esclavinas de agua.
Cuando fuiste novio mío
Por la primavera blanca,
Los cascos de tu caballo
La luna es un pozo chico
Las flores no valen nada;
Lo que valen son tus brazos
Cuando de noche me abrazas.
Tengo los ojos azules,
Y el corazoncito igual
Que la cresta de la lumbre.
De noche me salgo al campo
Y me harto de llorar
De ver que te quiero tanto
Y tú no me quieres ná.
La luna es un pozo chico
Las flores no valen nada;
Lo que valen son tus brazos
Cuando de noche me abrazas.
Veinticuatro horas del día,
Veinticuatro horas que tiene;
Si tuviera veintisiete,
Tres horas más te querria.
Este gitano está loco,
Loco que le van a atar;
Que lo que sueña de noche
Quiere que sea verdad.
La luna es un pozo chico
Las flores no valen nada;
Lo que valen son tus brazos
Cuando de noche me abrazas.
The song Zorongo Gitano by Ana Belén speaks of unrequited love, longing, and the pain that comes with it. The lyricist describes how she is embroidering a cloak for her beloved with agremán de alhelíes and with esclavinas de agua, indicating that she is still devoted to him. Ana Belén then reminisces about their past and how the sound of the horse's hooves made silver sobs in the spring season. She emphasizes that the moon is small and the flowers have no value while her lover's embrace is all she needs.
The lyricist reveals that her eyes and heart are blue and bright like the crest of a fire. Yet, she cannot help crying when she goes out to the field at night and realizes how much she loves her lover, but he returns no affection. Ana Belén further laments that even though the day has twenty-four hours, she would give an extra three hours to love her beloved.
In the final verse, the song states that the gypsy is crazed with love and that what he dreams of wants to become a reality. The singer, Ana Belén, implies that despite the emotional pain caused by unrequited love, the love remains intense and strong.
Line by Line Meaning
Las manos de mi cariño
My love's hands are embroidering a cape for you
Te están bordando una capa
They are embroidering a cape for you
Con agremán de alhelies
With tassels of wallflowers
Y con esclavinas de agua
And with bands of water
Cuando fuiste novio mío
When you were my lover
Por la primavera blanca
During the white spring
Los cascos de tu caballo
Your horse's hooves
Cuatro sollozos de plata
Were like four silver sobs
La luna es un pozo chico
The moon is a small well
Las flores no valen nada;
The flowers are worth nothing
Lo que valen son tus brazos
What matters are your arms
Cuando de noche me abrazas.
When you embrace me at night.
Tengo los ojos azules,
I have blue eyes
Y el corazoncito igual
And my heart is just like
Que la cresta de la lumbre.
The crest of a flame
De noche me salgo al campo
At night I go out into the countryside
Y me harto de llorar
And I cry so much
De ver que te quiero tanto
Because I love you so much
Y tú no me quieres ná.
And you don't love me at all.
Veinticuatro horas del día,
Twenty-four hours in a day
Veinticuatro horas que tiene;
Twenty-four hours it has;
Si tuviera veintisiete,
If it had twenty-seven,
Tres horas más te querria.
I would love you three more hours.
Este gitano está loco,
This gypsy is crazy
Loco que le van a atar;
Crazy they are going to tie him up;
Que lo que sueña de noche
Because what he dreams at night
Quiere que sea verdad.
He wants it to be true.
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jean
on Nana de Sevilla
madre