Baccara's most famous hits were "Sorry I'm a lady" and "Yes sir, I can boogie", both of which topped the charts during 1977 in some European countries, including the United Kingdom. In 1978, their song "Parlez-Vous Français?" got the seventh place at the Eurovision Song Contest. Curiously, the duo were representing Luxembourg. After releasing four albums, Baccara ceased to exist in 1982. Up from this moment, María and Mayte have followed their musical careers separately, either solo or with new reformations of the duo like Baccara 2000 or New Baccara.
Mayte Mateos graduated as a teacher from the Royal Spanish Academy for Arts, Drama and Dance in Madrid and then joined Spanish Television's Ballet Company. While there she met fellow performer María Mendiola. In 1976 the two women formed a singing and dancing duo (using the title Venus) and left the Ballet Company. Initially the duo's act was simply that of variety show dancers. Their first television appearance was on the Palmarés light entertainment programme[1] and they were engaged at a nightclub in the Aragon city of Zaragoza, but their contract was cancelled when the club manager decided that they were "too elegant" for the style of show.[2] Mateos and Mendiola relocated to the Canary Islands in search of work. Here they found that there was an audience for the performance of traditional Spanish music and dance in a form that was adapted to suit international tastes.
The duo were spotted by Leon Deane, manager of the German subsidiary of record company RCA, whilst performing flamenco dance and traditional Spanish songs for tourists (mostly German) in the Tres Islas Hotel on the island of Fuerteventura. He invited them to Hamburg in order for them to meet the 30 year old Dutch producer/composer Rolf Soja.[3] Soja was the prime mover behind what became Baccara.
He developed their stage performance and recruited their instrumental support. Mateos and Mendiola were retitled Baccara, after the name of the black rose, in reference to the women's dark Spanish appearance.
Together with fellow writer Frank Dostal, Soja penned their début single “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” and most of their other 1970's hits. Recorded in Holland and released in 1977, “Yes Sir, …” proved to be a huge success, reaching the top of the charts in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Israel, and Switzerland, and number three in France.[4] Later that year a self-titled album, written and produced by Soja and Dostal, was released. Soja is generally credited with the Baccara formula - consisting of breathy lyrics, lush backing, a disco beat and the striking image of two women (one dressed in black and the other in white) dancing. While drawing lightly on Spanish flamenco song and dance tradition, the formula was very much rooted in 1970's disco music. Soja's song arrangements generally used Mateos as the lead singer while Mendiola contributed with backing and refrains.
“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” was an enormous pan-European hit and was a prime example of the phenomenon that is known as the "summer hit".[5] The song was heard everywhere over the summer of 1977 and it is still evocative of that moment in time. It is also one of the best known examples of the Eurodisco genre : “[…] this mind-bending Common Market melding of foreign accents, bad diction, bizarre arrangements and lightweight production, usually top-heavy with strings” - The Independent, 10th April 1999.
Baccara sold more than 16 million copies of “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” and featured in the 1977 edition of the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling female musical group to date. They were the first female duo to reach number one in the UK, and had the only number one by a Spanish artist in the UK until Julio Iglesias, four years later. A follow-up single, “Sorry, I'm A Lady”, was also an international hit, peaking at the top of the charts in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium and reaching the top ten in the UK, Sweden and Switzerland.[4] Most of Baccara's recordings were sung in English although they did also record in Spanish, German and French. They recorded different language versions of some songs (see Discography below).
Touring in Europe during the late 1970's helped the band establish a firm fan base in Germany (where their records continued to be produced) and the Scandinavian countries, and their Spanish-flavoured interpretation of the disco sound also brought them recognition in Japan and Russia. Baccara represented West Germany at the eighth World Popular Song Festival held in November 1977 – until it ended in 1989 the largest such contest in the world. Their song, “Mad In Madrid”, came 14th out of 37 participating countries.
In 1978 the second Baccara album, “Light My Fire”, was released across Europe, and whilst not matching the international success of the first, it spawned the single “Parlez-vous français?” which was selected as Luxembourg's entry in that year's Eurovision Song Contest.[6] Despite full marks from Italy, Portugal and Spain the duo finished in 7th place. However high sales, particularly in Denmark, Sweden and Belgium, meant that the single was a commercial success.
