Gaby Moreno (born María Gabriela Moreno Bonilla on 16 December 1981 in Guat… Read Full Bio ↴Gaby Moreno (born María Gabriela Moreno Bonilla on 16 December 1981 in Guatemala City, Guatemala) is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her music ranges from blues, jazz, soul, to R&B. Moreno sings both in English and Spanish.
Moreno’s album, Illustrated Songs, continues her love affair with the sounds of the blues, soul and jazz that captivated her as a girl. Although she was born and raised in Guatemala, it was the sounds of the American South that inspired her to become a songwriter and recording artist. “I heard an African American woman singing on the street in New York City when I was younger. I just froze. When I asked her what she called that music, she looked at me and said, ‘That’s the blues, honey.’”
As Moreno devoured albums by Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, she discovered an affinity for the vintage African American sounds of the 20s, 30s and 40s. She combined them with the sound of the Latin music she loved from the same era to create the 12 tunes on Illustrated Songs. Her affection for old fashion music is even reflected in the record’s title.
“The illustrated song is a type of visual art from the vaudeville era of the 20s,” Moreno explains. “You could consider it an early kind of video. They’d project still images from glass slides on a screen and have live musicians playing to accompany the pictures. Since this album was inspired by the music of the 20s and 30s, the title went well with the mood of the record. Every song is in its own little world.”
Moreno co-produced Illustrated Songs with engineer Ryan Freeland (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips, Ray LaMontagne). The album was cut live, in four days, with her regular rhythm section; Sebastian Aymanns on drums, bassist Leslie Lowe and Moreno herself on guitar, complimented by a string, horn and woodwind section arranged and conducted by Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips) as well as guest musicians Patrick Warren, Larry Goldings, Greg Leisz, Bob Mintzer, David Piltch and Mark Goldenberg.
Illustrated Songs includes tunes in Spanish and English. Moreno’s supple vocals are both soulful and elegant, casting an inviting spell that’s midway between innocence and experience. The album opens with “Intento,” a meditation on love’s uncertainty set to a laid back, vaguely Latin pop rhythm. Patrick Warren’s serene piano compliments Moreno’s wistful vocal. “I found a poem in a journal I wrote when I was 17,” Moreno says. “It fit a melody I had that I couldn’t find any words for. I don’t usually work that way, but it was a perfect fit.”
“Ave que Emigra,” was inspired partly by Gaby’s own experience migrating to the USA as well as the Arizona's anti-immigration stance. Its Latinized Bo Biddley beat supports a rocking, mostly acoustic performance, marked by tasty mandolin fills, Lowe’s syncopated bass line and Moreno’s playful vibrato. “Mean Old Circus” has an ominous feel, intensified by a dark arrangement that veers from a verse using calliope/oran, sinister accordions and Celeste to a sprightly ragtime chorus. Moreno gets in touch with her inner Aretha on “Sing Me Life,” one of the album’s most soulful tracks. The arrangement tips its hat to the ‘60s sound of Stax/Volt with Golding’s big Hammond B3, Greg Leisz’s tough distorted guitar and Moreno’s strong, dynamic vocal.
Bob Mintzer’s baritone clarinet sets the melancholy tone for “Garrick,” a tune based on “Reir Llorando (Laughing Crying),” a poem by Juan De Dios Peza, that Moreno loved as a girl. “Everybody says go see Garrick if you’re depressed. He’s a comedian with an otherworldly aura and he’ll cure you. In the last verse, a doctor tells a man that if reading a good book, or loving a woman, can’t light his spirits, he should go see Garrick. The patient says, ‘I am Garrick. Change my prescription.’ This is my version of the story.” The jazzy big band arrangement brings to mind the hits of Cab Calloway, with Moreno crooning the cheerless lyric with an insouciant nonchalance.
Other stand out tracks include “No Regrets,” a bossa nova sung in Spanish and English, driven by the acoustic bass of David Piltch and Moreno’s mischievous vocal; “Fin” a tropical groove that blends a 50s country waltz with Hawaiian lap steel, mariachi guitars and a sassy vocal from Moreno, Y Tu Sombra” a ballad accented by Aymanns’ subtle percussion accents and the smoky cabaret number “Daydream By Design,” a bright and breezy performance that shows off Moreno’s excellent phrasing and Golding’s sprightly piano work.
