Catalan singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat got involved in music at the age of 17, when he got his first guitar, to which he dedicates one of his earliest songs, "Una guitarra."
In early 60's the young artist participated in a pop band playing along with classmates at Barcelona's Agronomy School, doing mainly Beatles stuff and Italian 'pop-of-the-era' songs translated to Spanish.
In 1965, while singing in a radio show called Radioscope, host Salvador Escanilla helped him to get a record deal with local label Edigsa where he recorded his first EP, as well as became part of Els Setze Jutges, a group of Catalan artists aiming to promote a renaissance of Catalan culture after Spanish Franco's dictatorship and make it spread into popular classes.
Joan Manuel Serrat's first live stage performance in 1967 at the Catalan Music Palace, established definitely his name as one of the most important artists inside the 'Nova cançó' ('New Song') movement in Catalonia.
Next year, Spain originally entered Serrat in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 to sing "La, la, la", but he asked to sing it in Catalan, to which the Spanish authorities would not agree. This would be the first time he came into conflict with the language politics of Francoist Spain, because of his decision to sing in his native Catalan language, repressed by Franco. After the incident, Serrat was hurriedly substituted by Massiel, who won the contest with her Spanish-language version. By that time Serrat's songs were banned and his records burned in the streets. He then traveled to South America and participated in the Rio de Janeiro's World Music Festival, where he took first place with the song "Penélope."
In 1969 Serrat released an album containing songs with texts of Antonio Machado, a well known Spanish poet of late 19th-early 20th century. This album gave him immediate fame in all Spain and Latin America though, in spite of this, his decission to sing in Spanish was still criticized in some nationalistic Catalan circles.
The release of 1971's Mediterráneo LP consolidated the artist worldwide. In 1976, Joan Manuel Serrat was acclaimed for the first time in the U.S.A. while performing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.
In late 1974, Serrat was exiled in Mexico due to his condemnation of arbitrary executions under Franco's regime. It wasn't until Franco's death (November 20, 1975) that Serrat was able to return to his homeland.
In January of 1995, the Spanish government gave him a medal for his contribution to the Hispanic culture. That same year, a tribute album called Serrat, Eres único was made to honor his career, featuring artists such as Diego Torres, Ketama, Rosario (Flores), Joaquín Sabina, and Antonio Flores. In the year 2000, the Spanish Association of Authors and Editors (SGAE) awarded him with one of ten Medals of the Century.
In October 2004 he revealed that he had been undergoing treatment for cancer of the bladder and in November that year he cancelled a tour of Latin America and the USA in order to undergo surgery in Barcelona, where he still lives. By that time, his wonderful song "Mediterráneo" was selected as the most important song of the 20th century in Spain.
His recovery was satisfactory, and in 2005 he went on a tour again ("Serrat 100×100") around Spain and Latin America with his lifelong producer and arranger, Ricard Miralles.
A second volume of Serrat, eres único was also released this year, featuring Alejandro Sanz, Estopa, and Pasión+Vega. Around the same time, Cuban artists such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Chucho Valdez, and Ibrahim Ferrer came together to make another tribute CD, Cuba le canta a Serrat.
Source: Wikipedia®
Cada Loco Con Su Tema
Joan Manuel Serrat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Contra gustos no hay disputas
Artefactos, bestias, hombres y mujeres
Cada uno es como es
Cada quién es cada cual
Y baja las escaleras como quiere
Pero, puestos a escoger, soy partidario
Más que del diccionario
Me privan más los barrios
Que el centro de la ciudad
Y los artesanos más que la factoría
La razón que la fuerza
El instinto que la urbanidad
Y un siux más que el Séptimo de Caballería
Prefiero los caminos a las fronteras
Y una mariposa al Rockefeller Center
Y el farero de Capdepera
Al vigía de Occidente
Prefiero querer a poder
Palpar a pisar
Ganar a perder
Besar a reñir
Bailar a desfilar
Y disfrutar a medir
Prefiero volar a correr
Hacer a pensar
Amar a querer
Tomar a pedir
Antes que nada soy
Partidario de vivir
Cada loco con su tema
Contra gustos no hay disputas
Artefactos, bestias, hombres y mujeres
Cada uno es como es
Cada quién es cada cual
Y baja las escaleras como quiere
Pero, puestos a escoger, prefiero
Un buen polvo a un rapapolvo
Y un bombero a un bombardero
Crecer a sentar cabeza, prefiero
La carne al metal
Y las ventanas a las ventanillas
El lunar de tu cara
A la Pinacoteca Nacional
Y la revolución a las pesadillas
Prefiero, el tiempo al oro
La vida al sueño
El perro al collar
Las nueces al ruido
Y al sabio por conocer
Que a los locos conocidos
Prefiero, querer a poder
Palpar a pisar
Ganar a perder
Besar a reñir
Bailar a desfilar
Y disfrutar a medir
Prefiero volar a correr
Hacer a pensar
Amar a querer
Tomar a pedir
Antes que nada soy
Partidario de vivir
The song "Cada Loco Con Su Tema" by Joan Manuel Serrat is an anthem of individuality and personal preference. The title translates to "each crazy person with their subject," which refers to the idea that everyone is different and has their own opinions and interests. The opening line, "contra gustos no hay disputas," means "there's no disputing tastes," emphasizing that everyone has their own unique worldview and experiences.
