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.
Te He Querido Tanto
Ana Torroja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que aullaban los perros
Gritaban los locos
Lloraban los cuerdos
Al verme intentando
Derretir el viejo
Corazón de hielo
Recojo mis cosas
Me pongo el abrigo
No tengo la culpa
Si todas tus risas
Y todas tus rosas
Se vienen conmigo
Te he querido tanto
Y por tanto tiempo
Y con tantas ganas
Y con tanto empeño
Con tan poca suerte
Con tan poco acierto
Con poca esperanza
Sin ningún remedio
Mi amor sin respuesta
Se iba al vertedero
Inundando calles
Alfombrando suelos
Cubriendo paredes
Llenando de besos
Las alcantarillas
Y los sumideros
Recojo mis cosas
Me pongo el abrigo
No tengo la culpa
Si todas tus risas
Y todas tus rosas
Se vienen conmigo
The lyrics of Ana Torroja's song "Te He Querido Tanto" narrate the story of a love that was given with all the heart and soul, but which was not reciprocated in the same measure. The first stanza speaks of the intensity of this love, where the howling of dogs, the screams of the mad, and the tears of the sane, are metaphors for the emotion evoked. The chorus repeats the phrase "te he querido tanto" (I loved you so much), emphasizing the depth and duration of this unrequited love.
The second stanza details the efforts and attempts of the singer to melt the "old heart of ice" that the object of their affection has. Despite their best efforts, they were unsuccessful in winning their love. The third and final stanza speaks of the aftermath of this unrequited love, where the singer is forced to leave and take all the happy memories and moments with them. They refuse to take the blame for the situation, as they gave everything they had, and it was not their fault that it was not reciprocated.
Overall, "Te He Querido Tanto" is a powerful ode to unrequited love, where the intensity of the emotion is conveyed through powerful metaphors and imagery, and the pain of the aftermath is acknowledged with grace and dignity.
Line by Line Meaning
Te he querido tanto
I have loved you so much
Que aullaban los perros
That dogs howled
Gritaban los locos
That crazy people yelled
Lloraban los cuerdos
That sane people cried
Al verme intentando
While seeing me trying
Derretir el viejo
To melt the old
Corazón de hielo
Heart of ice
Que llevabas dentro
That you had inside
Recojo mis cosas
I collect my things
Me pongo el abrigo
I put on my coat
No tengo la culpa
It's not my fault
Si todas tus risas
If all your laughs
Y todas tus rosas
And all your roses
Se vienen conmigo
Come with me
Y por tanto tiempo
And for so long
Y con tantas ganas
And with so much desire
Y con tanto empeño
And with such effort
Con tan poca suerte
With so little luck
Con tan poco acierto
With so little success
Con poca esperanza
With little hope
Sin ningún remedio
Without any remedy
Mi amor sin respuesta
My love without response
Se iba al vertedero
Went to the dump
Inundando calles
Flooding streets
Alfombrando suelos
Covering floors
Cubriendo paredes
Covering walls
Llenando de besos
Filling with kisses
Las alcantarillas
The sewers
Y los sumideros
And the drains
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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