The inventive orchestrations of Illustrated Songs highlight Moreno’s remarkable growth as a singer and songwriter. “I wanted to push myself this time and explore all the colors I hear in the music. Edith Piaf, The Boswell Sisters, classic boleros and Trio Los Panchos got into my brain and transported me to another era. I tapped into that when I was composing these songs”
Gaby Moreno was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Her family wasn’t particularly musical, but Moreno was singing before she could talk. “When I was 2 years old, my mom would take me to parties,” Moreno recalls. “I’d get up on a table and say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Gaby Moreno will now sing for you!’ I was not shy at all. When I was five, I was singing along to a classical piece and she heard I had perfect pitch. She took me to voice lessons; I never stopped.
Moreno continued performing at festivals, mostly Disney and Broadway tunes. She also listened to Latin pop music on the radio until a fateful trip to New York City. “I like musicals, so my parents took me to see Les Miserables. After I heard an African-American woman singing on the street, I went to the nearest record store, saw they had a blues aisle and bought a bunch of CDs: The first song I put on back home was Koko Taylor’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle.’
The blues overtook Moreno’s life. She studied hard and discovered early jazz, torch songs, soul, R&B and artists like The Boswell Sisters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as the classic Mexican sounds of Trio Los Panchos. “I learned English from blues records. I’d read the lyrics, then go to my dictionary. In school, we had basic English, but the records made me interested in learning it and singing it.”
The sax was the first instrument that spoke to Moreno, but when her mother bought her a guitar, she was captivated. “As soon as I knew a couple of chords, I started writing songs. I wanted to play the blues.
As soon as she was out of high school, Moreno came to the U.S. and enrolled at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. “I met my drummer Sebastian as well as my bass player Leslie there. Living in Los Angeles, surrounded by different musician friends, I discovered the classic rock of the Kinks, Zombies and Harry Nilsson.”
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall. That success gave her the confidence to produce her debut album, Still The Unknown. The album was played on KCRW and NPR, getting excellent reviews praising its sparse, elegant sound and Moreno’s quietly soulful vocals. The record’s success led to opening slots on tours with Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco. In 2010, an instrumental piece Moreno wrote with musician friend Vincent Jones was selected as the theme for the new NBC show Parks and Recreation. The theme earned an Emmy Nomination. Moreno’s tunes were also used on E!’s Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Lincoln Heights and Ghost Whisperer on ABC and MTV’s The Hills.
In the summer of 2010, Moreno played the Roskilde Festival in Denmark with singer/composer Van Dyke Parks, performing traditional Latin American songs mixed with Calypso and Americana music.
Moreno’s album, Illustrated Songs, continues her love affair with the sounds of the blues, soul and jazz that captivated her as a girl. Although she was born and raised in Guatemala, it was the sounds of the American South that inspired her to become a songwriter and recording artist. “I heard an African American woman singing on the street in New York City when I was younger. I just froze. When I asked her what she called that music, she looked at me and said, ‘That’s the blues, honey.’”
As Moreno devoured albums by Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, she discovered an affinity for the vintage African American sounds of the 20s, 30s and 40s. She combined them with the sound of the Latin music she loved from the same era to create the 12 tunes on Illustrated Songs. Her affection for old fashion music is even reflected in the record’s title.
“The illustrated song is a type of visual art from the vaudeville era of the 20s,” Moreno explains. “You could consider it an early kind of video. They’d project still images from glass slides on a screen and have live musicians playing to accompany the pictures. Since this album was inspired by the music of the 20s and 30s, the title went well with the mood of the record. Every song is in its own little world.”
Moreno co-produced Illustrated Songs with engineer Ryan Freeland (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips, Ray LaMontagne). The album was cut live, in four days, with her regular rhythm section; Sebastian Aymanns on drums, bassist Leslie Lowe and Moreno herself on guitar, complimented by a string, horn and woodwind section arranged and conducted by Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips) as well as guest musicians Patrick Warren, Larry Goldings, Greg Leisz, Bob Mintzer, David Piltch and Mark Goldenberg.
Illustrated Songs includes tunes in Spanish and English. Moreno’s supple vocals are both soulful and elegant, casting an inviting spell that’s midway between innocence and experience. The album opens with “Intento,” a meditation on love’s uncertainty set to a laid back, vaguely Latin pop rhythm. Patrick Warren’s serene piano compliments Moreno’s wistful vocal. “I found a poem in a journal I wrote when I was 17,” Moreno says. “It fit a melody I had that I couldn’t find any words for. I don’t usually work that way, but it was a perfect fit.”
“Ave que Emigra,” was inspired partly by Gaby’s own experience migrating to the USA as well as the Arizona's anti-immigration stance. Its Latinized Bo Biddley beat supports a rocking, mostly acoustic performance, marked by tasty mandolin fills, Lowe’s syncopated bass line and Moreno’s playful vibrato. “Mean Old Circus” has an ominous feel, intensified by a dark arrangement that veers from a verse using calliope/oran, sinister accordions and Celeste to a sprightly ragtime chorus. Moreno gets in touch with her inner Aretha on “Sing Me Life,” one of the album’s most soulful tracks. The arrangement tips its hat to the ‘60s sound of Stax/Volt with Golding’s big Hammond B3, Greg Leisz’s tough distorted guitar and Moreno’s strong, dynamic vocal.
Bob Mintzer’s baritone clarinet sets the melancholy tone for “Garrick,” a tune based on “Reir Llorando (Laughing Crying),” a poem by Juan De Dios Peza, that Moreno loved as a girl. “Everybody says go see Garrick if you’re depressed. He’s a comedian with an otherworldly aura and he’ll cure you. In the last verse, a doctor tells a man that if reading a good book, or loving a woman, can’t light his spirits, he should go see Garrick. The patient says, ‘I am Garrick. Change my prescription.’ This is my version of the story.” The jazzy big band arrangement brings to mind the hits of Cab Calloway, with Moreno crooning the cheerless lyric with an insouciant nonchalance.
Other stand out tracks include “No Regrets,” a bossa nova sung in Spanish and English, driven by the acoustic bass of David Piltch and Moreno’s mischievous vocal; “Fin” a tropical groove that blends a 50s country waltz with Hawaiian lap steel, mariachi guitars and a sassy vocal from Moreno, Y Tu Sombra” a ballad accented by Aymanns’ subtle percussion accents and the smoky cabaret number “Daydream By Design,” a bright and breezy performance that shows off Moreno’s excellent phrasing and Golding’s sprightly piano work.
The inventive orchestrations of Illustrated Songs highlight Moreno’s remarkable growth as a singer and songwriter. “I wanted to push myself this time and explore all the colors I hear in the music. Edith Piaf, The Boswell Sisters, classic boleros and Trio Los Panchos got into my brain and transported me to another era. I tapped into that when I was composing these songs”
Gaby Moreno was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Her family wasn’t particularly musical, but Moreno was singing before she could talk. “When I was 2 years old, my mom would take me to parties,” Moreno recalls. “I’d get up on a table and say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Gaby Moreno will now sing for you!’ I was not shy at all. When I was five, I was singing along to a classical piece and she heard I had perfect pitch. She took me to voice lessons; I never stopped.
Moreno continued performing at festivals, mostly Disney and Broadway tunes. She also listened to Latin pop music on the radio until a fateful trip to New York City. “I like musicals, so my parents took me to see Les Miserables. After I heard an African-American woman singing on the street, I went to the nearest record store, saw they had a blues aisle and bought a bunch of CDs: The first song I put on back home was Koko Taylor’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle.’
The blues overtook Moreno’s life. She studied hard and discovered early jazz, torch songs, soul, R&B and artists like The Boswell Sisters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as the classic Mexican sounds of Trio Los Panchos. “I learned English from blues records. I’d read the lyrics, then go to my dictionary. In school, we had basic English, but the records made me interested in learning it and singing it.”
The sax was the first instrument that spoke to Moreno, but when her mother bought her a guitar, she was captivated. “As soon as I knew a couple of chords, I started writing songs. I wanted to play the blues.
