Biography
Gieco started working at the early age of 8. With his own money he bought a guitar, and soon started playing at school at patriotic holiday commemorations, and with Los Nocheros folkloric music group. He also played with a rock band called Los Moscos, that soon gained some popularity within the neighbouring towns. They played songs of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Spencer Davis Group, when they won a concourse to play at Channel 5 of Rosario in 1965.
When he was 18 he went to Buenos Aires to try his luck. There he became acquainted with Litto Nebbia, and specially with Gustavo Santaolalla, who fixed him some chances to play in opening acts for better known musicians.
He got to play with different people, including David Lebón, and in the Buenos Aires Rock Festival in 1971, 1972, and 1973. That year his first album was released, recorded independently with Santaolalla during the previous two years. Its main song was En el país de la libertad ("In the country of freedom"), and the record acquired certain recognition; he is called "the Argentine Bob Dylan".
A year later, the second LP La Banda de los Caballos Cansados, followed the same style of trying to "understand the destiny of the peoples, the reason of injustice" (entender el destino de los pueblos, el por qué de las injusticias).
León had a series of concerts with a stable group of musicians, as well as other presentations with the Porsuigieco supergroup formed with Raúl Porchetto, Charly García, Nito Mestre and María Rosa Yorio. They had a relative success and released an eponymous record in 1976.
At the same time, he continued to play with his other group, and had a contract for two shows, but the breakup of the band forced him to make those shows all by himself. The audience seemed to like the one-man show, and Gieco decided to continue his path alone. In 1976 he released El Fantasma de Canterville. The record suffered a great deal of censorship from the military government; he had to change the lyrics of six songs and remove other three altogether. Nevertheless, the record was a success and he had concerts not only around Argentina but also on other countries of South America. Two years later he edited IV LP, with one of his most famous songs: Sólo le pido a Dios ("I only ask of God"). Because of the political situation in Argentina, he moved to Los Angeles for a year.
In 1981 he had a concert in Buenos Aires alone on stage, with a guitar, harmonic, and charango. He then released Pensar en nada ("To think about nothing"). That same year he started a 3-year, 110,000-kilometre-long series of independent concerts all over Argentina, playing for a total of 420,000 people.
In 1985 he went to Moscow for the 12th World Youth and Students' Festival alongside Juan Carlos Baglietto and Litto Nebbia representing Argentina.
He gathered material from the different places he visited in Argentina during the 1981-1983 tour, and recorded in Buenos Aires with various autochthonous musicians the first volume of De Ushuaia a La Quiaca ("From Ushuaia to La Quiaca") in 1985. The following De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 2 and De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 3 where recorded in a mobile studio in different locations of the country.
He had concerts in Germany with good friend Mercedes Sosa, and upon his return to Argentina he had another tour around the country during 1986. In 1987 he returned to Germany for seven concerts, including that of Berlin's Political Song Festival.
When he returned, he performed for free in two concerts: for 40,000 spectators at the National Flag Memorial in Rosario, and for 35,000 in Buenos Aires. At Boca Juniors Stadium he did a concert with Pablo Milanés and Chico Buarque, and guest musicians Mercedes Sosa, Fito Páez, Nito Mestre, Juan carlos Baglietto and Sixto Palavecino. At the end of the year he went on a World Tour that included countries such as Mexico, Peru, Brasil, Sweden, Germany and Denmark.
Again, in 1988, he performed in Germany and Austria. Back in Argentina he participated in the final concert of the Amnesty International tour at River Plate Stadium, with Charly García, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and others.
After eight years of touring, Semillas del corazón of 1989 marked his return to the studio. That same year he performed at the Teatro Ópera in Buenos Aires with United States' folk legend Pete Seeger, material that was edited in the 1990 Concierto en vivo. The following year, Seeger asked him to joint a tour that took him to Washington, Boston and New York City. There he played with David Byrne, whom he had already known in Buenos Aires shortly before.
In 1992 he played with Milton Nascimento, Mercedes Sosa, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Gilberto Gil and Rubén Rada at the inauguration of the Latin American Parliament in São Paulo. He also released Mensajes del Alma ("Messages of the Soul").
In 1994 he edited Desenchufado ("Unplugged"), an ironic name mocking the popular MTV unplugged concerts, with a recompilation of old songs. Even though the 1997 Los Orozcos had a few songs that did not follow Gieco's folkloric past, the rest of the disc had his style, and many guest musicians participated in the recording, among them Mercedes Sosa, Ricardo Mollo (Divididos), Santaolalla and Ricardo Iorio.
Also in 1997 he participated in the 20 year memorial concert for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, with bands such as Divididos, Las Pelotas, La Renga, Los Piojos, and Attaque 77.
Discography
* León Gieco (1973)
* La Banda de los Caballos Cansados (1974)
* El fantasma de Canterville (1976)
* IV LP (1978)
* Siete años (1980)
* Pensar en nada (1981)
* Corazón americano / El gran concierto (1985)
* De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 1 (1985)
* De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 2 (1985)
* De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 3 (1985)
* Semillas del corazón (1989)
* Ayer y hoy (1989)
* Concierto en vivo con Pete Seeger (1990)
* Mensajes del alma (1992)
* Desenchufado (1994)
* Orozco (1997)
* En el país de la libertad (1999)
* De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 4 (1999)
* 40 obras fundamentales (2000)
* Bandidos rurales (2001)
* Por partida doble (2001)
* El vivo de León (2003)
* De Ushuaia a La Quiaca (re-edition) (2005)
* Por favor, perdón y gracias (2005)
Un Minuto
León Gieco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
yo que nunca hasta ahora de mi barrio había salido
Estaba ejercitando una garganta desprolija,
fue un chiste, fue la vida o una mueca del destino
Estaba empezando a preguntarme cosas raras
qué busca la gente cuando uno solo canta
Será la necesidad de no sentirse nadie
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
ay de todos...
