América
José Luis Perales (born January 28, 1945 in Castejón-Cuenca, Spain) is a ta… Read Full Bio ↴José Luis Perales (born January 28, 1945 in Castejón-Cuenca, Spain) is a talented singer and composer who has presented part of his extensive work in Carnegie Hall, New York. Since tender age, he showed his pasion for music, and at age 6, he learned how to play the lute. At 16, Perales studied to be an Electrical Engineer at the Universidad Laboral of Sevilla as scholarship student. He joined the university tuna and learned how to play the guitar. And it was then when he knew that music was going to be a big part of his life. After university, Perales went to Madrid where he finished his studies and continued with his music. His first opportunity was as a composer because he did not like to sing and did not want problems with his girlfriend, Manuela. Encouraged by her mother, Mariana, Perales sang in his hometown and some local festivals. However, it is not until he met Rafael Trabucchelli (main Spanish music producer of the time) in 1970 that his career changed totally. Trabucchelli tried to convince Perales to sing but did not succeed. Perales composed "Porque Te Vas" ("Because You're Leaving") performed by Jeanette, which sold 4 million copies worldwide in 1972, and this is how Trabucchelli finally persuaded him to sing. Perales humbly admitted that it was luck what allowed him to succeed. As a home-loving family man, he had trouble adaping himself to his new life and leaving his current job to dedicate himself to his new career. Despite of his success, Perales is still a humble family man who still lives in Castejon with his now wife, Manuela, which whom he has a son and a daughter, Pablo and Maria. Perales has recorded 27 record productions with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide. His compositions have been recorded by singers such as Raphael, Rocio Jurado, Jeanette, Miguel Bose, Isabel Pantoja, Julio Iglesias, Paloma San Basilio, Mocedades, and La Oreja de Van Gogh among others. His concert tours have included countries such as Uruguay, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the USA, Brazil, Italy, France, Portugal. He just recently had a concert in the famous Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and will be moving eastward across the USA on his tour. He does not come to America very often but when he does, the seats are full. He has also created a wonderful song called "Que canten los niños"

América
José Luis Perales Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Me hueles a merengue y a bolero
a caña y a café
Me hueles a corrido y a charango
carnavalito y miel
Me hueles a maracas y a guitarras
a gaucho solitario y a sabana
a piel morena y sal
Me hueles a canela y a banana
herida siempre y siempre maltratada
soñando libertad

América, América
Me hueles a guayaba
a cordillera helada
a tierra verde y lluvia tropical
me hueles a pradera y a eterna primavera
me hueles a futuro y libertad

Me hueles a tabaco y a maíces
a dátiles y a arroz
Me hueles a inmigrantes q se fueron
cantando una canción
Me hueles a torrente y a quebrada
a sangre campesina derramada
para tu libertad
Me hueles a mujer enamorada




herida siempre y siempre abandonada
soñando frente al mar

Overall Meaning

The song "América" by José Luis Perales is an ode to the smell and essence of the American continent. Throughout the lyrics, Perales carefully highlights how the different scents and flavors of the continent symbolize its people and history. In the first stanza, Perales mentions the smells of "merengue y a bolero" (music and dance), "caña y a café" (sugar cane and coffee), "corrido y a charango" (traditional Mexican and Andean music), "carnavalito y miel" (carnival and honey). Perales weaves a tapestry of diverse imagery by then including "maracas y a guitarras," "gaucho solitario y a sabana," and "piel morena y sal" to convey the diverse cultures and history of America.


In the second stanza, Perales illustrates the scents and flavors beyond the culture and history of the continent. The second stanza is about the produce and harvests of the continent, with references to "guayaba," "cordillera helada" (icy mountain ranges), "tierra verde y lluvia tropical" (green earth and tropical rain), "pradera y a eterna primavera" (prairies and eternal spring), "tabaco y a maíces" (tobacco and corn), "dátiles y a arroz" (dates and rice), "inmigrantes q se fueron cantando una canción" (immigrants who left singing a song), "torrente y a quebrada" (rivers and streams), and "sangre campesina derramada" (peasant bloodshed). The finale of the song is about the love and pain of the American people, as Perales mentions the smell of a "woman, hurt and always abandoned dreaming in front of the sea."


