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).
Especie
Gustavo Cerati Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Su vibrante luz encarnada en ilusión
Es la especie que nos une
Un salto mortal para que la vida continué
En muchas sumas de placer
Y que dure lo que dure lo real
Que dure lo que dure la ficción
Es que acaso te sorprende que sea así por siempre
Hoy la tarde esta increíble
Y quiero embellecerte mas aun
The lyrics to Gustavo Cerati's song Especie are full of metaphors and symbolism that reflect on the human experience of love and the connection between individuals. In the song, the singer talks about unexpectedly seeing someone who embodies a "vibrant red light of illusion" and how this encounter propels him to take a leap of faith into the unknown. He talks about the importance of this species that binds us together and how it brings us pleasure and adds value to our lives.
The singer conveys a desire for the real and the imaginary to endure for as long as possible, acknowledging that the beauty of love lies not only in its reality but also in the fantasies that come with it. The song reflects on the fact that love can be unpredictable, sometimes arriving unexpectedly and sometimes leading to unexpected outcomes, but how it is ultimately worth the risk. The lyrics suggest that the singer is warning themselves to guard their heart, but ultimately they cannot resist and they revel in the experience of falling in love.
Overall, Gustavo Cerati's "Especie" is a beautiful expression of the complexities of love, the joy and pleasure it brings to our lives, and the risks and vulnerability that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Sin querer la vi llegar
Without intending to, I saw her arrive
Su vibrante luz encarnada en ilusión
Her vibrant light incarnated into an illusion
Es la especie que nos une
She is the species that unites us
Un salto mortal para que la vida continué
A mortal leap for life to continue
En muchas sumas de placer
In many sums of pleasure
Y que dure lo que dure lo real
And let the real endure as long as it endures
Que dure lo que dure la ficción
Let the fiction endure as long as it endures
Es que acaso te sorprende que sea así por siempre
Is it surprising that it is so forever?
Hoy la tarde esta increíble
Today the afternoon is incredible
Y quiero embellecerte mas aun
And I want to make you even more beautiful
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gustavo Adrian Cerati
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
María Fernanda
Letras
Sin querer la vi llegar
Su vibrante luz, encarnada en ilusión
Es la especie que nos une
Un salto mortal
Para que la vida continúe
En muchas sumas de placer
Y que dure lo, que dure lo real
Y que dure lo, que dure la ficción
¿Es que acaso te sorprende,
De que sea así por siempre?
Hoy la tarde está increíble
Y quiero embellecerte más...
Aún.
Francisco Sanchez
Hoy la escuche unas 10 veces en un viaje de colectivo. Siempre que la escucho independientemente de la etapa en la que este. Me hace entender las cosas
Kirogas: Mermas Creativas y algo más
X 1000
Matt Emmánuel
Me suele pasar seguido esto mismo. Es la mejor canción
barrerarq
Para los que tienen oreja fina: Este tema no tiene coro, es un tema que va en progresión... como muchos otros que compuso Gustavo.... es una obra de arte.
Daniel Arteta
@Matias busca Amor amarillo o Avenida Alcorta, y cuenta los compases. O Lago en el cielo.
Matias
@Daniel Arteta como es eso?
Daniel Arteta
Eso sumado a los conteos impares. Casi nunca entra al contar 4, siempre son en 3 ó 5. Bastante particular
MARIO RODRÍGUEZ
Poemas hechos canciones
Angel Montoya Pantoja
Gustavo, hoy es 1 de enero del 2019, escucho esta canción y me emociono hasta los huesos porque fuiste un genio que tocó uno de los lados más sensibles de la música, desde donde estés, mi. más profundo respeto para vos
Facundo Gilardi
que temprano te fuiste, amigo mío, amigo en mis tiempos de soledad y de incertidumbre
larga vida a tu música, larga vida a tus letras y tus sonidos... serás eterno
te recuerda,
F.