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
El río
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
esperando a que no est� por ah�
y me miro al espejo y ah� estoy yo
me encontr� con un hombre me puse a hablar
le vend� mi pedazo de tierra lunar
y llov�a del cielo sobre arboles y mares
veintiocho d�as navegue por la orilla de un r�o
todas las horas del d�a sin descansar
cruce el desierto, la selva, el bosque de monta�a
pero el cansado r�o me dijo basta ya
y llov�a del cielo sobre arboles y mares
y yo vi a las plantas crecer como animales
y llov�a del cielo sobre arboles y mares
y yo vi a las plantas crecer como animales
�porqu� siempre llueve cuando me levanto?
The lyrics of Café Tacvba's song El río showcase the singer's search for solace and a new beginning. The song begins with the singer waking up and hoping that the person who has caused them pain isn't nearby. As they look in the mirror, they face their reflections and are forced to confront themselves. They then meet a man with whom they converse, and in a symbolic gesture, they sell their piece of lunar land. The rain pours down on trees and seas, as the singer watches plants grow like animals.
The singer then sets out on a journey, sailing for twenty-eight days along the riverbank without resting. They traverse the desert, forest, and mountain jungle, but eventually, the tired river says, "enough." The singer once again observes the rain pouring down on trees and seas, and how plants grow like animals. In the final verse, the singer raises a question about why it always seems to rain when they wake up.
The song communicates the emotional struggles of an individual seeking to break free from their past and take a leap of faith into the unknown. It is also about the relationship between the inner self and the external world, highlighting our capacity to adapt and grow even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
siempre me pasa igual cuando me levanto
I always have the same experience when I wake up.
esperando a que no est� por ah�
Hoping that the person I don't want to see is not around.
y me miro al espejo y ah� estoy yo
I look into the mirror and see myself.
me encontr� con un hombre me puse a hablar
I met a man and started to talk to him.
le vend� mi pedazo de tierra lunar
I sold him a piece of my lunar land.
y llov�a del cielo sobre arboles y mares
Rain was falling from the sky onto the trees and the seas.
y yo vi a las plantas crecer como animales
I saw the plants grow like animals.
veintiocho d�as navegue por la orilla de un r�o
I sailed for twenty-eight days along the banks of a river.
todas las horas del d�a sin descansar
Without resting, all day long.
cruce el desierto, la selva, el bosque de monta�a
I crossed the desert, the jungle, and the mountain forest.
pero el cansado r�o me dijo basta ya
But the tired river told me to stop.
�porqu� siempre llueve cuando me levanto?
Why does it always rain when I wake up?
Contributed by Nathaniel W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@paulfranco3239
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