Ana Torroja is a Spanish vocalist, and was the lead singer of the million-s… Read Full Bio ↴Ana Torroja is a Spanish vocalist, and was the lead singer of the million-selling trio Mecano. Daughter of a noted engineer, she was born in Madrid on December 28, 1959, and met José María Cano while studying economics at university. The two became good friends, and José María soon introduced Ana to his younger brother Nacho. Upon hearing Ana singing along to his brother's compositions on the guitar, Nacho suggested that the three should form a band, and in 1981 Mecano was born.

After seven Mecano albums and fame in Europe and Latin America, months of continuous touring were taking their toll on the band, especially on Ana who was starting to develop vocal problems. In 1993 the band announced a "temporary split". While José and Nacho composed solo albums, Ana chose to travel round the world to visit places like Hawaii, Bombay and New York, cities she had sung about while fronting Mecano. It was in New York that she set up home and took dance classes.

By 1997 Ana felt confident enough to sing again and moved to London to record her first solo album Puntos cardinales. The album marked a curious change for Ana, as her new songs were not written from a male point of view by the Cano brothers, she felt she could express herself in Spanish as a woman for the first time. The first single from the album A contratiempo was a Spanish cover of an old Bette Midler song, "Bottomless". The video showed a "new" Ana Torroja with plumper lips and other attributes hitherto unseen on the former Mecano star.

In 1998—partially due to the expense and commercial failure of José María's opera project—Mecano reformed for the double-disc greatest hits compilation Ana, José, Nacho, which also featured seven new songs.

In 2006, Ana released "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte", an album which featured 13 of Mecano's greatest hits reborn. "Hijo de La Luna" was remade as a Huapango Jarocho, featuring a whole Mariachi ensemble. "Maquillaje" was given a burlesque, cabaret sound, while "Barco a Venus" was made a Rumba. Other hits included were "Los Amantes" (w/ a Samba makeover), "Mujer Contra Mujer" (in a solo orchestral rendition), "Busco Algo Barato", "Cruz De navajas," and "La Fuerza Del Destino." Amazingly, the title track is nowhere to be seen.

NANA
Ana Torroja Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dice tu papá
que eres mi retrato
que te regaña
y tú no le haces ni caso

Que bailas como yo
y que haces el payaso
no sabes mi chiquita lo que te extraño.

Que cuanto más cerca de mí
más me faltas
di mamá otra vez
que eso me arrebata, me arrebata.

Cántale a papa
si le ves callado
no dejes que se me engorrione
con nada.

Y baila como yo
píntale payasos
dile lo mucho que le quiero y le extraño.

Que cuanto más cerca de mi
más me faltas

mámale otra vez
que esop le arrebata, le arrebata

Overall Meaning

The song Nana by Ana Torroja is a touching and emotional lullaby that expresses the deep love and longing of a mother for her child. The lyrics are addressed to the child, with the mother telling her that her father thinks she is just like her mother, but that she is disobedient and doesn't listen to him. The mother goes on to say that the child dances just like she does and plays around like a clown. However, what the child doesn't understand is how much the mother misses her, especially when she is close to her.

The mother begs the child to sing to her father and make sure he isn't sad, as she doesn't want him to feel lonely. She encourages the child to dance like her and paint clowns, while also telling her to express her love for her father and how much she misses him. The mother then repeats the lyric "que cuanto más cerca de mi más me faltas" (the closer you are to me, the more I miss you) which perfectly captures the emotional depth of this song.

Overall, Nana is a touching and emotional song that showcases the love between a mother and her child. The lyrics are powerful, and anyone who has experienced the longing and love of a parent will be able to relate to it.

Line by Line Meaning

Dice tu papá
Your dad says

que eres mi retrato
that you're my reflection

que te regaña
that he scolds you

y tú no le haces ni caso
and you don't pay attention to him

Que bailas como yo
That you dance like me

y que haces el payaso
and act like a clown

no sabes mi chiquita lo que te extraño.
You don't know, my little one, how much I miss you.

Que cuanto más cerca de mí
That the closer you are to me

más me faltas
the more I miss you

di mamá otra vez
say 'mom' again

que eso me arrebata, me arrebata.
that just takes my breath away.