Born in the "City of Palaces" (Mexico City), Eugenia Leon discovers her musical calling at the College of Sciences and Humanities in Naucalpan, where she lent her voice for the compositions of her schoolmates.
During the turbulent 70's, young people started to identify with the musical movement known as La Trova, singing about Latin American life, liberty, and soul.
Those influences defined her style and her future path, and she never looked back.
When she turned 18, she decided to study at the National School of Music. Those were hard times, constantly switching jobs, and learning from life's blows and surprises.
Encouraged by her sister, Eugenia Leon formed a musical group called "Victor Jara", with a totally Latin American folk style. Afterwards, she forms the group Sanampay, with the same roots. She left Sanampay in 1982 to pursue a solo career, based on a repertoire of songs from contemporary Mexican composers, and including also boleros and music from Brazil.
She releases her first recording in 1983, "Asi te quiero", and traveled all over Mexico with a small group of musicians playing in various gigs.
Eugenia Leon's career took a definite turn in 1985, when she entered the OTI International Festival at Seville (Spain) representing Mexico, with Marcial Alejandro's song "El Fandango Aqui". As a devastating earthquake hits Mexico City on September 19th, right while she's competing at the Festival, Eugenia transformed the pain of her people into strength, and turned her voice into the utmost expression of courage and hope. She was awarded First Place in the competition.
Since then, she has recorded more than 20 albums, all diverse and unique. Among the composers that have given her songs are Fito Paez, David Haro, Joan Manuel Serrat, Marcial Alejandro, Armando Manzanero, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Francisco Gabilondo Soler and Maria Grever. She has also explored diverse styles such as mariachi, bolero and tango. In 1998, the government of the Mexican state of Veracruz granted her the Agustin Lara award, as homage for her excellent interpretation of the songs of the famous composers.
Commemorating her 30 years as singer, Eugenia Leon staged a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico City (the largest venue in the country) on November 1st, 2003, selling it out completely. The concert was a spectacular show with Mariachi Vargas and the Orquesta Sinfonica de las Americas, enthralling the audience with samples covering Eugenia's entire career and musical repertoire.
Eugenia Leon is the best Mexican singer according to many, while others also consider Eugenia's concerts and recordings to be a guarantee of high quality. In any case, Eugenia helps to make sure that the musical spirit of Mexico will remain alive and well.
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Eugenia León got her start in the New Song Movement, Latin America's equivalent to the rise of Bob Dylan and company in North America and Europe. With a repertoire that pairs contemporary composers with the creators of the traditional music of Latin America and Mexico, Ms. León is not locked in to any one genre. Rather she seeks to nurture her music with elements of theater, cabaret, and opera. Her association with actors, poets, painters, and writers imparts a distinct and rich dimension to the production and staging of her music.
In 1985, her rich voice and assured stage presence guaranteed her the top prize at the OTI International Song Festival in Spain. Since then she has participated in other prestigious events such as the Pan Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the Kennedy Center’s AmericArtes Festival in Washington, DC, the Latin Festival in New York City, Expo Seville in Spain, and the Americas Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. Ms. León was also invited to entertain the thousands of women gathered for their global summit in Beijing, China.
Back home in Mexico, audiences know that Eugenia León's musical style transcends the trendy ups and downs of the world of commercial music, and she regularly packs the top venues of the nation meeting demands of fans expectant of quality songs passionately delivered. This performer/audience relationship, she believes, leads to ever higher levels of musical culture in a country fairly bursting with song. The end of an Eugenia León concert often finds the entire crowd on it's feet applauding, at once, the Mexican popular music culture, and the artist who has given it a new voice.
With her roots deep in Mexican culture, she has also taken on the task of reaffirming the ties with other Latin American cultures. Her recent live recording of Tangos has renewed Mexico's love affair with this genre.
Along these lines, she paid homage to Mexico's most dearly loved children's song composer, Francisco Gabilondo Soler’s Cri Cri (Mister Cricket) with a shimmering recording of many of his most frolicsome melodies. Accompanied by the Baja California Symphony Orchestra, Eugenia León has gifted a new generation of Mexican children with the imagination and identity of this joyfully playful tunesmith.
