Born Aug 22, 1961 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he began his professional musical career at the age of 17 playing keyboards in Raíces.
In 1981 he incorporated to one of the main bands of the Argentinean '80s rock scene: Los Abuelos de la Nada. Although the band was led by the brilliant Miguel Abuelo, Calamaro composed most of the band's hits, like "Mil Horas," "Así es el calor," "Sin gamulán" and "Costumbres Argentinas."
In 1984 he made his solo debut with Hotel Calamaro. The album was a bizarre mix of styles and musicians, and didn't gain public or press support.
In 1985 he left Los Abuelos de la Nada and registered his second album Vida Cruel. Inspite of the important musicians and guests, such as Luis Alberto Spinetta and Charly García, the album was a disappointment: both commercially and artistically. But if as a songwriter the luck was out of reach, he had an intense and successful work as a producer of bands like Los Enanitos Verdes, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Don Cornelio y la zona. He also worked and collaborated with many artists of different styles and genres, a constant attitude through his whole career. The third album Por Mirarte showed Calamaro in a better shape with an established band. Released in 1988 it contains some outstanding songs such as "Con los dientes apretados" and "Me olvidé de los demás," while others like "Cartas sin Marcar" and "Loco por tí" helped the album to get popular.
When Calamaro released in 1989 Nadie Sale Vivo de Aquí, Argentina was living it's worst economical crisis: few albums were released. The album title suggest it all: Nobody comes out alive from here. The LP production was paralyzed, and the few that could make it were almost ignored. That was Calamaro's case. This situation lead the singer to settle in Spain, following a road taken by many Argentinean rockers. Out there in Spain he met Ariel Rot y Javier Infante, former members of Tequila. They formed Los Rodríguez in 1991, a pop-rock band that was very popular in Spain and Latin America: Calamaro's songs began to be popular like in the early '80s: the hit maker was on the road again. Curiously, from Spain, he was conquering Argentina. While being part of the band he didn't release any new solo material, just Grabaciones Encontradas 1 y 2, a couple of CDs that contained unreleased and rare material from the '80s.
After the split of Los Rodríguez, Calamaro returned to his solo career recording Alta Suciedad in 1997, an album produced by Joe Blaney. This album brought him the commercial success that seemed to fail in his previous solo efforts, and sold 300.000 copies just in Argentina. That is certainly a huge amount for the country's small market. No doubts, that album helped him to be placed between the star legends of the national rock scene. Before that album Calamaro was considered an important character, appreciated by other musicians, but not a main one. After he broke up with his spanish girlfriend he released in 1999 the double CD Honestidad Brutal. Recorded when he was 37, it contained 37 songs of despair, love loss, drugs and regret. It was not as successful at the previous album, but showed a new Calamaro: desperate, decadent and often elegant at the same time, with a new and raw lyrical approach. El Salmon followed in spring 2001.
Calamaro's next proyect, El Cantante, was released in 2005. A delicious mixture of tango, rock n'roll and flamenco guitars (mostly played by spanish prodigy El Niño Josele).
After a break, he returned to the stages with a tour full of classics that gave birth to a live album called El Regreso on 2005, recorded with members of Bersuit Vergarabat as a backing band. This album was very well received for the charts as well as for the critics, wich lead him to different awards. One year later, on 2006, Andres published a new album from the roots of tango with the collaboration of guitarrists Niño Josele and Juanjo Dominguez. On 2007 El palacio de las flores was published, although it was recorded on 2006. The album had the collaboration and musical influence of argentine composer Lito Nebbia and was also recorded on his studio. This was the return to a classic Calamaro album with new songs and hits.
100% de Nada
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vas a ser las flores que ya no riegue nunca
Y ojalá la amistad exista de verdad.
Voy a dar la vuelta al mundo sin salir de casa,
Eso mientras tenga todavía alguna casa
La pizza está bajo la lluvia,
Está mojada.
Mira parece que no pasa nada
Es como la guita al final del arco iris.
Es el 100% de nada.
En el viento espero encontrar respuestas,
Si no me bastan con las viejas respuestas
A las nuevas preguntas que no existen.
El 100% de nada.
Es como la guita al final del arco iris.
Está mojada.
The lyrics to Andrés Calamaro's song "100% de Nada" are complex and filled with ambiguity, but at their core, they explore themes of loss, hopelessness, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems indifferent to our struggles. The opening lines paint a picture of the ultimate fate of all things - that they will eventually be forgotten and left to decay. The singer, perhaps feeling hopeless or despondent, suggests that even their most cherished relationships will ultimately meet this fate. The lines "Vas a ser las flores que ya no riegue nunca / Y ojalá la amistad exista de verdad" suggest that even friendship, one of the few things that can provide solace and comfort in life, may be fleeting and ultimately unfulfilling.
However, the singer also expresses a sense of wanderlust and a desire to find meaning beyond their current circumstances. The lines "Voy a dar la vuelta al mundo sin salir de casa / Eso mientras tenga todavía alguna casa" suggest a desire to escape from the monotony of everyday life, but also a recognition that ultimately one's home and one's place in the world are interconnected. The image of the pizza in the rain, while seemingly nonsensical, may be a metaphor for the singer's own sense of being adrift in the world - the pizza is exposed to the elements and is no longer what it once was, much like the singer's own sense of self. The final lines, "Es como la guita al final del arco iris. / Es el 100% de nada," further underscore this sense of dissatisfaction and longing. The "100% de nada" suggests that despite our best efforts, we may never find the answers we seek or the sense of fulfillment we crave.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando el olvido haga del pasado una tumba,
When forgetfulness turns the past into a grave,
Vas a ser las flores que ya no riegue nunca
You will be the flowers that I will never water again
Y ojalá la amistad exista de verdad.
And I hope that friendship truly exists.
Voy a dar la vuelta al mundo sin salir de casa,
I will travel around the world without leaving my house,
Eso mientras tenga todavía alguna casa
As long as I still have a home
La pizza está bajo la lluvia,
The pizza is under the rain,
Está mojada.
It’s wet.
Mira parece que no pasa nada
It seems like nothing is happening
Eso depende tanto de la mirada
It all depends on how you look at it
Es como la guita al final del arco iris.
It's like money at the end of the rainbow.
Es el 100% de nada.
It's 100% of nothing.
En el viento espero encontrar respuestas,
In the wind, I hope to find answers,
Si no me bastan con las viejas respuestas
If the old answers aren't enough for me
A las nuevas preguntas que no existen.
To the new questions that don't even exist yet.
El 100% de nada.
It's 100% of nothing.
Es como la guita al final del arco iris.
It's like money at the end of the rainbow.
Está mojada.
It's wet.
Contributed by Camilla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.