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
Cierto O Falso
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si es que mi mente me juega una broma
Se lo que es la realidad
Pero ve una situación y la destroza
Es cuestión de percepción
Esa voz la escucho yo
No me digan que no es cierto
Y si es verdad
Que alguien me venga a decir
Si lo que oigo suena en todos lados
La canción que escucho yo
Parece sonar en todas las radios
Es cuestión de percepción
La música es abstracción
No me digan que no es cierto
Y si es verdad
Ya no quiero estar
Cuestionando mas
Cierto o falso, cierto o falso, cierto o falso
Cierto o falso
Parapapapapapapapapa
Que alguien dictamine
Ya si soy un caso de extrema locura
El peligro va a llegar
Cuando me dejen un poco de duda
Es cuestión de percepción
Lo que real escojo yo
Y aun que digan no es cierto esto es verdad
The song "Cierto o Falso" by Café Tacuba explores the theme of perception and how it can affect a person's understanding of reality. The lyrics depict the confusion and uncertainty that can arise when one's senses and instincts cannot be trusted. The opening verse seeks an explanation for apparent discrepancies between what the mind knows to be true and what it perceives to be happening. The singer acknowledges the truth of reality, but struggles to reconcile it with what they see before them. The phrase "Es cuestión de percepción" ("It's a matter of perception") is repeated throughout the song, reinforcing the idea that what is perceived may not always align with what is real.
Line by Line Meaning
Que alguien me venga a explicar
I need someone to explain something to me
Si es que mi mente me juega una broma
I am not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me
Se lo que es la realidad
I understand what reality is
Pero ve una situación y la destroza
But sometimes my perception of reality can distort a situation
Es cuestión de percepción
It's all about perception
Esa voz la escucho yo
I am the one who hears that voice
No me digan que no es cierto
Don't tell me it's not true
Y si es verdad
And if it is true
Que alguien me venga a decir
I need someone to tell me
Si lo que oigo suena en todos lados
If what I hear is everywhere
La canción que escucho yo
The song I listen to
Parece sonar en todas las radios
Seems like it's playing on every radio station
La música es abstracción
Music is abstract
Ya no quiero estar
I don't want to keep questioning
Cuestionando mas
And questioning more
Cierto o falso, cierto o falso, cierto o falso
True or false, true or false, true or false
Cierto o falso
True or false
Que alguien dictamine
I need someone to determine
Ya si soy un caso de extrema locura
If I am a case of extreme madness
El peligro va a llegar
The danger will come
Cuando me dejen un poco de duda
When they leave me with a little bit of doubt
Lo que real escojo yo
I decide what is real
Y aun que digan no es cierto esto es verdad
And even if they say it's not true, it is for me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMMANUEL DEL REAL DIAZ, ENRIQUE RANGEL ARROYO, ISAAC RUBEN ALBARRAN ORTEGA, JOSE ALFREDO RANGEL ARROYO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matilda
on Desperte
What does it mean is he a recovering alcoholic? I want to know