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
Maria
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pena por la ciudad
Recorriendo las calles que un día
Negó besos en la oscuridad
Y se nubla la vista, María
Porque duele recordar
Que los besados negados, María
En las noches por ese camino
Algo extraño puede pasar
Al sentir en los labios del frío
De otros labios que no verás
Es María quien pena en las calles
Y debajo de un farol
Roba besos y vida a la gente
Mientras ella yace en un cajón
María bonita
María marchita
The lyrics to Café Tacvba's song "María" seem to portray a woman named María wandering the streets alone at night, haunted by her past. She once denied kisses in the darkness and now walks the same streets, feeling the pain of her memories. María's vision becomes cloudy as she remembers the kisses she denied and the people she turned away; people who will never come back. While on this path at night, María senses something strange, feeling cold kisses on her lips that belong to someone she cannot see.
As the song continues, we can sense the desperation of the character in the song. María is a woman who now wanders the streets catching kisses from strangers, "robbing life" from those she kisses, while she herself is in a coffin. The song suggests that María has died and her spirit remains, looking for the warmth of life in the kisses of others. The powerful imagery in the song shows María's longing for connection and love, the regret of her past decisions, and the ultimate emptiness that she takes with her in death.
Line by Line Meaning
Sale sola de noche María
María leaves alone at night
Pena por la ciudad
She wanders around the city with sorrow
Recorriendo las calles que un día
She walks through the streets where she used to be denied kisses
Negó besos en la oscuridad
The kisses that were refused in the darkness
Y se nubla la vista, María
María's vision becomes blurry
Porque duele recordar
It hurts to remember
Que los besados negados, María
The kisses that were denied will never come back
Nunca más regresarán
They will never return
En las noches por ese camino
In the nights along that path
Algo extraño puede pasar
Something strange may happen
Al sentir en los labios del frío
Feeling on the lips the coldness
De otros labios que no verás
Of other lips that you will not see
Es María quien pena en las calles
It is María who wanders the streets with sorrow
Y debajo de un farol
And under a streetlight
Roba besos y vida a la gente
She steals kisses and life from people
Mientras ella yace en un cajón
While she rests in a coffin
María bonita
Beautiful María
María marchita
Withered María
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega, Emmanuel Del Real Diaz, Enrique Rangel Arroyo, Jose Alfredo Rangel Arroyo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Okir Mundo
La letra para que la disfruten:
Sale sola de noche María,
pena por la ciudad,
recorriendo las calles que un dia
negó besos en la oscuridad.
Y se nubla la vista María,
porque duele recordar
que los besados negados María,
nunca mas regresarán.
En las noches por ese camino,
algo extraño puede pasar,
al sentir en los labios del frío,
de otros labios que no verás.
Es María quien pena en las calles
y debajo de un farol
roba besos y vida a la gente,
mientras ella yace en un cajón.
María bonita,
María marchita.
Mario Soares
Soy brasileño y Café Tacvba me ha ayudado a aprender el idioma y enamorarme de la cultura mexicano. Saludos, hermanos del norte.
jorge tyeydfgtetg
eres bienvenido a México hermano
Ed Card
Bom día amigo estamos igual en México yo aprendo gracias a michel telo
Octavio Ramirez
Saludos desde Tijuana
ღareliღ ღ
👍👍👍
Alexandro Lizama Leyva
Se bienvenido hermano brasileiro
Jamilson Nieto
Mexicanos ustedes son nuestros hermanos soy de Colombia pero somos los mismos hermanos que viva Colombia y México
Tron_Fan
Es muy sierto nusotros amamos La Cumbia Vallenata de Colombia.
ALFREDO ALBARRAN
Soy de México y que viva Colombia
Andres Cardozo Castillo
Soy Colombiano y mi hermoso México como nos ha aportado tanto en cultura y buena música un abrazo se les quiere desde Bogotá un saludo.