Balada para un loco
Eugenia León Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tienen ese qué sé yo, viste
Salgo de casa por Arenales
Lo de siempre
Pero atrás de ese árbol
Se aparece él
Mezcla rara
De penúltimo linyera
Y de primer polizonte
En el viaje a Venus
Medio melón en la cabeza
Las rayas de la camisa
Pintadas en la piel
Dos medias suelas
Clavadas en los pies
Y una banderita de taxi libre
Levantada en cada mano
Parece que sólo yo lo veo
Porque él pasa entre la gente
Y los maniquíes le guiñan
Los semáforos
Le dan tres luces celestes
Y las naranjas del frutero
De la esquina le tiran azahares
Y así medio bailando
Medio volando
Se saca el melón, me saluda
Me regala una banderita
Y me dice
Ya sé que estoy piantao
Piantao, piantao
No ves que va la luna
Rodando por callao
Que un corso de astronautas
Y niños con un vals
Me baila alrededor
Bailá, vení, volá
Ya sé que estoy piantao
Piantao, piantao
Yo miro a Buenos Aires
Del nido de un gorrión
Y a vos te vi tan triste
Vení, volá, sentí
El loco berretín
Que tengo para vos
Loco, loco, loco
Cuando anochezca
En su porteña soledad
Por la ribera de tu sábana vendré
Con un poema y un trombón
A desvelarte el corazón
Loco, loco, loco
Como un acróbata demente
Saltaré
Sobre el abismo
De tu escote hasta sentir
Que enloquecí tu corazón
De libertad
Ya vas a ver
Y así diciendo
El loco me convida a andar
En su ilusión supersport
Y vamos a correr por las cornisas
Con una golondrina
En el motor
Del manicomio nos aplauden
Viva, viva los locos
Que inventaron el amor
Y un ángel y un soldado
Y una niña
Nos dan un valsecito bailador
Nos sale a saludar
La gente linda
Y el loco, loco mío
Qué sé yo
Provoca campanarios con su risa
Y al fin me mira
Y canta a media voz
Quéreme así
Piantao, piantao, piantao
Trépate a esta ternura de locos
Que hay en mí
Pónete esta peluca de alondras
Y volá, volá conmigo ya
Vení, volá, vení
Quéreme así piantao
Piantao, piantao
Abrite los amores
Que vamos a intentar
La mágica locura
Total de revivir
Vení, volá, vení
Trai rara rarará
Viva, viva, viva
Loco él y loca yo
Locos, locos, todos locos
Loco él y loca yo
The lyrics of Eugenia León's "Balada para un loco" depict the singer's encounter with a peculiar and eccentric man in the streets of Buenos Aires. The song begins by setting the scene of the city, with the singer going about their usual routine. However, behind a tree, the man suddenly appears. Described as a mix of a homeless wanderer and a curious adventurer, he wears a melon on his head, with stripes of a shirt painted on his skin. He also has two half-soles nailed to his feet and waves taxi flags in both hands.
The man seems to be invisible to everyone except the singer, as the mannequins in the stores wink at him and the traffic lights give him three celestial lights. The oranges from the nearby fruit vendor even throw petals at him. The man dances and floats around, greeting the singer and giving them a taxi flag as a gift. He then confesses his own madness, expressing that he knows he is "piantao," crazy. He mentions seeing the moon roll down Callao street, a carnival of astronauts and children dancing a waltz. The singer is urged to join in the madness, to dance and fly along with him.
Throughout the song, there is an underlying theme of embracing madness and liberating oneself from societal norms. The man represents freedom, living outside the constraints of a mundane existence. He invites the singer to enter his whimsical world, to experience the joy and abandon that can be found in being "piantao."
Line by Line Meaning
Las tardecitas de Buenos Aires
The afternoons in Buenos Aires
Tienen ese qué sé yo, viste
Have that something, you know
Salgo de casa por Arenales
I leave my house through Arenales
Lo de siempre
The usual
En la calle y en mí
In the street and in myself
Pero atrás de ese árbol
But behind that tree
Se aparece él
He appears
Mezcla rara
Strange mixture
De penúltimo linyera
Of second-to-last vagabond
Y de primer polizonte
And of first stowaway
En el viaje a Venus
On the trip to Venus
Medio melón en la cabeza
Half a melon on his head
Las rayas de la camisa
The stripes on his shirt
Pintadas en la piel
Painted on his skin
Dos medias suelas
Two half soles
Clavadas en los pies
Stuck in his feet
Y una banderita de taxi libre
And a flag of a free taxi
Levantada en cada mano
Raised in each hand
Parece que sólo yo lo veo
It seems that only I can see him
Porque él pasa entre la gente
Because he passes through the people
Y los maniquíes le guiñan
And the mannequins wink at him
Los semáforos
The traffic lights
Le dan tres luces celestes
Give him three celestial lights
Y las naranjas del frutero
And the oranges from the fruit vendor
De la esquina le tiran azahares
Throw him orange blossoms from the corner
Y así medio bailando
