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.
Uno
Eugenia León Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
El camino que los sueños
Prometieron a sus ansias
Sabe que la lucha es cruel y es mucha
Por la fe que lo empecina
Uno va arrastrándose entre espinas
Y en su afán de dar su amor
Sufre y se destroza hasta entender
Que uno se quedó sin corazón
Precio de castigo que uno entrega
Por un beso que no llega
A un amor que lo engañó
Vacío ya de amar y de llorar tanta traición
Si yo tuviera el corazón
El corazón que di
Si yo pudiera como ayer
Querer sin presentir
Es posible que a tus ojos
Que me gritan tu cariño
Los cerrara con mis besos
Sin pensar que eran como esos
Otros ojos los perversos
Los que hundieron mi vivir
Si yo tuviera el corazón
El mismo que perdí
Si olvidara a la que ayer lo destrozó
Y pudiera amarte
Me abrazaría a tu ilusión
Para llorar tu amor
Pero Dios te trajo a mi destino
Sin pensar que ya es muy tarde
Y no sabré cómo quererte
Déjame que llore
Como aquél que sufre en vida la tortura
De llorar su propia muerte
Pura como sos habrías salvado
Mi esperanza con tu amor
Uno está tan solo en su dolor
Uno está tan ciego en su penar
Pero un frío cruel
Que es peor que el odio
Punto muerto de las almas
Tumba horrenda de mi amor
Maldijo para siempre
Y me robó toda ilusión
These lyrics, from Eugenia León's song "Uno," convey a profound sense of longing, heartbreak, and the struggle to find love and fulfillment. The song speaks to the hardships one endures in the pursuit of their dreams, acknowledging that the fight can be relentless and painful. Despite the challenges, the singer remains tenacious, driven by faith and determination.
The lyrics describe a person who is crawling through a thorny path, sacrificing their well-being and tearing themselves apart in their endeavor to give love. However, they eventually realize that they have lost their own heart in the process. This loss is seen as a punishment endured in exchange for a kiss that never arrived, from a love that deceived them. The singer feels empty, having exhausted their ability to love and cry over the numerous betrayals they have endured.
In the second paragraph, the singer contemplates the possibility of love again, expressing a desire to have the same heart they once possessed. They ponder if they could love without anticipating pain, imagining what it would be like to close their eyes with their kisses and not think that those eyes might be like the deceitful ones that ruined their life. This verse reflects the cautiousness and fear that arise from past heartbreak, making it challenging to trust and fully embrace new love.
The third paragraph evokes a sense of regret and resignation. The singer acknowledges that God has brought someone into their life, but it seems too late for them to learn how to love this person. They express a desire to cry, to mourn the love they could have had if they had not been scarred by previous experiences. The lyrics depict a feeling of being trapped, suffering the torture of mourning their own emotional death, as if they were an embodiment of sorrow.
In the last paragraph, the lyrics describe the potential for salvation through love but imply that it may have arrived too late. The singer refers to this person as pure, suggesting that their love could have saved the singer's hope. However, the reality is that they are still alone in their pain, blinded by their suffering, unable to overcome the cruel and cold emptiness that exceeds even hatred. The song concludes with a realization that their longing has been cursed, stealing away all their dreams and leaving them devoid of hope.
Overall, these lyrics deeply explore the themes of struggle, heartbreak, and the lingering effects of past traumas experienced in the pursuit of love. They illustrate the challenges faced by individuals who have been hurt, showcasing the longing and consequences that can arise from such experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Uno busca lleno de esperanzas
One searches, filled with hopes and dreams
El camino que los sueños
The path to fulfill those dreams
Prometieron a sus ansias
That promised to fulfill their desires
Sabe que la lucha es cruel y es mucha
Knowing that the struggle is harsh and extensive
Pero lucha y se desangra
But still fights and bleeds
Por la fe que lo empecina
For the stubbornness of their faith
Uno va arrastrándose entre espinas
One goes, crawling among thorns
Y en su afán de dar su amor
And in their eagerness to give their love
Sufre y se destroza hasta entender
They suffer and break until they understand
Que uno se quedó sin corazón
That they are left without a heart
Precio de castigo que uno entrega
The price of punishment that one gives
Por un beso que no llega
For a kiss that never arrives
A un amor que lo engañó
To a love that deceived them
Vacío ya de amar y de llorar tanta traición
Empty of love and of crying for so much betrayal
Si yo tuviera el corazón
If I had the heart
El corazón que di
The heart that I gave
Si yo pudiera como ayer
If I could, like yesterday
Querer sin presentir
Love without anticipating
Es posible que a tus ojos
It is possible that to your eyes
Que me gritan tu cariño
That shout your love to me
Los cerrara con mis besos
I would close them with my kisses
Sin pensar que eran como esos
Without thinking that they were like those
Otros ojos los perversos
Other deceitful eyes
Los que hundieron mi vivir
The ones that sunk my existence
Si yo tuviera el corazón
If I had the heart
El mismo que perdí
The same one that I lost
Si olvidara a la que ayer lo destrozó
If I forgot the one who shattered it yesterday
Y pudiera amarte
And could love you
Me abrazaría a tu ilusión
I would embrace your illusion
Para llorar tu amor
To cry for your love
Pero Dios te trajo a mi destino
But God brought you into my destiny
Sin pensar que ya es muy tarde
Without thinking that it's already too late
Y no sabré cómo quererte
And I won't know how to love you
Déjame que llore
Let me cry
Como aquél que sufre en vida la tortura
Like the one who suffers the torture in life
De llorar su propia muerte
Of crying for their own death
Pura como sos habrías salvado
Pure as you are, you would have saved
Mi esperanza con tu amor
My hope with your love
Uno está tan solo en su dolor
One is so alone in their pain
Uno está tan ciego en su penar
One is so blind in their sorrow
Pero un frío cruel
But a cruel coldness
Que es peor que el odio
That is worse than hatred
Punto muerto de las almas
Dead end of the souls
Tumba horrenda de mi amor
Horrendous tomb of my love
Maldijo para siempre
Cursed forever
Y me robó toda ilusión
And stole all my illusions
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Enrique Discepolo, Mariano Mores
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind