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
No me comprendes
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
porque me rio
cuando debiera tal vez llorar.
Me dices loco,
porque he llorado
cuando era todo felicidad.
No me comprendes,
solo te inspiro curiosidad.
Y si supieras que hay una inmensa
sed de ternura dentro de mi,.
Si comprendieras que hay un secreto
que a nadie he dicho,
porque yo a nadie le hablo de ti.
Si tu supieras o comprendieras,
pero tu nunca comprenderas,
que mi secreto ni tu ni nadie
ha de saberlo nunca jamas.
Me dices loco,
porque me rio
cuando debiera tal vez llorar,
me dices loco
porque he llorado
cuando era todo felicidad.
The lyrics of Café Tacvba's song No me comprendes describe the feeling of being misunderstood by a person who believes that the singer's actions are irrational. The song portrays the frustration of the singer who is being misunderstood by the other person who only sees the surface-level of the singer's emotions. The singer acknowledges that the other person calls him crazy because he laughs during situations when people usually cry, and when he cries during happy moments.
The lyrics explore the concept of how people often judge each other based on what they see, without considering what is going on beneath the surface. The lines "solo te inspiro curiosidad" ("I only inspire curiosity in you") reflect the idea that the other person is not interested in truly understanding the singer, but instead is fascinated by his apparent craziness. The song also hints at a deeper secret that the singer holds, which he has never shared with anyone, including the person who calls him crazy.
Overall, the lyrics of No me comprendes explore the idea that people cannot fully understand each other through surface-level observations and that there are often hidden emotions and secrets that people hold onto that are not visible to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Me dices loco, porque me rio cuando debiera tal vez llorar.
You call me crazy when I laugh instead of cry.
Me dices loco, porque he llorado cuando era todo felicidad.
You call me crazy when I cry even though I'm happy.
No me comprendes, me dices loco; solo te inspiro curiosidad.
You don't understand me, you just find me curious or strange.
Y si supieras que hay una inmensa sed de ternura dentro de mi,.
If you only knew how much I crave love and tenderness deep inside.
Si comprendieras que hay un secreto que a nadie he dicho, porque yo a nadie le hablo de ti.
If you understood the secret that I keep to myself, because I never talk about you to anyone.
Si tu supieras o comprendieras, pero tu nunca comprenderas, que mi secreto ni tu ni nadie ha de saberlo nunca jamas.
If you only knew or understood, but you will never understand, that my secret will remain forever hidden from you and everyone else.
Me dices loco, porque me rio cuando debiera tal vez llorar, me dices loco porque he llorado cuando era todo felicidad.
You call me crazy when I laugh instead of cry, and you call me crazy when I cry even though I'm happy.
Contributed by Carter C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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on Desperte
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