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
Las flores
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ven y dime todas esas cosas
Invítame a sentarme junto a ti
Escucharé todos tus sueños en mi oído
Y déjame estrechar tus manos
Y regalarte unas pocas de ilusiones
Ay ven y cuéntame una historia que me haga sentir bien
Con todo el silencio del planeta
Y miraré tus ojos
Como si fueran los últimos de este país
Ay
Déjame ver cómo es que floreces
Con cinco pétalos te absorberé
Cinco sentidos que te roban solo un poco de tu ser
Y seis veces para vivirte
Debajo de una misma luna
Y otras nueve pasarán para sentir que nuevas flores nacerán
Y que cada estrella fuese una flor
Y así regalarte
Todo un racimo de estrellas
No dejes que amanezca
No dejes que la noche caiga
No dejes que el sol salga
Solo déjame estar junto a ti
The lyrics to CAFE TACVBA's song Las Flores express a desire for emotional connection and understanding. The first stanza invites someone to come and share their dreams and stories with the singer, allowing them to hold their hand and offer hope and positivity. The second stanza continues with a metaphor of flowers blooming, and the singer wanting to absorb and appreciate all of the parts that make this person who they are. The line “cinco sentidos que te roban solo un poco de tu ser” (“five senses that steal only a little of your being”) suggests a recognition of the ways in which each person is unique and complex, and the acknowledgment that to truly know someone is a valuable and intimate experience.
Overall, the song appears to be about connection and appreciation, and the desire for someone to share their innermost thoughts and experiences with the singer. The imagery of flowers reinforces the idea that each person is beautiful and complex, and that this complexity is both understood and celebrated by those who care for them.
Line by Line Meaning
Ay
Expression of interest and attention
Ven y dime todas esas cosas
Come and tell me all those things
Invítame a sentarme junto a ti
Invite me to sit beside you
Escucharé todos tus sueños en mi oído
I will listen to all your dreams in my ear
Y déjame estrechar tus manos
Let me hold your hands
Y regalarte unas pocas de ilusiones
And give you a few illusions
Ay ven y cuéntame una historia que me haga sentir bien
Come and tell me a story that makes me feel good
Yo te escucharé
I will listen to you
Con todo el silencio del planeta
With all the silence of the planet
Y miraré tus ojos
And I will look into your eyes
Como si fueran los últimos de este país
As if they were the last ones in this country
Ay
Expression of interest and attention
Déjame ver cómo es que floreces
Let me see how you bloom
Con cinco pétalos te absorberé
With five petals, I will absorb you
Cinco sentidos que te roban solo un poco de tu ser
Five senses that steal only a little bit of your being
Y seis veces para vivirte
And six times to live you
Debajo de una misma luna
Under the same moon
Y otras nueve pasarán para sentir que nuevas flores nacerán
And nine more will pass to feel that new flowers will be born
Y que cada estrella fuese una flor
And that each star were a flower
Y así regalarte
And thus give you
Todo un racimo de estrellas
A whole bunch of stars
No dejes que amanezca
Don't let it become dawn
No dejes que la noche caiga
Don't let the night fall
No dejes que el sol salga
Don't let the sun rise
Solo déjame estar junto a ti
Just let me be with you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jose Alfredo Rangel Arroyo, Enrique Rangel Arroyo, Emmanuel Del Real Diaz, Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gabriela Serrano
Que arte que orgullo Mexico para el mundo esta cancion deberia ser interminable es magnifica bellisima 🇨🇷🇲🇽
Su Avila
2020 y vuelvo a escuchar esta cancion. Me trae muchos recuerdos y alegria. Grande cafe tacuba 💕 su voz es unica
Angoa Cul
Amo mucho esta canción.
Con esta canción inició algo muy bello que acabo..
La extraño mucho
Julio Arévalo
Tremenda cancion!!!
Solo en los 90s ocurria eso 😍
Maria Eugenia Estrada Vallejo
Que Versión!!!!. Se lucieron acompañado con el mejor instrumento que tiene el Arte de la Música el Violín🤘🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻👌👌👌👌👌
Sentry
Lo escucharé millones de veces y me encanta
Chocorocho HDZ
Grande CAFE TACUBA DE LA GRAN TENOCHTITLÁN 🇲🇽 para el mundo👍
Alberto Mar
@rubenalejandro machadoalva jajaja pero son chilangos nimodo
rubenalejandro machadoalva
en realidad el ritmo es huasteco, un grupo prehispanico muy diferente al mexica. de la mitad de tamaulipas, al norte fe veracruz, hidalgo, puebla y san luis.
felipe gonzalez
2022 y aún sigo escuchando gran tema y el violín suena muy lindo