Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (born December 27, 1943 in Barcelona) is a Cata… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (born December 27, 1943 in Barcelona) is a Catalan singer-songwriter.

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®

Sinceramente Teu
Joan Manuel Serrat Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No escojas solo una parte
Tómame como me doy
Entero y tal como soy
No vayas a equivocarte

Soy sinceramente tuyo
Pero no quiero mi amor
Ir por tu vida de visita

Vestido para la ocasión
Preferiría con el tiempo
Reconocerme sin rubor

Cuéntale a tu corazon
Que existe siempre una razón
Escondida en cada gesto
Del derecho del revés
Uno siempre es lo que es
Y anda siempre con lo puesto
Nunca es triste la verdad
Lo que no tiene es remedio

Y no es prudente ir camuflado
Eternamente por ahí
Ni por estar junto a ti
Ni para ir a ningún lado

No me pidas que no piense
En voz alta por mi bien
Ni que me suba a un taburete
Si quieres probare a crecer

Cuéntale a tu corazon
Que existe siempre una razón
Escondida en cada gesto
Del derecho y del revés
Uno es siempre lo que es
Y anda siempre con lo puesto

Nunca es triste la verdad
Lo que no tiene es remedio

Overall Meaning

In Joan Manuel Serrat’s song Sinceramente Teu, the singer is asking for acceptance and love from his partner in its entirety, rather than being chosen for only a certain part of himself. He desires to be recognized for who he truly is without the need for facade or pretense. The singer acknowledges his love for his partner but does not want his love to be superficial or temporary. He would rather his love grow over time with transparency and honesty so that he can feel a sense of comfortability in their relationship.

The song also promotes the value of self-awareness and growing into oneself, rather than changing for the sake of pleasing someone else. He encourages his partner to recognize the reasons behind their actions and to not hide their true selves. One must always walk through life embracing their true identity, never feeling shame for who they are. The truth may not always be pleasant, but it is necessary to face in order to grow.

Overall, Serrat’s song Sinceramente Teu is a vulnerable plea for honesty and acceptance within a romantic relationship. He encourages his partner to embrace their true selves and grow together in love and transparency.

Line by Line Meaning

No escojas solo una parte
Don't just pick and choose parts of me

Tómame como me doy
Take me as I am

Entero y tal como soy
Full and just the way I am

No vayas a equivocarte
Don't make a mistake

Soy sinceramente tuyo
I am sincerely yours

Pero no quiero mi amor
But I don't want my love

Ir por tu vida de visita
To just pass through your life

Vestido para la ocasión
Dressed for the occasion

Preferiría con el tiempo
I would prefer over time

Reconocerme sin rubor
To recognize myself without shame

Cuéntale a tu corazon
Tell your heart