And so half dancing
Medio volando
Half flying
Se saca el melón, me saluda
Takes off the melon, greets me
Me regala una banderita
Gives me a little flag
Y me dice
And says to me
Ya sé que estoy piantao
I know I'm crazy
Piantao, piantao
Crazy, crazy
No ves que va la luna
Don't you see that the moon goes
Rodando por Callao
Rolling through Callao
Que un corso de astronautas
That a carnival of astronauts
Y niños con un vals
And children with a waltz
Me baila alrededor
Dance around me
Bailá, vení, volá
Dance, come, fly
Ya sé que estoy piantao
I know I'm crazy
Piantao, piantao
Crazy, crazy
Yo miro a Buenos Aires
I look at Buenos Aires
Del nido de un gorrión
From the nest of a sparrow
Y a vos te vi tan triste
And I saw you so sad
Vení, volá, sentí
Come, fly, feel
El loco berretín
The crazy infatuation
Que tengo para vos
I have for you
Loco, loco, loco
Crazy, crazy, crazy
Cuando anochezca
When it gets dark
En su porteña soledad
In its Buenos Aires solitude
Por la ribera de tu sábana vendré
I will come along the shore of your sheet
Con un poema y un trombón
With a poem and a trombone
A desvelarte el corazón
To reveal your heart
Loco, loco, loco
Crazy, crazy, crazy
Como un acróbata demente
Like a crazy acrobat
Saltaré
I will jump
Sobre el abismo
Over the abyss
De tu escote hasta sentir
From your neckline until I feel
Que enloquecí tu corazón
That I drove your heart crazy
De libertad
With freedom
Ya vas a ver
You'll see
Y así diciendo
And saying this
El loco me convida a andar
The crazy man invites me to walk
En su ilusión supersport
In his supersport illusion
Y vamos a correr por las cornisas
And we will run along the cornices
Con una golondrina
With a swallow
En el motor
In the engine
Del manicomio nos aplauden
From the insane asylum, they applaud us
Viva, viva los locos
Long live the crazy ones
Que inventaron el amor
Who invented love
Y un ángel y un soldado
And an angel and a soldier
Y una niña
And a girl
Nos dan un valsecito bailador
They give us a dancing waltz
Nos sale a saludar
The beautiful people come out to greet us
La gente linda
The beautiful people
Y el loco, loco mío
And my crazy, crazy one
Qué sé yo
What do I know
Provoca campanarios con su risa
Provokes bells with his laughter
Y al fin me mira
And finally looks at me
Y canta a media voz
And sings in a low voice
Quéreme así
Love me like this
Piantao, piantao, piantao
Crazy, crazy, crazy
Trépate a esta ternura de locos
Climb onto this crazy tenderness
Que hay en mí
That is within me
Pónete esta peluca de alondras
Put on this wig of larks
Y volá, volá conmigo ya
And fly, fly with me now
Vení, volá, vení
Come, fly, come
Quéreme así piantao
Love me like this, crazy
Piantao, piantao
Crazy, crazy
Abrite los amores
Open up to love
Que vamos a intentar
That we are going to try
La mágica locura
The magical madness
Total de revivir
Of completely reviving
Vení, volá, vení
Come, fly, come
Trai rara rarará
Bring rara rarará
Viva, viva, viva
Long live, long live, long live
Loco él y loca yo
Crazy he and crazy me
Locos, locos, todos locos
Crazy, crazy, all crazy
Loco él y loca yo
Crazy he and crazy me
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Horacio Ferrer, Astor Pantaleon Piazzolla
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@i1y9p5m9
Afortunadamente, en gustos se rompen géneros... A mi en lo particular me encanta la manera en que Eugenia interpreta los tangos! Ella tiene una voz grandiosa y una sensibilidad extraordinaria... desde canciones infantiles hasta tangos ... sin duda una de las mejores voces de America...
@alexrosalessandoval4301
Con Eugenia León conocí estás interpretaciones, tienen voz, interpreta magistralmente y todo el CD de tangos en vivo es un agasajo, siempre me sorprendió los géneros que canta , trata de recuperar el cancionero popular latinoamericano.
@MercamorfosisVIDEO
Una interpretación magistral. Llloré de escucharla. En verdad el sentimiento que imprime Eugenia es incomparable para ésta canción.
@johanarodriguez1268
tienen razon, esta version es para nosotros los mexicanos, y cuando a los argentinos les toque interpretar una ranchera sera para su gusto. eugenia lo hizo digna y bellamente
@justcallmeangel2805
Yo soy argentina y prefiero a Eugenia que a Amelita o a la gata Varela. Es sublime.
@daylupano8703
Jamás me canso de escucharla mejor interpretación imposible.
Nose el porque pero todas las veses que e escuchado esta obra de arte algo muy dentro de mi me toca el corazón.
@alexravielaacevedo
Impresionante... dueños del mismísimo sentimiento, todos y cada uno de los participantes. Felicidades por un excelente material... Señora León!! Nunca mejor destinado el apellido!!!!
@josemarcelo1375
Que canción...volemos
@rodherscher7155
Beautiful....powerful song.....
@edengirl17
SImplemente GENIAL