“Think what you like about Baccara, seen today their 1978 Eurovision performance has a certain style while their competition from that event looks dated and amateurish″ - New Musical Express, May 2002
Further recognition came in 1978 when Baccara was granted Germany's most prestigious media award, Burda Publishing Group's Bambi prize. This is offered annually to “celebrities whose abilities have impressed, moved and enthused the people in Germany”.[7] The duo made regular television appearances, becoming weekly guests on Sacha Distel's show in the UK, and on Musikladen in Germany. 1978 was the high point of Baccara's artistic and commercial success.
Late that year the duo released the single “The Devil Sent You to Lorado”[8] with “Somewhere in Paradise”[9] as its B side. Both of these Baccara recordings have become iconic. “Somewhere in Paradise” (with its allusions to life after death) is regularly played by Christian radio stations while “The Devil…” (with its background pistol shots) is sometimes identified with the gay community. A Spanish language version of the “The Devil…” (“El diablo te mandó a Laredo”) was released at the same time as the English one.
1979 saw the album “Colours” and the separately-recorded single “Eins plus eins ist eins”, released to mark the United Nations' International Year of the Child and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UN adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
Baccara's fourth and final album (in the band's original incarnation) was “Bad Boys”, released in 1981. By this time the disco sound had been overshadowed by newer music movements (such as punk, new wave and synthpop) in much of Europe and interest was largely confined to those countries where the duo had an established fan base, notably Germany. The album was not released in the UK or US.
Baccara have been (possibly unfairly) described as “one hit wonder” in the UK, while they never achieved any recognition in the US despite some of their songs being given significant airplay. One music critic suggested that the Baccara formula lacked artistic depth but had been “mined for all it was worth” over two years until public interest moved on to other things.[10] The same critic also drew attention to an element of “anti-feminist subservience” in the lyrics of some Baccara songs.
The 1980 single release of “Sleepy-Time-Toy” led to disagreement within Baccara over the vocal mix used. Mendiola complained that her voice was not given sufficient prominence in the song's arrangement and sued RCA for breach of contract.[11] A court hearing in Munich resulted in 250,000 records being recalled from dealers. The dispute fatally damaged relationships. One consequence of this was that Soja and Dostal were not involved with Baccara's final album. The duo recorded “Bad Boys” with Bruce Baxter and Graham Sacher. Neither the album nor its spin-off single “Colorado” were successful. In 1981, after RCA declined to renew their contract, Mateos and Mendiola ended their professional partnership and both launched solo careers.
By 1983 both artists had released albums of their own – Mateos with “Spanish Dreams” and Mendiola with “Born Again” – which saw moderate success amongst Baccara's original fan base. However there remained a demand for Baccara's music, particularly on the European television circuit, and by the middle of the decade both Mateos and Mendiola had formed their own versions of Baccara with new singing partners. Despite a series of name and line-up changes, both Baccara duos continue to perform around Europe and have released new albums. Both have also made re-recordings of their hits for various minor record labels, which are regularly re-packaged and re-issued under the original Baccara name. However, the original song versions (those recorded between 1977 and 1981) remain the property of Sony-BMG, which holds the rights to the RCA back catalogue.
On the occasion of Baccara's 30th Anniversary, Sony-BMG Germany released a very complete 3 CD box set on August 31 2007. This collection includes 50 RCA original recordings. Several songs such as “Mad In Madrid”, “Amoureux”, “Baila tú”, “En el año 2000”, “Eins plus eins ist eins” and “Candido” made their debut on CD.
Cara Mia
Baccara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Confidential, sentimental
That's the guy who'll open up your diamond eyes
He will be there when you're cryin'
Bravely tryin', self denyin'
He can wipe the tears from your sweet diamond eyes
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Lend your heart, beg steal or borrow
Lend your heart again tomorrow
Cara Mia why should diamond eyes be blue
Repeat
Lady fair, your sigh's infection
And he's wishin' for nights of passion
Look around and see the world through diamond eyes
Love's the game, it's in your favour
It's got the flavour, for modern behaviour
Take the cards and deal the hand with diamond eyes
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Lend your heart, beg steal or borrow
Lend your heart again tomorrow
Cara Mia why should diamond eyes be blue
Repeat
The song "Cara Mia" by Baccara speaks of a woman who is advised to take in a man who is sincere, gentle, and confidential towards her. He is the one who will make her eyes sparkle like diamonds. The lyrics convey the message that when life gets tough and the woman is in tears, the same man is going to be there for her, trying to comfort her with his words and actions. Alongside this, the song draws an analogy of diamond eyes that are blue as being sad or unhappy. Instead, the singer asks why the diamond eyes should be blue, suggesting positivity.
The chorus repeats twice, depicting the sentiment that the stars are going to shine and the moon is watching over the woman throughout her journey. The second verse continues to say that the woman should lend her heart and open up to love once again, despite being hurt before. Here, the man is looking for nights of passion, and the song suggests the woman looks towards modern behavior, as the flavor of love matches the current time. It asks the woman to take a chance, with the assurance that they will be dealt with diamond eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
Take him in, who's warm and gentle
Invite a tender and affectionate man into your life
Confidential, sentimental
He will keep your secrets and cherish emotions
That's the guy who'll open up your diamond eyes
He will make you see the world with new and wondrous eyes
He will be there when you're cryin'
He will stick by you through tough times
Bravely tryin', self denyin'
He will be courageous and put others before himself
He can wipe the tears from your sweet diamond eyes
He will comfort and console you
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
My beloved, the universe will always light up with wonder and beauty
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
My beloved, the moon watches over and protects you
Lend your heart, beg steal or borrow
Give your heart freely and without reservation
Lend your heart again tomorrow
Give your heart again and again, without holding back
Cara Mia why should diamond eyes be blue
My beloved, why should you be sad or unhappy?
Lady fair, your sigh's infection
Your beauty and charm inspire others to feel deeply
And he's wishin' for nights of passion
He desires to share intimate moments with you
Look around and see the world through diamond eyes
Observe the world with a new and wondrous perspective
Love's the game, it's in your favour
Love is a game, and you have the upper hand
It's got the flavour, for modern behaviour
Love is exciting and suitable for contemporary times
Take the cards and deal the hand with diamond eyes
Take risks and embrace new experiences with wonder and optimism
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN O'BRIEN-DOCKER, ROLF SOJA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@allamgomez3988
Take him in, who's warm and gentle
Confidential, sentimental
That's the guy who'll open up your diamond eyes
He will be there when you're cryin'
Bravely tryin', self denyin'
He can wipe the tears from your sweet diamond eyes
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Lend your heart, beg steal or borrow
Lend your heart again tomorrow
Cara Mia why should diamond eyes be blue
Repeat
Lady fair, your sigh's infection
And he's wishin' for nights of passion
Look around and see the world through diamond eyes
Love's the game, it's in your favour
It's got the flavour, for modern behaviour
Take the cards and deal the hand with diamond eyes
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Cara Mia mine, the stars are gonna shine forever
Cara Mia mine, the moon is lookin' down on you
Lend your heart, beg steal or borrow
Lend your heart again tomorrow
Cara Mia why should diamond eyes be blue
Repeat
@user-iz8oz3mt7e
Какое счастье было слышать и видеть таких талантов,неповторимых красавиц.
@alohomora8727
Если беспристрастно и без ностальгии - ничего особо выдающегося. Блондинка + брюнетка + сладкие мелодии - приемы шоубиза не меняются. Сейчас бы еще добавили рыженькую )))) Вы сами можете вспомнить несколько групп по такому же рецепту.
@olegsham
79ый год. Ялта. Лето. Мне 11. На каждом углу Баккара и эта песня!!!
И до сих пор волнует душу такие песни!
@olgaherter5109
.......мы с тобой не знали сами,что же будет ,между нами..........молодость,красота мечты ,желание жить на всю катушку....мелодии нашей молодости живут поныне в наших душах...
@user-sp8tx5ke5z
Только так! Не сдадимся. Мы молодые!!!!❤
@orange_cat_7
УЖЕ СТАРАЯ, ДА, СОБОЛЕЗНУЮ
@Tamara-zg4ws
Не было печали, просто уходило лето...
@user-qq3xf1yy3u
Браво, Баккара!!! Браво!!!! Любимая группа! Любимые песни!!! 🌹🌹🌹❤
@electrostnik
Это просто все кайф абба бони❤ баккара и вся музыка 70 и 80 90 и наша и зарубежная
@user-ie3sm4tp3r
Светлая память Марии! Таких женщин, таких мелодий и музыки не будет никогда!