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®
No Me Importa
Joan Manuel Serrat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ni a cuantos años luz de mi pueblo está,
con tal que cada noche se encienda
y yo la vea titiritar.
No me importa lo lejos que éste la meta
siempre que me den tiempo para llegar
ni ser mal recibido. Me encanta
No me importa tomarme la vida en serio
mientras conserve el sentido del humor;
ni equivocarme de medio a medio
si da buen resultado el error.
No me importa, si es para empezar de nuevo,
meter la marcha atrás y retroceder;
ni dar con la cabeza en el suelo
siempre que pueda ponerme en pie.
No me importa seguir las reglas del juego
en tanto las respete el otro también.
Ni, en un desliz, pillarme los dedos
según de qué manera y con quién.
No me importa la gloria, se lo prometo,
si para ir de su abrazo se ha de sufrir;
ni el más allá con todo respeto
mientras me dejen seguir aquí.
Ni enseñar el culo cuando el guión lo exija
ni dar la cara aunque deje cicatriz.
Ni la muerte, si no corre prisa,
ni cambiar para ser más feliz.
The lyrics of No Me Importa by Joan Manuel Serrat speak about a person's philosophy of life. The singer focuses on the present moment and is not worried about the names or distances of stars, only if they are visible to them at night. They emphasize their love for traveling and starting anew, even if it means making mistakes. The lyrics also show that the singer has a positive outlook on life and is willing to take risks and face the consequences. They do not care about glory or the afterlife as long as they can continue their life on earth. The singer believes in living life on their own terms and being true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
No me importa qué nombre tiene esa estrella
It doesn't matter to me what name that star has
ni a cuantos años luz de mi pueblo está
or how many light years away it is from my town
con tal que cada noche se encienda
as long as it lights up every night
y yo la vea titiritar.
and I can see it twinkle.
No me importa lo lejos que éste la meta
I don't care how far the goal is
siempre que me den tiempo para llegar
as long as I have enough time to get there
ni ser mal recibido. Me encanta
nor to be poorly received. I love
hacer maletas y viajar.
packing my bags and traveling.
No me importa tomarme la vida en serio
I don't mind taking life seriously
mientras conserve el sentido del humor;
as long as I keep my sense of humor;
ni equivocarme de medio a medio
nor making a complete mistake
si da buen resultado el error.
if the mistake yields good results.
No me importa, si es para empezar de nuevo,
It doesn't matter to me, if it's to start over,
meter la marcha atrás y retroceder;
to put it in reverse and back up;
ni dar con la cabeza en el suelo
nor hitting my head on the ground
siempre que pueda ponerme en pie.
as long as I can get back up.
No me importa seguir las reglas del juego
I don't mind following the rules of the game
en tanto las respete el otro también;
as long as the other person respects them too;
Ni, en un desliz, pillarme los dedos
nor, slipping up and getting caught
según de qué manera y con quién.
depending on how and with whom.
No me importa la gloria, se lo prometo,
I promise, I don't care about glory,
si para ir de su abrazo se ha de sufrir;
even if I have to suffer to get it;
ni el más allá con todo respeto
nor the great beyond, with all due respect
mientras me dejen seguir aquí.
as long as they let me keep going here.
Ni enseñar el culo cuando el guión lo exija
Nor show my butt when the script calls for it
ni dar la cara aunque deje cicatriz.
nor show my face even if it leaves a scar.
Ni la muerte, si no corre prisa,
not even death, if it's not in a hurry,
ni cambiar para ser más feliz.
nor change to be happier.
Contributed by Emma N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.