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.
El Gavilan
Eugenia León Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blanca flor de garambullo,
A mí me cabe el orgullo
Hermosa flor de pitaya,
Blanca flor de garambullo,
A mí me cabe el orgullo
Que adonde yo rayo, ¿quién raya?
Aunque veas que yo me vaya,
El pájaro carpintero,
Para trabajar se agacha;
De que encuentra su agujero,
Hasta el pico le retacha;
También yo soy carpintero
Cuando estoy con mi muchacha.
¡Ay!, cómo me duele el anca,
¡Ay!, cómo me aprieta el cincho.
¿Qué vas que brinco esa tranca
Para ver si del golpe me hincho?
Que habiendo tanta potranca
Sólo por la mía relincho.
Soy un gavilán del monte,
Con las alas coloradas,
A mí no me asusta el sueño,
Ni me hacen las desveladas
Platicando con mi chata,
Y aunque muera a puñaladas.
The lyrics of Eugenia León's El Gavilan are a celebration of nature and love, with a touch of masculine pride. The first stanza begins with the names of two flowers, pitaya and garambullo, which are native to Mexico. The singer takes pride in these beautiful flowers and announces that wherever he goes, no one can match him. He then declares that his heart belongs to his lover, even if they are apart.
The second stanza uses the metaphor of the woodpecker to talk about sex. The woodpecker has to bend down to get to work, just as the singer does when he's with his lover. He's proud of his "carpentry skills" in pleasing her, both sexually and emotionally.
The last stanza begins with the singer complaining about his aching hip and tight belt, but quickly switches to a proud declaration of his strength and courage. He's like a red-winged hawk that's not afraid of anything, not even death. He loves to stay up chatting with his loved one, even if it means he might die for her.
Overall, the song is a romantic ode to nature and the power of love. The singer takes pride in his own masculinity, while also showing affection for his lover and the natural world around him.
Line by Line Meaning
Hermosa flor de pitaya,
Beautiful pitaya flower,
Blanca flor de garambullo,
White garambullo flower,
A mí me cabe el orgullo
I am proud
Que adonde yo rayo, ¿quién raya?
Wherever I go, who can compete with me?
Aunque veas que yo me vaya,
Even if you see me leave,
Mi corazón es muy tuyo.
My heart belongs to you.
El pájaro carpintero,
The woodpecker,
Para trabajar se agacha;
To work, it bends over;
De que encuentra su agujero,
Once it finds its hole,
Hasta el pico le retacha;
It pecks with its beak;
También yo soy carpintero
I am also a carpenter
Cuando estoy con mi muchacha.
When I am with my girl.
¡Ay!, cómo me duele el anca,
Oh, how my hip hurts,
¡Ay!, cómo me aprieta el cincho.
Oh, how tight the cinch is on me.
¿Qué vas que brinco esa tranca
Why are you jumping over that barrier
Para ver si del golpe me hincho?
To see if I get hurt from the fall?
Que habiendo tanta potranca
With so many fillies around,
Sólo por la mía relincho.
I only neigh for mine.
Soy un gavilán del monte,
I am a hawk from the mountains,
Con las alas coloradas,
With reddish wings,
A mí no me asusta el sueño,
Sleep does not scare me,
Ni me hacen las desveladas
Nor do I fear staying awake,
Platicando con mi chata,
Talking with my girl,
Y aunque muera a puñaladas.
And even if I die from stab wounds.
Writer(s): Alejandro Marcial, Juan Rulfo
Contributed by Bailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@acirehtien
Letra de El Gavilan.
Hermosa flor de pitaya,
blanca flor de garambullo,
a mí me cabe el orgullo
que adonde yo rayo, ¿quién raya?
Aunque veas que yo me vaya,
mi corazón es muy tuyo.
El pájaro carpintero,
para trabajar se agacha;
de que encuentra su agujero,
hasta el pico le retacha ;
también yo soy carpintero
cuando estoy con mi muchacha.
¡Ay!, cómo me duele el anca ,
¡Ay!, cómo me aprieta el cincho.
¿Qué vas que brinco esa tranca
para ver si del golpe me hincho ?
Que habiendo tanta potranca
sólo por la mía relincho.
Soy un gavilán del monte,
con las alas coloradas,
a mí no me asusta el sueño,
ni me hacen las desveladas
platicando con mi chata,
y aunque muera a puñaladas.
¡Ay!, cómo me duele el anca ,
¡Ay!, cómo me aprieta el cincho.
¿Qué vas que brinco esa tranca
para ver si del golpe me hincho ?
Que habiendo tanta potranca
sólo por la mía relincho.
¡Ay!, cómo me duele el anca ,
¡Ay!, cómo me aprieta el cincho.
¿Qué vas que brinco esa tranca
para ver si del golpe me hincho ?
Que habiendo tanta potranca
sólo por la mía relincho.
@1musiqholic
Que canción tan bella, efectivamente te atrapa desde los primeros acordes, de mis favoritas de Eugenia. tochtli captaste la esencia de la canción muy buen trabajo !!
@emmaruiz5793
Esta canción y tú canto tienen un no se que..
Me estremece y me hace feliz. Toda una historia.
@tochtli4666
Has escuchado "Remando despacio", "Allá en el puerto" o "Voz de mujer con ella, con Eugenia?
@adalbertoduran1
La música es de Marcial Alejandro, los versos los recopiló Juan Rulfo.
Sin duda es una hermosa canción, describe mucho del nacionalismo ya perdidó, la voz de Eugenia León es una delicia.
Gracias por el vídeo.
@Abel3M
La composición de Juan Rulfo capta muchos matices del Mexico enterrado, pero vivo, como decía Octavio Paz........nadie mejor que una voz privilegiada como la de Eugenia Leon.....sin duda la interprete mas extraordinaria que haya nacido en este país. Abel
@590509Antonio
Gracias. Bellas imágenes.
@caxcanaSI
Una voz perfecta para esta grandiosa cancion! Un verdadero regalo al oido y al espiritu...
@srgingerale9562
fantástica voz y gran musica de omar guzmán,
@educmalunavaz63
QUE VOZ Y QUE FOTOS DE LUJO GRACIAS POR EL RECUERDO
@eljicote
La música, la voz, los versos... esta canción es tan fuerte, tan profunda; cada vez que la escucho me causa una extraña sensación... Acaso quizas refleja la complejidad de la idiosincracia mexicana, que se yo. Las imagenes utilizadas para el video son perfectas.