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
Bar Tacuba
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me he quedado como siempre hasta el final
Se recogen ya los vasos rotos
Triste y decadente forma de acabar.
Hace poco luché con un monstruo
Y fue un exorcismo necesario
De repente me ha cambiado el rostro
Y me he preguntado por qué otra vez estoy pensando en tí.
Estoy en una cantina
Estoy escuchando una canción que yo pedí
Me están sirviendo ya el aperitivo
Otra vez mi pensamiento rumbo a tí.
Y me he preguntado por qué otra vez estoy pensando en tí.
Antes de tocar aquí yo no era así
Ahora me reviento casi diario
De como era antes tú te debes acordar
El Café Tacuba ya parece bar.
The lyrics of Bar Tacuba by Café Tacvba describe the feeling of loneliness and regret after a night of drinking in a bar. The singer is left alone as everyone else has left, with broken glasses scattered around the place. The first stanza portrays the overall mood of sadness and decadence as the night comes to an end. The mention of the tequila being bad for him implies that the singer has a drinking problem.
The second stanza introduces the idea that the singer recently fought with a "monster," which could be interpreted as an inner struggle with himself. The battle was necessary and has changed him, but he still finds himself thinking about someone from his past. He is in a cantina, listening to a song he requested, and his mind inevitably goes back to this person.
The final stanza is a reflection on how the singer has changed since becoming a part of the band and playing in bars. He drinks almost every day, which was not his habit before. The Café Tacuba has now turned into a bar, where he feels lost and hopeless.
Overall, the song speaks about the consequences of excessive drinking and how it can lead to loneliness and regret. The singer is stuck in a never-ending cycle of drinking and thinking about someone from his past.
Line by Line Meaning
Me he quedado simplemente solo
I am alone, just as I am always until the end.
Me he quedado como siempre hasta el final
I always end up alone in the end, just like now.
Se recogen ya los vasos rotos
The shattered glasses are being cleaned up.
Triste y decadente forma de acabar.
A sad and decadent way to end things.
Hace poco luché con un monstruo
Recently, I battled a monster.
Y fue un exorcismo necesario
It was a necessary exorcism.
De repente me ha cambiado el rostro
Suddenly, my face has changed.
El tequila rápido es muy malo para mí.
Quick tequila shots are bad for me.
Y me he preguntado por qué otra vez estoy pensando en tí.
And I wonder once again why I'm thinking of you.
Estoy en una cantina
I am in a bar.
Estoy escuchando una canción que yo pedí
I am listening to a song that I requested.
Me están sirviendo ya el aperitivo
The appetizers are being served to me.
Otra vez mi pensamiento rumbo a tí.
Once again, my thoughts are headed towards you.
Antes de tocar aquí yo no era así
Before playing here, I wasn't like this.
Ahora me reviento casi diario
Now, I almost drink myself to death daily.
De como era antes tú te debes acordar
You surely remember how I was before.
El Café Tacuba ya parece bar.
Café Tacuba now looks like a bar.
Contributed by Nolan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Matilda
on Desperte
What does it mean is he a recovering alcoholic? I want to know