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.
Barrio de Tango
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
allá en Pompeya
durmiéndose al costado del terraplén
un farol balanceando en la barrera
y el misterio de adiós que siembra el tren
un ladrido perros a la luna
el amor escondido en un portón
y los sapos redoblando en la laguna
Barrio de tango, de luna y de misterio
calles lejanas, cómo estarán.
Viejos amigos que hoy me recuerdo
que se habrán hecho, dónde estarán.
Barrio de tango, que fue de aquella
Juana la rubia que tanto amé,
sabrá que sufro pensando en ella
desde aquella tarde que la dejé.
Barrio de tango, de luna y misterio
desde el recuerdo te vuelvo a ver
y un ladrido perros a la luna
el amor escondido en un portón
y los sapos redoblando en la laguna
y allá a lo lejos la voz del bandoneón.
The lyrics of Andres Calamaro's song "Barrio de Tango" paint a vivid picture of a neighborhood in Pompeya, Argentina, with its characteristic elements that create a mysterious and nostalgic atmosphere. The first stanza describes a piece of the neighborhood that is falling asleep next to a hillside, illuminated by a swaying lamp on the barrier, and where the train's farewell mystery is felt. The barking of dogs to the moon, love hiding in a gate, and the toads' croaking in the lagoon complete the imagery. In the distance, the sound of the bandoneon, an essential instrument in the tango genre, can be heard.
In the second stanza, the singer wonders how the distant streets and his old friends are doing. He recalls a woman named Juana la Rubia, whom he loved so much, but he left her one afternoon. He wonders if she knows how much he suffers thinking of her, and if she still lives in the barrio de tango that they shared once. The refrain repeats, depicting the longing and nostalgia of the singer as he remembers the neighborhood, with its hypnotizing elements that seem to transport him through time.
Line by Line Meaning
Un pedazo de barrio
A small piece of neighborhood
allá en Pompeya
over in Pompeya
durmiéndose al costado del terraplén
sleeping by the side of the embankment
un farol balanceando en la barrera
a lantern swaying on the barrier
y el misterio de adiós que siembra el tren
and the mystery of goodbye planted by the train
un ladrido perros a la luna
a dog barking at the moon
el amor escondido en un portón
love hidden behind a gate
y los sapos redoblando en la laguna
and the toads beating in the lagoon
y a lo lejos la voz del bandoneón.
and in the distance, the sound of the bandoneón.
Barrio de tango, de luna y de misterio
Neighborhood of tango, moon, and mystery
calles lejanas, cómo estarán.
distant streets, how they are.
Viejos amigos que hoy me recuerdo
Old friends that I remember today
que se habrán hecho, dónde estarán.
what have they done, where are they.
Barrio de tango, que fue de aquella
Neighborhood of tango, what happened to that
Juana la rubia que tanto amé,
Juana the blonde that I loved so much,
sabrá que sufro pensando en ella
knows that I suffer thinking about her
desde aquella tarde que la dejé.
since that afternoon that I left her.
Barrio de tango, de luna y misterio
Neighborhood of tango, moon, and mystery
desde el recuerdo te vuelvo a ver
from memory I see you again
y un ladrido perros a la luna
and a dog barking at the moon
el amor escondido en un portón
love hidden behind a gate
y los sapos redoblando en la laguna
and the toads beating in the lagoon
y allá a lo lejos la voz del bandoneón.
and there in the distance, the sound of the bandoneón.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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