Estaba jugando a extender mi único sueño,
mi sangre despertaba en el crepúsculo del día
Estaba debatiendo entre la gloria y tropiezo,
si era buen amante, tormentoso, callejero
Estaba despidiendo viejas penas en la vida,
estaba descubriendo el valor de la dulzura,
si era apasionado, o un tonto de atropellos,
si tenía fundamentos o era pura espuma
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara,
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
ay de todos...
En un país de heridas, donde nunca se las cierra,
dormimos todos juntos sobre penas nuevas
La luna va al eclipse y el sol se queda solo,
y al viejo laberinto le cuesta abrir la puerta
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
ay de todos...
"Un minuto" is a song by Argentine songwriter León Gieco, released in 1992 as part of his album "De Ushuaia a La Quiaca". The song is a reflection on life and the fleeting nature of happiness. The first verse describes the excitement of leaving one's hometown and exploring the world, but then realizing the insignificance of one's individual voice in the larger scheme of things.
The second verse delves deeper into self-reflection, questioning one's place in the world and the motivations behind one's actions. Gieco poses the idea that perhaps people sing or create in order to feel a sense of importance or belonging. However, this sense of belonging is always temporary, and life can quickly erase any perceived accomplishments or happiness.
The final verse addresses the state of Argentina at the time, a country still grappling with the wounds of its dictatorial past. Gieco notes the collective pain and struggles of its people, and the difficulty of finding a way forward. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the realization that despite our individual journeys and challenges, we are all connected by our shared humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Estaba entusiasmado como rey en los caminos,
I was excited like a king on the roads,
yo que nunca hasta ahora de mi barrio había salido
even though I never left my neighborhood until now
Estaba ejercitando una garganta desprolija,
I was practicing with my untrained voice
fue un chiste, fue la vida o una mueca del destino
it was a joke, maybe life, or a twist of fate
Estaba empezando a preguntarme cosas raras
I was beginning to ask myself strange things
qué busca la gente cuando uno solo canta
what people are looking for when someone sings alone
Será la necesidad de no sentirse nadie
maybe the need to not feel like nobody
soy uno más de ellos y menos uno en casa
I'm one of them but less than that at home
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara
Life drew a smile on my face
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
and in a sad minute, it erased it like nothing
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
Woe is me, woe is you,
ay de todos...
woe is everyone...
Estaba jugando a extender mi único sueño,
I was playing to expand my one dream
mi sangre despertaba en el crepúsculo del día
my blood was awakening in the twilight of the day
Estaba debatiendo entre la gloria y tropiezo,
I was debating between glory and stumbling
si era buen amante, tormentoso, callejero
if I was a good lover, troublesome, or a street guy
Estaba despidiendo viejas penas en la vida,
I was saying goodbye to past pains in life
estaba descubriendo el valor de la dulzura,
I was discovering the value of sweetness
si era apasionado, o un tonto de atropellos,
if I was passionate or a fool of recklessness
si tenía fundamentos o era pura espuma
if I had a foundation or was just foam
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara,
Life drew a smile on my face
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
and in a sad minute, it erased it like nothing
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
Woe is me, woe is you,
ay de todos...
woe is everyone...
En un país de heridas, donde nunca se las cierra,
In a country of wounds that are never closed
dormimos todos juntos sobre penas nuevas
we all sleep together on new sorrows
La luna va al eclipse y el sol se queda solo,
The moon goes to eclipse and the sun stays alone
y al viejo laberinto le cuesta abrir la puerta
and to the old labyrinth, it's difficult to open the door
La vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara
Life drew a smile on my face
y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada
and in a sad minute, it erased it like nothing
Ay de mí, ay de vos,
Woe is me, woe is you,
ay de todos...
woe is everyone...
Contributed by Liliana L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Agostina Marcori
Fue un chiste,fue la vida. Los años siguen pasando y no me canso de escucharlo.
Emiliano Andrés Gaitan
Sin darte cuenta hiciste una rima jajaja
Augusto Romero
La voz del pato intacta por dios ,marzo 2022 y me causa la misma piel de gallina que hace años
Agustín Vivo
Cómo que intacta jaja es de hace 10 años el tema.
Boris Alexis
Vine a escuchar este tema porque la vida dibujó una sonrisa en mi cara y en un minuto triste la borró como si nada!
Servicios Sonoros.
Abrazo man!
facundo quevedo
Un tema que demuestra todo lo que significa cromañon para todos los Argentinos, Los musicos grandes apoyan a CALLEJEROS, saben que a cualquiera le podia pasar
LIVIA CACIA
León no podés ser tan groso!!!! Siempre del lado de lo injusto y de los que más te necesitan!!! No hubo, no hay ni habrá nadie que se te parezca, nadie que tenga esos huevos, nadie que tenga el poder y la fuerza de defender y apoyar sin interés alguno, causas y víctimas incomprendidas! Sos el máximo exponente de la música y del significado de la palabra Lord!!
Pato sos alto chabón! Siempre estaré de tu lado! Como todos lo que amamos al rock, tenemos sentido común y somos justos por más que nos re caguen a palos el corazón y la vida ! Si existe un Dios, que los bendiga y les dé larga vida para que podámos alucinar con sus altas letras y con su música que nos llega hasta las mismísimas viseras!
martin mariani
-a
Nerii Nuñez
Respeto por las víctimas, siempre presente ahora 30/12/22 y siempre