Throughout the song, Serrat lists various preferences that he favors over others. He values the voices of the street over the dictionary, neighborhoods over the city center, and artisans over factories. He also prefers love over power, dancing over marching, and enjoying life over measuring it. Serrat's lyrics are a reminder that we should embrace our differences and not judge others for their own personal preferences.
The final stanza of the song sums up Serrat's philosophy succinctly: "I prefer to love than to have power, to touch than to walk on, to win rather than to lose, to kiss than to fight, to dance than to parade, and to enjoy life than to measure it. Above all else, I am an advocate of living." This line encapsulates the message of the song, advocating for a life lived to the fullest, without worrying about what others think and without conforming to the expectations of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Cada loco con su tema
Each person has their own interests and preferences
Contra gustos no hay disputas
There is no accounting for taste
Artefactos, bestias, hombres y mujeres
All things and people are different and unique
Cada uno es como es
Everyone has their own characteristics and personality
Cada quién es cada cual
Each individual is distinct
Y baja las escaleras como quiere
And does things their own way
Pero, puestos a escoger, soy partidario
But given a choice, I prefer
De las voces de la calle
The voices of the streets
Más que del diccionario
More than the dictionary
Me privan más los barrios
I am more drawn to the neighborhoods
Que el centro de la ciudad
Than the city center
Y los artesanos más que la factoría
And artisans more than factories
La razón que la fuerza
Reason over force
El instinto que la urbanidad
Instinct over urbanity
Y un siux más que el Séptimo de Caballería
And a Sioux warrior over the Seventh Cavalry
Prefiero los caminos a las fronteras
I prefer paths over borders
Y una mariposa al Rockefeller Center
And a butterfly over Rockefeller Center
Y el farero de Capdepera
And the lighthouse keeper of Capdepera
Al vigía de Occidente
Over the lookout of the West
Prefiero querer a poder
I prefer love over power
Palpar a pisar
Touching over stepping
Ganar a perder
Winning over losing
Besar a reñir
Kissing over fighting
Bailar a desfilar
Dancing over marching
Y disfrutar a medir
And enjoying over measuring
Prefiero volar a correr
I prefer flying over running
Hacer a pensar
Doing over thinking
Amar a querer
Loving over wanting
Tomar a pedir
Taking over begging
Antes que nada soy
Above all, I am
Partidario de vivir
A supporter of living
Pero, puestos a escoger, prefiero
But given a choice, I prefer
Un buen polvo a un rapapolvo
A good time over a reprimand
Y un bombero a un bombardero
And a firefighter over a bomber
Crecer a sentar cabeza, prefiero
Growing up over settling down
La carne al metal
Flesh over metal
Y las ventanas a las ventanillas
Windows over airplane windows
El lunar de tu cara
The beauty mark on your face
A la Pinacoteca Nacional
Over the National Gallery
Y la revolución a las pesadillas
And the revolution over nightmares
Prefiero, el tiempo al oro
I prefer time over gold
La vida al sueño
Life over dreams
El perro al collar
Dogs over collars
Las nueces al ruido
Nuts over noise
Y al sabio por conocer
The wise to be known
Que a los locos conocidos
More than the known crazy
Prefiero, querer a poder
I prefer love over power
Palpar a pisar
Touching over stepping
Ganar a perder
Winning over losing
Besar a reñir
Kissing over fighting
Bailar a desfilar
Dancing over marching
Y disfrutar a medir
And enjoying over measuring
Prefiero volar a correr
I prefer flying over running
Hacer a pensar
Doing over thinking
Amar a querer
Loving over wanting
Tomar a pedir
Taking over begging
Antes que nada soy
Above all, I am
Partidario de vivir
A supporter of living
Cada loco con su tema
Each person has their own interests and preferences
Contra gustos no hay disputas
There is no accounting for taste
Artefactos, bestias, hombres y mujeres
All things and people are different and unique
Cada uno es como es
Everyone has their own characteristics and personality
Cada quién es cada cual
Each individual is distinct
Y baja las escaleras como quiere
And does things their own way
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: J.m. Serrat
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jarp8481
Sonriente como de costumbre y con un aire inequívoco de renovada bohemia, Serrat viene a despedirse de América , de un continente cuyo amor fué siempre correspondido .
@estoydeacuerdoahora
Genio Serrat. Cada tema tuyo refleja lo que debería ser la sociedad perfecta o casi.
@carlitosiglesias4962
Esto es la elocuencia, hecha canción, hecha persona.
@inmaculadasanchezcorredera4124
Nunca es triste la verdad, lo que no tiene es remedio
@HijodelTrabajo
Por Dios... qué letra!!! Me emociona a un punto increíble. Qué grande eres, Nano!!!!!
@angelfitch8265
esta canción aún la escuche en disco de acetato........un tío lo tenía y yo repetía y repetía esta canción.
@Abvec
Soy partidario de vivir. Me encanta la letra.
@andreszarza3394
Lo escuchaba mi madre ahora yo 30 años despues quien lo diria.
@joseluissandovalquesada798
Serrat, partidario de vivir a plenitud, haciendo de la vida una gran plataforma de desarrollo creativo, del amor en toda su intensidad, de la igualdad y libertad real, y del encuentro con la bendita naturaleza.
@mariagladisledesmahernande8117
Nano querido!!!! Sos un capo para la letras de tus canciones!!!! Desde mis 14 años me acompañaste y seguirás hasta que Dios me llame.....¡¡¡¡BRAVO!!!!! NANO