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.
La Diabla
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
El rocanrol desde atrás
Cuando la diabla te esperaba
Con su brillo en el pasillo.
Y si esa brigada de un barrio del sur
Sabía que eras quién tenía que entrar
Sin aportar credencial
No salían nada a tocar.
No te desesperes si no me encontrás
Algún gaucho de Güemes habrá
O you know who
For you know what
Con la dicha de Hugo y Daniel.
Mi corazón fue papel
No demolió un hotel,
Ya era la vida cruel
Cuando obligado lo vi y también
Vi colgar de sus ramas a quién
En Arados brotó un plato azul
La nena era un bombón
A su mamá me enterneció verla hacer
Entre gatos, lo mío
Diez años después.
No me quisiera olvidar de vender
Yo fui líder y rocanrol star.
The lyrics to Andrés Calamaro's song La Diabla seem to convey the nostalgia and memories of a time when the singer first started listening to rock and roll music. The song starts with "Cuando empecé a escuchar/el rocanrol desde atrás" (When I started listening/to rock and roll from the back). The singer remembers a time when "la diabla" (a woman or perhaps a metaphor for something else) would wait for him with her shine in the hallway. The chorus of the song talks about a group of people from a southern neighborhood who knew that the singer had to enter without presenting any credentials. The lyrics also mention references to historical figures such as "algún gaucho de Güemes" and "Hugo y Daniel" without providing any clear context.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to be reminiscing about his past and how it feels like these memories are paper in his heart that refuses to demolish a hotel, suggesting how strong and impactful these memories are. The song also talks about seeing someone hanging from a tree in a place called Arados, a blue plate that blossomed in the same place, and a girl whose mother made him feel tender inside. The song ends with the singer saying, "No me quisiera olvidar de vender/yo fui líder y rocanrol star" (I don't want to forget to sell/I was a leader and rock and roll star), emphasizing how important music was in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando empecé a escuchar
At the beginning of my rock and roll listening journey
El rocanrol desde atrás
From the early days of rock and roll
Cuando la diabla te esperaba
When the devil was waiting for you
Con su brillo en el pasillo.
With her shine in the hallway
Y si esa brigada de un barrio del sur
And if that group from a southern neighborhood
Sabía que eras quién tenía que entrar
Knew you were the one who had to enter
Sin aportar credencial
Without providing credentials
Si no lo nonos,
If not the Nonos
No salían nada a tocar.
Nothing would come out to play
No te desesperes si no me encontrás
Don't despair if you can't find me
Algún gaucho de Güemes habrá
There will be some cowboy from Güemes
O you know who
Or you know who
For you know what
For you know what
Con la dicha de Hugo y Daniel.
With the happiness of Hugo and Daniel
Mi corazón fue papel
My heart was paper
No demolió un hotel,
It did not demolish a hotel,
Ya era la vida cruel
Life was already cruel
Cuando obligado lo vi y también
When I saw it, also forced
Vi colgar de sus ramas a quién
I saw who hung from its branches
En Arados brotó un plato azul
A blue dish sprouted in Arados
La nena era un bombón
The girl was a hottie
A su mamá me enterneció verla hacer
Her mother moved me to see her do
Entre gatos, lo mío
Among cats, my thing
Diez años después.
Ten years later.
No me quisiera olvidar de vender
I wouldn't want to forget to sell
Yo fui líder y rocanrol star.
I was a leader and rock and roll star.
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.