Line by Line Meaning

Me hueles a merengue y a bolero
I sense the rhythm and passion of merengue and bolero in your essence


a caña y a café
mixing the sweetness of sugarcane with the bitterness of coffee


Me hueles a corrido y a charango
I feel the traditional sounds of corrido and charango in your aroma


carnavalito y miel
a mixture of the excitement of Carnavalito and the sweetness of honey


Me hueles a maracas y a guitarras
I smell the lively sounds of maracas and guitars


a gaucho solitario y a sabana
evoking the image of a lone gaucho riding through the vast savannah


a piel morena y sal
reminding me of the warm and salty embrace of a tanned skin


Me hueles a canela y a banana
I sense the aroma of cinnamon and banana


herida siempre y siempre maltratada
as if you've been wounded and mistreated time and time again


soñando libertad
yet always dreaming of freedom


América, América
Oh America, the land of my heart and soul


Me hueles a guayaba
I sense the fragrance of guava


a cordillera helada
and the cold peaks of the Andes mountain range


a tierra verde y lluvia tropical
together with the green land and tropical rain


me hueles a pradera y a eterna primavera
also to the meadows and everlasting spring


me hueles a futuro y libertad
where the scent of future and freedom lingers in the air


Me hueles a tabaco y a maíces
I sense the aroma of tobacco and corn


a dátiles y a arroz
as well as the sweetness of dates and the nuttiness of rice


Me hueles a inmigrantes q se fueron
where I can almost smell the immigrants who left their homelands


cantando una canción
singing a melodious tune


Me hueles a torrente y a quebrada
I sense the rushing waters of streams and gorges


a sangre campesina derramada
and the blood of the farmers who fought for their rights


para tu libertad
in your name, for your freedom


Me hueles a mujer enamorada
I can almost smell the scent of a woman in love


herida siempre y siempre abandonada
yet always wounded and abandoned


soñando frente al mar
dreaming in front of the sea




Contributed by Taylor Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Roman Arias

Excelente.!! José Luis Perales,Me hueles a merengue y a bolero
A caña y a café
Me hueles a corrido y a charango
Carnavalito y miel
Me hueles a maracas y a guitarra
A gaucho solitario y a sabana
A piel morena y sal
Me hueles a canela y a bananas
Querida siempre, y siempre maltratada
Soñando libertad
América, América
Me hueles a guayaba, a cordillera helada
A tierra verde y lluvia tropical
Me hueles a pradera y a eterna primavera
Me hueles a futuro y libertad. Que viva América latina y el Caribe.!!🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴



All comments from YouTube:

VH Morales

Guatemalteco viviendo en Australia y soñando en nuestra bella América, un abrazo a todos los americanos que amamos el continente que nos vio nacer.

jorge ramirez b

Desde Colombia 🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴un saludo a toda la América, 35 países hermanos, hijos de la gran Pachamama, unidos por la música que no tiene fronteras, grande Perales🎼

Roka

No se porque me emocionó hasta las lágrimas con este himno... Es tan hermoso... Imagino a nuestra gente de antaños luchando por nuestra América.. Contando al norte hasta el sur.. De Las Américas.. Que viva nuestra gente de todos los países.. Desde Canadá hasta donde yo vivo... Chile 🇨🇱. Saludos a toda mi gente de América

Eno morodo

Desde Guinea Ecuatorial un saludo para todos los latinoamericanos
Bella canción

Jimmy Lee

No sé porque me emociono tanto al escuchar esta canción,el cual debería ser el himno de todo el continente,pa'lante mi gente linda de América,Y que DIOS bendiga nuestra tierra amada.

ElGary

ESTO SI ES AMERICA! algún día el mundo lo sabrá! Viva LA VERDADERA AMERICA, PURA VIDA!

Freddy G

Debería de ser un himno para todos los Americanos. Viva America! Desde Argentina hasta Alaska!!!! Bendiciones

Héctor parada

corrección desde chile a Alaska

Héctor parada

Chile está más abajo que argentina

Freddy G

@Héctor parada desde Argentina y chile y parte de la Antártida.está bien?

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