The group's eponymous album was recorded in March 1996 and released in September 1997, quickly becoming an international success, which prompted the ensemble to perform with a full line-up in Amsterdam and New York in 1998. German director Wim Wenders captured the performance on film for a documentary—also called Buena Vista Social Club—that included interviews with the musicians conducted in Havana. Wenders' film was released in June 1999 to critical acclaim, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary feature and winning numerous accolades including Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.
The success of both the album and film sparked a revival of interest in traditional Cuban music and Latin American music in general. Some of the Cuban performers later released well-received solo albums and recorded collaborations with stars from different musical genres. The "Buena Vista Social Club" name became an umbrella term to describe these performances and releases, and has been likened to a brand label that encapsulates Cuba's "musical golden age" between the 1930s and 1950s. The new success was fleeting for the most recognizable artists in the ensemble: Compay Segundo, Rubén González, and Ibrahim Ferrer, who died at the ages of ninety-five, eighty-four, and seventy-eight respectively; Compay Segundo and González in 2003, then Ferrer in 2005.
Several surviving members of the Buena Vista Social Club, such as veteran singer Omara Portuondo, trumpeter Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal, laúd player Barbarito Torres and trombonist and conductor Jesús "Aguaje" Ramos currently tour worldwide, to popular acclaim, with new members such as singer Carlos Calunga and pianist Rolando Luna, as part of a 13-member band called Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club.
La Bayamesa
Buena Vista Social Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
Sí, lleva en su alma la baya-mesa
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Sí, ella es sencilla (ella es sencilla)
Le brinda al hombre (le brinda al hombre)
Virtudes todas (virtudes todas)
Y el corazón (y el corazón)
Pero sí siente (pero sí siente)
De la Patria el grito (de la Patria el grito)
Pero sí siente
De la Patria el grito
Todo lo deja, todo lo quema
Ese es su lema, su religión
Ese es su lema (ese es su lema su religión)
Su religión
"La Bayamesa" is a song by the Buena Vista Social Club about a woman from the city of Bayamo in Cuba. The lyrics describe how she carries the sorrowful memories of traditional practices in her heart. She sheds tears when she looks at the green plains, thinking about the intensity of emotions associated with passion. The song says that the woman is simple, but she possesses all the virtues that a man could desire, and she has a big heart. However, the woman is also very patriotic and identifies with the cry of the motherland. As a result, she is willing to give up everything and even burn down her own possessions for her religious conviction and loyalty to her country.
The song paints a picture of a woman who is deeply connected to her roots and homeland. Her sorrowful past and her religious beliefs have shaped her identity, and she is unafraid to show her love for her country, even if it means sacrificing all her material belongings.
Line by Line Meaning
Lleva en su alma la baya-mesa
Her soul carries the weight of Bayamo, a city with a rich historical and cultural tradition.
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
But these memories are bittersweet, as they remind her of a time when the traditions were thriving and have since faded.
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
When she gazes at the green plains of her homeland,
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
She can’t help but cry for her deep passions and unfulfilled dreams.
Sí, ella es sencilla
Yes, she may be simple and humble,
(ella es sencilla)
but she is full of goodness and virtue,
Le brinda al hombre
dedicating herself to serving the needs of others.
(le brinda al hombre)
Virtudes todas
and embodying all the noble qualities of a loving and devoted person.
(virtudes todas)
Y el corazón
Her heart is open and generous,
(y el corazón)
Pero sí siente
But she cannot ignore
De la Patria el grito
the call of her homeland.
(de la Patria el grito)
Todo lo deja, todo lo quema
She is willing to give up everything, even her own happiness,
Ese es su lema, su religión
in the name of her deep devotion to her country, which is her true religion.
Ese es su lema (ese es su lema su religión)
Su religión
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Sindo Garay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mariana Falcao
Lleva en su alma la bayamesa
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
Si, lleva en su alma la bayamesa
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
Si, ella es sencilla, le brinda al hombre
Virtudes todas y el corazón
Pero si siente de la Patria el grito,
Pero si siente de la Patria el grito
Todo lo deja, todo lo quema
Ese es su lema, su religión
Ese es su lema, su religión.
Florencia Intrieri
Muchas gracias World por poner esta bella música se siente su autenticidad.
Mariana Falcao
Lleva en su alma la bayamesa
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
Si, lleva en su alma la bayamesa
Tristes recuerdos de tradiciones
Cuando contempla sus verdes llanos
Lágrimas vierte por sus pasiones
Si, ella es sencilla, le brinda al hombre
Virtudes todas y el corazón
Pero si siente de la Patria el grito,
Pero si siente de la Patria el grito
Todo lo deja, todo lo quema
Ese es su lema, su religión
Ese es su lema, su religión.
LaEve
Me gusta mucho ese álbum. ¡Muchas gracias por subir este vídeo!
Alan Lacerda
Isso é arte.
Marina Kacarska
For my Father this was the music of our happy times. May he RIP.
Solutions Within
love it!
Carlos Paula
Candela e El Carretero representa a Verdadeira MÚSICA CUBANA !
Julio Motaban
Idiscutiblemente éstas páginas para la historia del arte músical serán escuchadas para siempre como exquisitas melodías del amor y la gracia dada por el supremo creador a la himanidad. No te llevo nada, jajajaja. Dios bendiga al pueblo cubano y lo guie por el camino de la justicia, tanto positiva como natural.
Rita Rania
tout simplement formidable
Charles Loveless, Jr.
Buena Vista Social Club w/ Ry Cooder: #1 All-Time Greatest Cuban music ever! In the way that Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" is to jazz! I have listened to this album since it was released in 1997 and it only keeps getting better and better (like Steely Dan :) My hat is off to Mr. Ry Cooder who brought this amazing band out of the throes of communist Cuba under Castro and made their debut on the world stage a reality. Forever indebted by such musical greats..