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.
No Sé Olvidar
Andrés Calamaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aunque es el único dolor merecido
Los inocentes somos culpables siempre
Quién dijo cómo tenía que ser todo
Por qué no podría ser a mi modo
Que la libertad sea divina
Porque el amor te espera en la esquina
Ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
Solo para mí
Que alguien me diga lo que tengo en el pecho
Y me lo saque de mala manera
No es agradable la espera cualquiera que sea
Podría confesarte todo sin problema
También olvidarme de mi pasado
Bailo mejor acostado y no se olvidar
Porque el amor te espera en la esquina
Y el dolor te espera en cualquier lado
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
Solo para mí
Porque el amor te espera en la esquina
Y el dolor te espera en cualquier lado
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
Solo para mí
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
Solo para mí
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
Solo para mí
Andrés Calamaro's song "No Se Olvidar" (I Can't Forget) is a poignant reflection on the human experience of love and loss. He begins the song by expressing his wish that love could last only five minutes. Despite the fact that love is the only pain that is deserved, he asserts that we, the innocent, are always guilty. He then questions who decided how everything should be and why it couldn't be his way. He insists that freedom is divine.
Calamaro then reflects on how love is waiting for us at every corner, yet so is the pain. He no longer wants to hold on to his stale breath; instead, he wants someone to tell him what is in his chest and take it out harshly. He is convinced that the waiting, in any event, is never enjoyable.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that love and pain go hand in hand, but he no longer wants his breath to be stale, and he wants to be free from the burden of the past. In the final lines, he concludes that he doesn't want to hold on to his stale breath any longer.
Overall, "No Se Olvidar" is a heartbreaking and desperate attempt to come to grips with the often-painful realities of love and existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Quisiera que el amor dure cinco minutos
I wish love could last for only five minutes
Aunque es el único dolor merecido
Although it's the only deserved pain
Los inocentes somos culpables siempre
The innocent ones are always guilty
Quién dijo cómo tenía que ser todo
Who said how everything should be
Por qué no podría ser a mi modo
Why couldn't it be in my own way
Que la libertad sea divina
May freedom be divine
Porque el amor te espera en la esquina
Because love awaits you around the corner
Y el dolor te espera en cualquier lado
And pain waits for you everywhere
Ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
I don't want my breath to be rusty anymore
Solo para mí
Only for myself
Que alguien me diga lo que tengo en el pecho
Let someone tell me what I have in my chest
Y me lo saque de mala manera
And take it out of me in a bad way
No es agradable la espera cualquiera que sea
Waiting is never pleasant
Podría confesarte todo sin problema
I could confess everything to you without a problem
También olvidarme de mi pasado
Also forget about my past
Bailo mejor acostado y no se olvidar
I dance better lying down and I never forget
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
I don't want my breath to be rusty anymore
Solo para mí
Only for myself
Porque el amor te espera en la esquina
Because love awaits you around the corner
Y el dolor te espera en cualquier lado
And pain waits for you everywhere
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
I don't want my breath to be rusty anymore
Solo para mí
Only for myself
Yo ya no quiero mi aliento oxidado
I don't want my breath to be rusty anymore
Solo para mí
Only for myself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDRES CALAMARO MASEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind