Cerati was in a coma for over four years, after suffering a stroke on May 15, 2010, right at the end of a show in Caracas - Venezuela, on the final leg of his Fuerza Natural tour. The situation -which ocurred backstage at the dressing room- was quickly reported by news agencies and via tweets. After a period of intensive care hospitalization in Caracas, he was flown on a private ambulance-jet to Buenos Aires where he spent the next 4 years in an induced coma. He passed away in a local hospital due to respiratory failure. The news on September 4th, 2014 shook the rock community worldwide.
Cerati was widely acknowledged for his lead and rhythm guitar talents -and for his ability to play solos while singing at the same time in perfect key, as well as for the lyrical content of his songwriting, all of which helped to consolidate him as one of the most prolific and important rock musicians in the continent.
Cerati founded Soda Stereo in 1982 with bassist Zeta Bosio. Drummer Charly Alberti joined them shortly after. The band released its first album in August 1984 and dissolved in late 1997.
Cerati's first main venture away from Soda Stereo (apart from creating the band Fricción in 1985) with Richard Coleman and drummer Fernando Samalea, was the album Colores Santos in 1992: an experimental project in collaboration with musician Daniel Melero, that anticipated the sonic experimentation of Soda Stereo's late 1992 album, Dynamo.
He released his first full solo effort Amor Amarillo in 1993, while still a member of Soda. Zeta Bosio and then-wife Cecilia Amenábar collaborated on the project. The album featured more introspective lyrics, a fair amount of electronic experimentation and was well received by both the critics and the public. He then returned to Soda Stereo releasing Zona de Promesas, (a compilation album of remixes which contained the eponymous track as an opener). Zona de Promesas is an intimate and delicate song that focuses on the relationship he had with his mother (Lilian Clark). The albums Sueño Stereo and Comfort y Música Para Volar (MTV Unplugged) followed. Shortly after the band decided to split and launched a farewell tour in late 1997. After the farewell tour, Cerati embarked in a couple of projects that dealt exclusively with electronic music. He formed the group Plan V together with Chilean musicians Andrés Bucci, Guillermo Ugarte and Christian Powditch, and shortly after the duo Ocio with Flavio Etcheto also known as Flavius.
His second solo album Bocanada was released in 1999. The record embraced both the style that made Soda Stereo famous, and a newer style reminiscent of his electronic projects.
In 2001, Cerati wrote the soundtrack for the movie + Bien directed by Eduardo Capilla, in which he also stars and marked his acting debut. Another soundtrack he produced was for the movie "Solo Por Hoy". That same year he recorded 11 Episodios Sinfónicos, -a live recording of him singing accompanied by The Buenos Aires Symphonic Orchestra, directed by Alejandro Terán, a veteran from La Portuaria, who also is proficient in Classical music direction and conduction.
Siempre Es Hoy was released in 2002, and showcased a new perspective on his music and sound. A mixture of electronica, and electric rock sounds, Siempre Es Hoy is the longest running LP (timewise) in his solo career. Containing seventeen tracks and over one hour and ten minutes of running play time, the album was widely acclaimed. Reversiones was released a year later in 2003, and complied remixes from the Siempre Es Hoy album by various artists from Mexico, Argentina, Germany, etc.
Ahí Vamos (2006) was considered a return to his more classic rock style as it contains heavier sounds and a much wider guitar/drums presence. Many consider this album -along with Amor Amarillo, his finest solo efforts.
Despite stating previously that the Grammy Awards were of little importance to him, he attended the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony on November 2, 2006 where he was awarded in the Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song, categories.
In 2007, Cerati toured for one last time with Soda Stereo for a massive reunion tour, that took them all across Latin America and the United States.
Cerati produced albums for several artists, most notably "Sueños en Transito" for Nicole and "Mar" for Leo Garcia. He was major sponsor and collaborator in the development and acknowledgement of Babasónicos. He also contributed on several albums for other relevant Argentinean and Latin American artists such as Fricción -which he co-founded, Caifanes from Mexico, and Shakira from Colombia. On July 7, 2007 he performed with her at Live Earth, in Germany. He also joined forces with other prominent musicians as The Police's guitarist Andy Summers for a Spanish version of "Bring On The Night" / "Tráeme La Noche", and with Roger Waters from Pink Floyd on a yet unreleased song they recorded in 2008. He performed live alongside other prominent Argentinean musicians including Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly García, Andrés Calamaro, Mercedes Sosa and many others.
Gustavo Cerati's last studio album Fuerza Natural won the Best Rock Album award and Best Rock Song award for Déjà Vu during the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards. It also received the award for best packaging and design at the same event. The album's lyrics and rock sound which at times is reminiscent of the Beatles' psychedelic period, showcased a very hopeful Cerati, with mystical and illuminated lyrics that spoke of his hopes for both the present and the future. Paradoxically, it was during the last leg of the tour that supported the album that Cerati suffered the stroke that put him in a coma.
Cerati leaves behind his mother Lilian Clarke, his daughter Lisa Cerati and younger son Benito Cerati who is also a musician and has a project called Zero Kill. Cecilia Amenábar, Cerati's ex-wife is their mother.
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Discography:
* Amor Amarillo (1993)
* Bocanada (1999)
* + Bien (2001)
* 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (2001)
* Siempre Es Hoy (2002)
* Reversiones (2003)
* Ahí Vamos (2006)
* Fuerza Natural (2009)
As Cerati / Melero (with keyboardist Daniel Melero)
* Colores Santos (1992)
Other Projects:
* Sólo Por Hoy (Soundtrack) (2000)
* Canciones Elegidas 93-04 (DVD compilation) (2004)
Plan V
* Plan V (1996)
* Plan V/Black Dog (1998)
Ocio
* Medida Universal (1999)
* Insular (2000)
Roken
* DJ / Electronica touring project with Leandro Fresco and Flavio Etcheto (1999-2001).
Caravana
Gustavo Cerati Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ya puedo adivinar tu ausencia
Solo hay espacio entre los dos
Lo decidiste antes que yo
La caravana de miradas
Se lleva algo de mi esencia
Estoy cercado por la ciencia
Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver
El diablo no es más que un ángel
Con ansias de poder
Acabemos con la sensación
La jaula siempre estuvo abierta
Pacto que el viento se llevó
Lo que resista te lo doy
La caravana de miradas
Se lleva algo de mi esencia
Estoy cercado por la ciencia
Y nadie me verá mañana
Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver
El diablo no es más que un ángel con ansias de poder
Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver
El diablo no es más que un ángel con ansias de poder
Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver
El diablo no es más que un ángel con ansias de poder
In Gustavo Cerati's song Caravana, the singer is struggling with a sense of disconnection from someone they care about. The opening lines, "Dime nena qué nos toca hoy / Ya puedo adivinar tu ausencia" (Tell me, baby, what's on for today / I can already guess your absence), reveal a sense of resignation to the fact that there is distance and disconnect between these two individuals. The repetition of the phrase "La caravana de miradas" (The caravan of looks/gazes) underscores this theme of disconnection, as the singer feels like they are just another face in a crowd of people who do not see them fully. This is reinforced by the lyric "Estoy cercado por la ciencia / Y nadie me verá mañana" (I am surrounded by science / And no one will see me tomorrow), which suggests an overpowering sense of anonymity and invisibility.
Despite this sense of disconnection, there is also a call to action in the song, as the lyrics urge the listener to "acabemos con la sensación" (end the feeling). The singer seems to be saying that they will not be defined by their sense of disconnection, and that they are ready to take action to change their situation. This is echoed in the line "Pacto que el viento se llevó / Lo que resista te lo doy" (Pact that the wind carried away / I'll give you what resists), which suggests a willingness to let go of what is holding them back in order to move forward.
One of the most striking features of Caravana is its use of repetition. The phrase "La caravana de miradas" appears several times throughout the song, as does the refrain "Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver / El diablo no es más que un ángel con ansias de poder" (We must close our eyes to see / The devil is nothing more than an angel with a lust for power). This repetition creates a sense of urgency and intensity, and reinforces the message that the singer is determined to break free from their sense of disconnection and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Dime nena qué nos toca hoy
Asking what the plan is today.
Ya puedo adivinar tu ausencia
Already feeling the void you’ve left.
Solo hay espacio entre los dos
There's only distance between the two of us.
Lo decidiste antes que yo
You made the decision before I did.
La caravana de miradas
The caravan of glances.
Se lleva algo de mi esencia
Taking a part of my essence away.
Estoy cercado por la ciencia
I'm surrounded by science.
Y nadie me verá mañana
And no one will see me tomorrow.
Hay que cerrar los ojos para poder ver
You have to close your eyes to see.
El diablo no es más que un ángel con ansias de poder
The devil is nothing more than an angel with a desire for power.
Acabemos con la sensación
Let's end this feeling.
La jaula siempre estuvo abierta
The cage was always open.
Pacto que el viento se llevó
A pact that the wind took away.
Lo que resista te lo doy
I'll give you everything that holds out.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gustavo Adrian Cerati, Ricardo Osvaldo Coleman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Ventura
on Crimen
"Crimen" es la segunda canción de mayor rotación en YOUTUBE de GUSTAVO CERATI