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®
Romancillo de Mayo
Joan Manuel Serrat Lyrics
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Correhuelas y albahacas
A la entrada de la aldea
Y al umbral de las ventanas.
Al verlo venir se han puesto
Cintas de amor las guitarras,
Celos de amor las clavijas,
Y relinchan impacientes
Por salir de serenata.
En los templados establos
Donde el amor huele a paja,
A honrado estiércol y a leche,
Hay un estruendo de vacas
Que se enamoran a solas
Y a solas rumian y braman.
La cabra cambia de pelo,
Cambia la oveja de lana,
Cambia de color el lobo
Y de raíces la grama.
Son otras las intenciones
Y son otras las palabras
En la frente y en la lengua
De la juventud temprana.
Van los asnos suspirando
Reciamente por las asnas.
Con luna y aves, las noches
Son vidrio de puro claras
Las tardes, de puro verdes,
De puro azul, esmeraldas
Plata pura, las auroras
Parecen de puro blancas
Y las mañanas son miel
De puro y puro doradas.
Campea Mayo amoroso
Que el amor ronda majadas,
Ronda establos y pastores,
Ronda puertas, ronda camas,
Ronda mozas en el baile
Y en aire ronda faldas
The lyrics of Romancillo de Mayo are a celebration of the arrival of May, which is personified as a bringer of love and fertility. The opening lines describe how the greenness of May has finally arrived, and with it, the flowers and herbs like correhuelas and albahacas that decorate the entryways and windows of the village. As the guitars notice the arrival of May, they adorn themselves with love ribbons, while the tuning pegs become envious and the strings become enraged, all eager to be a part of the serenades that will soon fill the air. The animals also respond to May's arrival; the cows in the warm stables exhibit signs of being in heat and bellow longingly, the goats shed their coats, the sheep change their wool, and even the wolf shifts its territory.
May awakens the passions of the youth, giving them new intentions and words. The donkeys, now feeling aroused, bray in pursuit of the female donkeys. The nights are clear and bright, filled with moonlight and birdsong, while the afternoons are lush green and the sky is a sapphire blue. The dawn is pure silver, while the morning sun is golden honey, drenching the world with light. May romances everything in sight, from the young women at the dances to the shepherds, doors, beds, and even the air underneath ladies' skirts.
In this song, Joan Manuel Serrat masterfully depicts the arrival of May as a time of renewal, passion, and excitement. May awakens the senses and the emotions of the youth and the animals alike, filling their lives with new energy and vitality. The imagery and symbolism that Serrat uses are rich and evocative, inviting the listener to participate in this joyous celebration of the arrival of spring.
Line by Line Meaning
Por fin trajo el verde Mayo
Finally, May brought the greenery
Correhuelas y albahacas
Periwinkles and basil
A la entrada de la aldea
At the entrance of the village
Y al umbral de las ventanas.
And at the threshold of the windows.
Al verlo venir se han puesto
When they saw it coming
Cintas de amor las guitarras,
Love strings on guitars,
Celos de amor las clavijas,
Love jealousy in the tuning pegs,
Las cuerdas lazos de rabia,
Strings as ties of anger,
Y relinchan impacientes
And impatiently neigh
Por salir de serenata.
To go on a serenade.
En los templados establos
In the warm stables
Donde el amor huele a paja,
Where love smells of hay,
A honrado estiércol y a leche,
To honest manure and milk,
Hay un estruendo de vacas
There is a loud noise of cows
Que se enamoran a solas
Falling in love on their own
Y a solas rumian y braman.
And chewing and bellowing alone.
La cabra cambia de pelo,
The goat changes its coat,
Cambia la oveja de lana,
The sheep changes its wool,
Cambia de color el lobo
The wolf changes its color
Y de raíces la grama.
And the grass changes its roots.
Son otras las intenciones
The intentions are different now
Y son otras las palabras
And the words are different too
En la frente y en la lengua
On the forehead and in the tongue
De la juventud temprana.
Of early youth.
Van los asnos suspirando
Donkeys walk sighing
Reciamente por las asnas.
Loudly, for the she-donkeys.
Con luna y aves, las noches
With moon and birds, the nights
Son vidrio de puro claras
Are pure clear glass
Las tardes, de puro verdes,
The afternoons, of pure green,
De puro azul, esmeraldas
Of pure blue, emeralds
Plata pura, las auroras
Pure silver, the dawns
Parecen de puro blancas
Seem pure white
Y las mañanas son miel
And the mornings are honey
De puro y puro doradas.
Of pure and pure gold.
Campea Mayo amoroso
May, the loving one, reigns
Que el amor ronda majadas,
Love prowls sheepfolds,
Ronda establos y pastores,
Prowls stables and shepherds,
Ronda puertas, ronda camas,
Prowls doors and beds,
Ronda mozas en el baile
Prowls girls dancing
Y en aire ronda faldas
And in the air, prowls skirts.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JUAN MANUEL SERRAT, MIGUEL HERNANDEZ GILABERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind