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.
Laura Va
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lentamente guarda en su valija gris
El final de toda una vida de penas.
Laura va,
Unos pasos la alejan del pueblo aquel,
Donde ayer jugaba al salir de la escuela.
Laura, pobre tu dolor
Se cayó de una oración.
Por eso te vas
Y hay algo de bueno en tus ojos
Sin querer.
Laura ve,
Los años le han dado la resignación
Y el dolor.
Se fue con sus pocas tibiezas.
Laura ve,
Aunque es grande su vida comienza aquí
Y a la vez termina la sed de su espera.
La valija pesa y él la ayuda a entrar en el tren.
La cubre de besos
Y el sol también
Andrés Calamaro's song "Laura Va" is a poignant and melancholic depiction of a woman named Laura who is leaving her troubled past behind and embarking on a new journey. In the first verse, we see Laura slowly packing her belongings in a grey suitcase, bidding goodbye to a life of sorrow and regret. We learn that she is leaving behind a town where she used to play as a child, symbolizing the loss of her innocence and childhood dreams. The line “Laura, poor you, your pain, fell from a prayer,” suggests that Laura may have suffered a great loss or a personal tragedy that has caused her immense pain.
The second verse reveals that Laura has come to terms with the disappointments and heartaches that life has dealt her. Though she carries the weight of her past, she is ready to start afresh. The line “Even though her life is big, it begins here and at the same time the thirst of her wait comes to an end,” suggests that she is now at a turning point in her life and is willing to take risks and move forward. The final lines of the song depict the moment of Laura's departure from her old life, where the man she is leaving behind helps her with her luggage and showers her with kisses. The image of the sun shining on them suggests that there is hope at the end of this difficult journey.
Overall, "Laura Va" is a beautifully crafted song with a universal theme of loss, hope, and starting anew. Through its immersive storytelling and evocative lyrics, Calamaro masterfully captures the complexity of human emotion and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Laura va,
Laura se va, se aleja del lugar.
Lentamente guarda en su valija gris
Con cuidado y lentamente coloca sus cosas en su maleta gris.
El final de toda una vida de penas.
Es el final de una vida llena de tristezas y problemas.
Laura va,
Laura se va, deja atrás el lugar donde creció.
Unos pasos la alejan del pueblo aquel,
Caminando se aleja del pueblo donde solía jugar después de la escuela.
Donde ayer jugaba al salir de la escuela.
Era el lugar donde se entretenía después de la escuela, pero ahora se va para siempre.
Laura, pobre tu dolor
Laura tiene mucho dolor en su corazón.
Se cayó de una oración.
Ella perdió su fe, su esperanza y se siente perdida.
Por eso te vas con él.
Por eso se va con el hombre que ama.
Por eso te vas
Por eso se va, porque necesita un nuevo comienzo.
Y hay algo de bueno en tus ojos
A pesar de todo, ella todavía tiene una chispa de esperanza en sus ojos.
Sin querer.
Aunque sin darse cuenta, aún cree en el amor.
Laura ve,
Laura mira hacia el futuro.
Los años le han dado la resignación
Con el paso del tiempo ha aprendido a aceptar las cosas como son.
Y el dolor.
Aunque aún siente dolor, ha aprendido a sobrellevarlo.
Se fue con sus pocas tibiezas.
Su amor se fue con sus pocos momentos de ternura.
Laura ve,
Laura mira hacia el futuro, hacia una nueva vida.
Aunque es grande su vida comienza aquí
Aunque es mayor, su nueva vida comienza ahora.
Y a la vez termina la sed de su espera.
Al mismo tiempo se termina su larga espera.
La valija pesa y él la ayuda a entrar en el tren.
La maleta es pesada, pero el hombre que ama la ayuda a subirla al tren.
La cubre de besos
La abraza y le da muchos besos de despedida.
Y el sol también.
El sol brilla en el cielo como una señal de esperanza para su futuro juntos.
Contributed by Jordyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.