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.
Este es el Final de mi Carrera
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se terminó la primavera.
Este es el final de mi carrera
Se terminó la primavera.
Me dan los últimos gustos
Con los últimos sustos.
Voy a quedarme en la segunda fila
Tal vez en la tercera.
Tal vez en la tercera.
Nada es lo que antes era
Este es el final de mi carrera.
This is the end my little friend
Ya me di cuenta de lo que pasa.
This is the end little friend
Ya me di cuenta de lo que pasa.
Pasa que me quedé sin casa
This is the end little friend.
El black es el black
Y el negro es negro.
El black es black
Y el negro es negro.
No puede faltar mucho más
Que me desintegro.
Es mi cuarto día sin dormir
Nada más prefería vivir.
Es mi cuarto día sin dormir
Nada más prefería vivir.
Borges nunca pudo ser feliz
Yo también soy desdichado.
Cuatro noches desvelado
Con el corazón en el cuarto de al lado.
The song "Este es el Final de mi Carrera" by Andrés Calamaro is an introspective and melancholic piece about the end of a career and life. The repeated line "Este es el final de mi carrera" serves as a reminder that all things come to an end and that the singer is nearing the end of their own journey. The line "Se terminó la primavera" further emphasizes this idea by suggesting that the singer's youth and vitality have faded away. The next few lines suggest that the singer is experiencing some final pleasures and scares before ultimately taking a back seat in life. The final lines of the first stanza solidify the theme of the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death.
In the second stanza, the singer seems to be addressing themselves ("This is the end my little friend") and acknowledging their own mortality. The line "Pasa que me quedé sin casa" suggests that the singer has lost everything they once had and is left with nothing. The repetition of "El black es el black / Y el negro es negro" implies that the singer is letting go of any illusions or pretenses and accepting reality as it is. The line "Que me desintegro" suggests that the singer is starting to lose their grip on life and is gradually slipping away. The final lines of the song reference the famous Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, who is known for his melancholic and existential themes. The singer seems to be likening their own misery to that of Borges and suggests that they too have been kept up at night by their own thoughts and fears.
Overall, "Este es el Final de mi Carrera" is a powerful and emotionally charged song that deals with the heavy themes of life, death, and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Este es el final de mi carrera
I am at the end of my career
Se terminó la primavera
Spring has come to an end
Me dan los últimos gustos
I am enjoying my last pleasures
Con los últimos sustos
And also experiencing my last fears
Voy a quedarme en la segunda fila
I am going to take a backseat
Tal vez en la tercera
Maybe even third row
Nada es lo que antes era
Things are not the way they used to be
This is the end my little friend
This is it, my friend
Ya me di cuenta de lo que pasa
I have realized what's happening
Pasa que me quedé sin casa
I have lost my home
This is the end little friend
This is it, my friend
El black es el black
Black is black
Y el negro es negro
And there's no confusion
No puede faltar mucho más
I don't have much more time
Que me desintegro
Before I fall apart
Es mi cuarto día sin dormir
I haven't slept in four days
Nada más prefería vivir
I just wanted to live
Borges nunca pudo ser feliz
Even Borges couldn't find happiness
Yo también soy desdichado
And neither can I
Cuatro noches desvelado
Four sleepless nights
Con el corazón en el cuarto de al lado
With my heart in the next room
Contributed by Maya R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.