Their musical style covers a wide variety of genres, though it is most commonly labeled as Rock en Español. Their music has been heavily influenced by Mexico's indigenous population and folk music traditions, most notable the Jarocho style of the state of Veracruz, but also by punk and electronic music and other bands in the Mexico City scene. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of their music is Albarrán's nasal voice, which, combined with his impressive lung capacity (as demonstrated on "La Ingrata", an homage to norteño music), makes for a very distinctive sound. They sing entirely in Spanish but have a significant Anglophone following regardless.
They have an especially eclectic sound, and it's commonly said that none of their discs is of exactly the same genre. For example, "Maria" is a bolero style ballad, "La Ingrata" is a mix of rock and "norteño" , while "Eres", a hit included in "Cuatro Caminos" album, is mostly pop-rock.
They were founded in 1989, and since then have had the same musical lineup:
* Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega aka "Pinche Juan" ("Fuckin Juan"), "Cosme", "Anónimo" (Anonymous), "Nrü" (pronounced "dshyoo", [dʃju] in IPA), "Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak'ech" (or "At Medardo ILK"), "G3", "Gallo Gasss", "Élfego Buendía", "Sizu Yantra" (which is his solo moniker as well), "Rita Cantalagua", "Ixi Xoo" and many others. (vocals, guitar)
* Emmanuel "Meme" del Real Díaz: (keyboards, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, vocals, melodion)
* José Alfredo "Joselo" Rangel Arroyo: (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals)
* Enrique 'Quique' Rangel Arroyo: (bass guitar, electric upright bass, vocals)
Mexican folk music player Alejandro Flores is considered the 5th tacubo, as he has played the violin in almost every Café Tacuba concert since 1994. Since the Cuatro Caminos World Tour, Luis "El Children" Ledezma has played the drums in every concert but is not considered an official member of the band.
**Previously known as "Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí" (a tribute to Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Café de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Café de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Café Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.
1989
Mexico City, Mexico
Alármala de tos
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sufría, su jefe la obligaba,
Con ella, sacaba buena lana,
La pobre era jorobada.
Su madre, le metia al talón,
era perversa, y de mal corazón.
Su hermano, vivía en el reventón
Ese día, pasaba normalmente,
cuando su padre, atacola de repente,
Violola con un deseo demente,
y ella quiso, morirse en ese instante.
Mató a su padre, cuando este la seguía,
mientras su madre, con su hermano le ponía.
Pensó que ayuda jamás encontraría,
Hasta que al fin, hallo un policía.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
La Lola, su historia lloró,
y auxilio al tilo imploró.
El azul, sonriendo la miró.
¿Qué creen que fue lo que pasó?
Siguiola, jalola, atacola, jalola
escupiola, golpeola, tirola, pateola,
pegola, violola, matola...
...con una pistola.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
Alarma, Alármala de tos,
uno, dos, tres,
patada y cos.
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma,
Alarma
The lyrics of Café Tacvba's song "Alármala de tos" tell the story of a woman named Lola who is forced to beg and work for her boss, who takes advantage of her for financial gain. Lola's mother is abusive and her brother is a partygoer who is in a romantic relationship with a larger man. One day, Lola's father attacks her and tries to sexually assault her, causing her to kill him in self-defense. Lola believes that she will never find help, but eventually encounters a police officer who aids her in her time of need.
The lyrics are emotive and gritty, depicting the harsh realities of life for many people, particularly women, who face abuse, exploitation and violence. The use of language and rhyme enhances the storytelling, culminating in the powerful refrain of "Alármala de tos" which means "make her cough" in Spanish, but in the context of the song is a metaphorical call to action for society to stand up against such societal ills.
The song was released on Café Tacvba's album "Re", which received critical acclaim and was considered a definitive masterpiece of Latin Alternative music. "Alármala de tos" was particularly noted for its strong storytelling, combining social commentary with elements of horror and suspense.
