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.
Veinte años
Buena Vista Social Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
si tú no me quieres ya?
El amor que ya ha pasado
no se debe recordar
Fui la ilusión de tu vida
un día lejano ya,
Hoy represento al pasado,
no me puedo conformar.
se pudieran alcanzar,
tú me quisieras lo mismo
que veinte años atrás.
Con que tristeza miramos
un amor que se nos va
Es un pedazo del alma
que se arranca sin piedad.
The lyrics to Buena Vista Social Club's "Veinte Años" are a lament of lost love and unrequited affection. The first few lines set the scene for a tangled love affair, as the singer addresses their lover with a question: "What does it matter if I love you, if you don't love me anymore?" The singer then acknowledges that the love they once shared is now in the past, but cannot help but remember the hope and passion they once felt.
The song paints a bittersweet picture of aging and nostalgia. The singer describes themselves as "the illusion of [their lover's] life," but notes that this relationship now belongs to the past. They express sadness at the way love can slip away without warning, and describe the pain of letting go as "a piece of the soul that's ripped away without mercy."
Overall, "Veinte Años" is a poignant meditation on the nature of love and how it can change over time. The singer acknowledges that the love they once shared is gone, but still longs for the passion they felt two decades ago.
Line by Line Meaning
¿Qué te importa que te ame,
Why does it matter to you if I love you,
si tú no me quieres ya?
if you don't love me anymore?
El amor que ya ha pasado
The love that has already passed
no se debe recordar
shouldn't be remembered
Fui la ilusión de tu vida
I was the illusion of your life
un día lejano ya,
a distant day already,
Hoy represento al pasado,
Today I represent the past,
no me puedo conformar.
I can't settle for that.
Si las cosas que uno quiere
If the things one wants
se pudieran alcanzar,
could be achieved,
tú me quisieras lo mismo
you would love me the same
que veinte años atrás.
as you did twenty years ago.
Con que tristeza miramos
How sad we look
un amor que se nos va
at a love that is slipping away
Es un pedazo del alma
It's a piece of the soul
que se arranca sin piedad.
that is torn out mercilessly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MAXIMO AGUIRRE MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC.
Written by: JUAN HOMERO AGUILAR CABRERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ridianemeneses6962
¿Qué te importa que te ame
Si tú no me quieres ya?
El amor que ya ha pasado
No se debe recordar
Fui la ilusión de tu vida
Un día lejano ya
Hoy represento al pasado
No me puedo conformar
Hoy represento al pasado
No me puedo conformar
Si las cosas que uno quiere
Se pudieran alcanzar
Tú me quisieras lo mismo
Que veinte años atrás
Con qué tristeza miramos
Un amor que se nos va
Es un pedazo del alma
Que se arranca sin piedad
Es un pedazo del alma
Que se arranca sin piedad
@user-iu1uo6dd1y
Why do you care if I love you,
if you don’t do it anymore?
Love which has already left,
must not be remembered.
I was your life’s illusion,
one distant day.
Today, I represent the past,
can’t stay quiet.
If the things one wants,
could be reached,
you would love me the same
as twenty years in the past.
With sadness we look at
this love which goes away,
it’s a part of one’s soul,
that tears itself apart, merciless.
Just a free translation in English. Greetings from Athens Greece!
@gustavomelendez6880
Twenty years
What do you care if I love you
If you don't love me anymore?
The love that has already passed
Must not to be remember
I was the illusion of your life
A distant day already
Today I represent the past
I can't conform
If the things one wants
They could be reached
You would like me the same
That twenty years ago
How sad we look
A love that goes away
It is a piece of the soul
That is torn away without mercy
If the things one wants
They could be reached
You would like me the same
That twenty years ago
How sad we look
A love that goes away
It is a piece of the soul
That is torn away without mercy
@Luci1946
Qué te importa que te ame
si tú no me quieres ya
El amor que ya ha pasado
no se debe recordar.
Fui la ilusión de tu vida
un día lejano ya,
hoy represento el pasado
no me puedo conformar.
Si las cosas que uno quiere
se pudieran alcanzar
tú me quisieras lo mismo
que veinte años atrás.
Con qué tristeza miramos
un amor que se nos va
es un pedazo del alma
que se arranca sin piedad.
@oludotunjohnshowemimo434
The legendary Compay Segundo and Buena Vista Social Club. Their music is so timeless. I could listen and sing along all day.
@Jason-yk1nt
I don’t speak a word of Spanish but still love this song so much, the emotion transcends language
@gabrielazyanyasalgadonunez7282
Now imagine if you understood what it says, you would cry
@rpm1796
@@gabrielazyanyasalgadonunez7282
Para mi?...sonrio🌞😎
@bluevelvet4372
♥️
@waldobode1571
the same thing happens to us Latinos listening to songs in English
@Jason-yk1nt
Thanks Elena
@amandavilhena6134
Alguem do Brasil que ama Buena Vista Social Club?❤🇧🇷
@danielguimaraes1815
Opa
@MICKAELGARDIEN
I don't understand a single word of Spanish, but this music and its melody are so pure to the point that I found myself memorizing all the lyrics by heart. Music and love are truly universal !