As soon as she was out of high school, Moreno came to the U.S. and enrolled at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. “I met my drummer Sebastian as well as my bass player Leslie there. Living in Los Angeles, surrounded by different musician friends, I discovered the classic rock of the Kinks, Zombies and Harry Nilsson.”
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall. That success gave her the confidence to produce her debut album, Still The Unknown. The album was played on KCRW and NPR, getting excellent reviews praising its sparse, elegant sound and Moreno’s quietly soulful vocals. The record’s success led to opening slots on tours with Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco. In 2010, an instrumental piece Moreno wrote with musician friend Vincent Jones was selected as the theme for the new NBC show Parks and Recreation. The theme earned an Emmy Nomination. Moreno’s tunes were also used on E!’s Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Lincoln Heights and Ghost Whisperer on ABC and MTV’s The Hills.
In the summer of 2010, Moreno played the Roskilde Festival in Denmark with singer/composer Van Dyke Parks, performing traditional Latin American songs mixed with Calypso and Americana music.
fin
Gaby Moreno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No hubo nada que decir
Andaba solo por ahí
La lluvia no ha dejado ni un rastro de tí
En esta noche yo perdí
Limpiar mi brazos intenté
Con lo que tanto le abracé
Borrar la historia y acabarla de una vez
En esta noche la enterré
Ya no importa lo que fui
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
Doy mi espalda a ese ayer
Y en esta noche empezaré
Su amor fue una dura lección
Y esque aqui adentro duele esa ilusión
Sobran dudas que hoy no quiero entender
Por esta noche así me iré
Ya no importa lo que fui
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
Doy la espalda a ese ayer
Y en esta noche empezaré
Andaba solo por ahí
La lluvia no ha dejado ni un rastro de tí
En esta noche yo perdí
Limpiar mi brazos intenté
Con lo que tanto le abracé
Borrar la historia y acabarla de una vez
Ya no importa lo que fui
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
Doy mi espalda a ese ayer
Y en esta noche empezaré
Su amor fue una dura lección
Y esque aqui adentro duele esa ilusión
Sobran dudas que hoy no quiero entender
Por esta noche así me iré
Ya no importa lo que fui
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
Doy la espalda a ese ayer
Y en esta noche empezaré
The lyrics of Gaby Moreno's song Fin deal with the end of a relationship and the emotional turmoil that comes with it. The singer of the song finds themselves alone on a rainy night, trying to come to terms with the fact that their lover is no longer with them. They try to wipe away the memories of their lost love, but the pain is still there, a reminder of a lesson learned.
As the song progresses, the singer realizes that it is time to let go of the past and move on. They acknowledge that all good things must come to an end and decide to start anew. The love they once shared was a harsh lesson, but they are ready to leave it behind and begin a new chapter in their life.
The lyrics of Fin are deeply personal, yet relatable to anyone who has gone through a breakup. The slow tempo and melancholic melody reflect the sadness and somberness of the situation, making it a perfect song to listen to in moments of reflection and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
No hubo nada que decir
There was nothing left to say.
Andaba solo por ahí
I was walking alone around.
La lluvia no ha dejado ni un rastro de tí
The rain has not left a trace of you.
En esta noche yo perdí
Tonight I lost.
Limpiar mi brazos intenté
I tried to clean my arms.
Con lo que tanto le abracé
With what I hugged so much.
Borrar la historia y acabarla de una vez
Erase the story and end it once and for all.
En esta noche la enterré
I buried it tonight.
Ya no importa lo que fui
It doesn't matter what I was.
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
All good things come to an end.
Doy mi espalda a ese ayer
I turn my back on yesterday.
Y en esta noche empezaré
And tonight I will begin.
Su amor fue una dura lección
Their love was a harsh lesson.
Y es que aquí adentro duele esa ilusión
And inside, that illusion hurts.
Sobran dudas que hoy no quiero entender
There are doubts that I don't want to understand today.
Por esta noche así me iré
So tonight I will leave like this.
Ya no importa lo que fui
It doesn't matter what I was.
Todo lo bueno tiene un fin
All good things come to an end.
Doy la espalda a ese ayer
I turn my back on yesterday.
Y en esta noche empezaré
And tonight I will begin.
Contributed by James O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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