Before he graduated from Jorge Tadeo Lozano's University with a publicist d… Read Full Bio ↴Before he graduated from Jorge Tadeo Lozano's University with a publicist degree, singer Carlos Vives joined different bands and participated in several plays. In 1982, the artist got a role in the Colombian TV series Tiempo Sin Huella, starting his successful acting career, later extending his professional skills to the Puerto Rican television.

After participating in some teen programs as a singer/actor, he got the main role in the telenovela (soap opera) "Gallito Ramírez," which made him a famous actor. Later, another telenovela, "Escalona" made him return to his "costeño" roots (he was born in Santa Marta, the same town of the famous soccer player "El Pibe" Valderrama, located in the north coast of Colombia) and mainly to sing classic vallenato songs of one of the most prestigious vallenato composers, Rafael Escalona. The soundtrack of "Escalona" quickly became a major hit in radio and CD sales and allowed vallenato to conquest other colombian cities outside the "costa" (north coast) that hadn´t previously accepted it.

After forming a band called La Provincia, the singer and guitarist began performing a local style known as Vallenato, successfully touring his native country, Colombia, and South America. In 1994, Carlos Vives' "La Gota Fria," became his first smash, climbing on the most important music charts around Latin America. In 1996, under the slogan of Unete A Los Locales (Join the Local Ones), the talented musician created his own label, called Gaira, to promote and give an incentive to local artists like "Bloque de Búsqueda" and "Distrito".

Carlos Vives also hosted an important show of the Colombian TV, "La Tele". With irreverent and sometimes escatologic humour this program promoted the figures of Martin De Francisco and Germán Moure, in a country where criticism has always been divorced of popular jokes. This program was then reborn as an animated version which turned to be the first weekly 25 minute animated series of Colombia and Latinamerica, called "El Siguiente Programa" ("The Next Show")

His style, which mixes vallenato, rock and champeta (an African-influenced music) was then used by several Colombian artists, giving birth to the "Tropipop" movement.

Como Tu
Carlos Vives Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tú no sabes lo que diera si me vieras y dijeras tú
Que no sabes que yo quiero que mi vida la quisieras tú
Si supieras que me gustan son las cosas que prefieres tú
Y quisiera que los hijos que tengamos fueran como tú (como tú, como tú)
Como tú la primavera
Como tú la vez primera

No hay ya nadie que quiera como tú

Mi vida entra, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera
Me perdonas si yo insisto que mi vida la quisieras tú
Que de todas la estrella que yo he visto la mas linda tú
Si supieras que me gustan son las cosas que prefieres tú
Y quisiera que los hijos que tengamos fueran como tú (como tú, como tú)
Como tú la primavera
Como tú la vez primera

No hay ya nadie que quiera como tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Si los besos fueran como tú

Y las ciudades fueran como tú
Y si las calles fueran como tú
Y si mi jefe fuera como tú
Y si mi vida fuera como tú
Y mis canciones fueran como tú
Y si la guerra fuera como tú

No habría problema todo es como tú
Como tu la primavera
Como tu la vez primera
No hay ya nadie que quiera como tú

Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
Tú, tú, tú, mi vida entera
Tú, tú, tú, mi vida entera
Tú, tú, tú,

Si las noticias fueran como tú
Y si las calles fueran como tú

Y si mi jefe fuera como tú
Y mis canciones fueran como tú

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carlos Vives's song Como Tu express the feelings of the singer towards an unrequited love interest. In the first stanza, the singer imagines what it would be like if the person they love reciprocated their feelings and wanted to be a part of their life. The person is described as having preferences that are in line with the singer's own likes and desires. The singer even goes as far as to imagine having children with this person and hoping that they would be just like the object of their affection.

Through the chorus, the singer repeats that there is no one else they want as much as this person. They imagine a world where everything is like the person they love, from the springtime to the first time they met. The singer's love is all encompassing, as they imagine that even if the news, cities, streets, boss, songs, and even wars were like the person they love, everything would be perfect.

Overall, Carlos Vives's Como Tu is a romantic and idealistic song about the power of love and the desire to have that one person who can make everything in the world seem better.

Line by Line Meaning

Tú no sabes lo que diera si me vieras y dijeras tú
I would give anything if I saw you and you said that to me

Que no sabes que yo quiero que mi vida la quisieras tú
You don't know that I want you to be the one to love my life

Si supieras que me gustan son las cosas que prefieres tú
If you knew, you'd find out I like the things that you like

Y quisiera que los hijos que tengamos fueran como tú (como tú, como tú)
I wish our children were just like you

Como tú la primavera
Just like you, the season of spring

Como tú la vez primera
Just like you, the first time

No hay ya nadie que quiera como tú
There is no one who I want like you

Mi vida entra, tú, tú, tú
You're part of my life, it's you, you, you

Mi vida entera, tú, tú, tú
My entire life, it's you, you, you

Me perdonas si yo insisto que mi vida la quisieras tú
Forgive me if I insist that you be the one to love my life

Que de todas la estrella que yo he visto la mas linda tú
You're the most beautiful star I've ever seen