Line by Line Meaning
La Lola, paciente mendigaba
Lola was a beggar who sought patience in her difficult circumstances
Sufría, su jefe la obligaba
She suffered because her boss forced her to do things against her will
Con ella, sacaba buena lana
Despite her hardships, she was able to earn good money with her work
La pobre era jorobada
Unfortunately, she had a physical deformity that made her life even harder
Su madre, le metia al talón
Her mother was cruel and would pressure her to work harder and harder
era perversa, y de mal corazón
Her mother was evil and had a wicked heart
Su hermano, vivía en el reventón
Her brother lived a wild and reckless lifestyle
él era el Lilo, amante de un panzón
Her brother's name was Lilo and he was in love with someone overweight
Ese día, pasaba normalmente
On a normal day, something terrible happened
cuando su padre, atacola de repente
Her father suddenly attacked her
Violola con un deseo demente
He sexually assaulted her with a sick desire
y ella quiso, morirse en ese instante
In that moment, she just wanted to die
Mató a su padre, cuando este la seguía
In self defense, she killed her father when he chased after her
mientras su madre, con su hermano le ponía
Her mother and brother were adding to her suffering
Pensó que ayuda jamás encontraría
She thought she would never find help or escape her situation
Hasta que al fin, hallo un policía
Eventually, she found a police officer who could help her
Alarma, Alármala de tos
The repetition of this phrase symbolizes the urgency of the situation
uno, dos, tres, patada y cos
The use of force was necessary to defend herself
La Lola, su historia lloró
Lola wept when she told her story
y auxilio al tilo imploró
She begged for the help of someone named Tilo
El azul, sonriendo la miró
A police officer (referred to as 'El Azul') sympathetically listened to her story
¿Qué creen que fue lo que pasó?
The song challenges the listener to consider what circumstances led to Lola's tragic situation
Siguiola, jalola, atacola, jalola
The repetition of violent verbs shows the intensity of Lola's struggle against her abusers
escupiola, golpeola, tirola, pateola
She fought back with everything she had, including spitting, hitting, shooting, and kicking
pegola, violola, matola...
The final actions she took to defend herself were extreme and resulted in the death of her father
con una pistola
She used a gun to defend herself
Alarma
The repetition of this phrase continues to emphasize the urgency and seriousness of the situation
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Alarma
Contributed by Aiden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marilugee
La Lola, paciente mendigaba
Sufría, su jefe la obligaba
Con ella, sacaba buena lana
La pobre era jorobada
Su madre, le metía al talón
Era perversa, y de mal corazón
Su hermano, vivía en el reventón
El era el lilo, amante de un panzon
Ese día, pasaba normalmente
Cuando su padre, atacola de repente
Violola, con un deseo demente
Y ella quiso, morirse en ese instante
Mató a su padre, cuando este la seguía
Mientras su madre, con su hermano le pedía
Pensó que ayuda, jamás encontraría
Hasta que al fin, hallo un policía
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
La Lola, su historia lloro
Y auxilio al tiro imploró
El azul, sonriendo la miró
Que que que fue lo que paso?
Siguiola, jalola, saqueola
La jaló, la pateó, escupiola
Tirola, la jaló, la pateó
Siguiola, jalola, saqueola
La jaló, la pateó, escupiola
Tirola, la jaló, la pateó
Siguiola, jalola, saqueola
La jaló, la pateó, escupiola
Tirola, la jaló, la pateó
Con una pistola
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
Alarma, Alarmala de tos
Uno, dos, tres
Patada y cos
Alarma
@rafaelvg3682
No es que la revista "Alarma" fuera amarillista, mas bien la revista "Alarma" era el amarillismo mismo, Botellita de Jerez reflejó esto en la canción original pero Cafe Tacuba con esos arreglos y esa interpretación la llevo a otro nivel, por eso Cafe sera siempre grande en la historia de la musica alternativa en México.
@SuperMetalgeorge
una de las mejores canciones que hay con tanta denuncia social... y estribillos tan pegadizos... para mí esta es realmente una obra de arte...
@facultad1000
si escuchas la version original no parece qu efuera denuncia social
@SuperMetalgeorge
@@facultad1000 si no prestas atención a la letra
@Charlie-ne9xw
@@SuperMetalgeorge Se refiere a la de botellita de jerez, este es un cover de la original
@HorrorAlekz
@@Charlie-ne9xw La de la botellita también trae aparejada denuncia. Es la misma letra, wey.
De que te hagas tontuelo y no lo quieras dliucidar, eso es diferente.
@Charlie-ne9xw
@@HorrorAlekz Me hablas a mi o al men de arriba? Por qué yo solo le dije cuál era la original
@Melodylee
2019 y es la historia de todos los días en México
@I.AM.Issachar.
Em todo el mundo hay de todo mi chava
@dddvyomero
No pasa nada , en tanto tu no andes de talonera , jajajajajajajaja