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.
Aguas Peligrosas
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y vamos a ejecutarlo en aguas peligrosas
Un cocinero, un surfista y un negro
Que van a matar el primero
Y el capitán huracán remontando el río.
Hasta el centro de Camboya no se folla.
No se por qué voy a matar al coronel
Si no hay otro tan genio como él
Que se cansó de estupideces
Es el más profundo del mundo, y además
Se va a dejar matar
Este coronel es lo más
Habrá que matar a Brando y salir pirando
Porque esos cuarteles de invierno son el infierno
Y no tiene quién le escriba
Por eso me va a dejar a mí
Nadie va a quedar vivo
Es el fin del mundo
Camboya profundo, aguas peligrosas
Y demasiadas cosas
De primero me sirvieron la cabeza del cocinero
Y después el coronel Brando dijo
Capi crucificando
Dijo crucifícame y no trates de entender el sacrificio
Los dos somos soldados forma parte del oficio
Matar y matar
The lyrics of Andrés Calamaro's "Aguas Peligrosas" tell the story of a group of men carrying out an execution in dangerous waters. The "coronel," a genius who has seen too much, is to be executed by the group consisting of a cook, a surfer, and a black man who will kill the first. The captain named "Huracán" is driving the boat up the river toward the center of Cambodia where they cannot have any sexual intercourse. The singer implies that he does not understand why they must kill the genius coronel, but perhaps it is because he has seen too much horror and has grown tired of the stupidity of the world. He is the most profound in the world and is willing to let himself be killed.
The singer then goes on to describe the plan to kill Brando and escape from the winter quarters, which is like hell. There is no one to write to, and therefore, the singer will be the only one left alive. The song ends with the words "Matar y matar," meaning kill and kill, which perhaps speaks to the endless cycle of violence and destruction in war. The lyrics are a powerful commentary on the senselessness of war and the toll it takes on individuals and society.
Line by Line Meaning
El coronel es un genio pero vio demasiadas cosas
The colonel is a genius but has seen too much.
Y vamos a ejecutarlo en aguas peligrosas
And we are going to execute him in dangerous waters.
Un cocinero, un surfista y un negro
A cook, a surfer, and a black man.
Que van a matar el primero
Who are going to kill the first one.
Y el capitán huracán remontando el río.
And Captain Hurricane going up the river.
Hasta el centro de Camboya no se folla.
Until the center of Cambodia, no one gets laid.
No se por qué voy a matar al coronel
I don't know why I'm going to kill the colonel.
Si no hay otro tan genio como él
If there is no other genius like him.
Será que vio el horror tantas veces
Maybe he has seen horror too many times.
Que se cansó de estupideces
That he's tired of nonsense.
Es el más profundo del mundo, y además
He is the deepest in the world, and also.
Se va a dejar matar
He's going to let himself be killed.
Este coronel es lo más
This colonel is the best.
Habrá que matar a Brando y salir pirando
We'll have to kill Brando and run away.
Porque esos cuarteles de invierno son el infierno
Because those winter barracks are hell.
Y no tiene quién le escriba
And he doesn't have anyone to write to him.
Por eso me va a dejar a mí
That's why he's going to leave it to me.
Nadie va a quedar vivo
No one is going to remain alive.
Es el fin del mundo
It's the end of the world.
Camboya profundo, aguas peligrosas
Deep Cambodia, dangerous waters.
Y demasiadas cosas
And too many things.
De primero me sirvieron la cabeza del cocinero
First, they served me the cook's head.
Y después el coronel Brando dijo
And then Colonel Brando said.
Capi crucificando
Captain crucifying.
Dijo crucifícame y no trates de entender el sacrificio
He said crucify me and do not try to understand the sacrifice.
Los dos somos soldados forma parte del oficio
We are both soldiers; it's part of the job.
Matar y matar
To kill and kill.
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.