The band, which collaborated with some music stars such as Debbie Harry, Mick Jones, Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades and Fishbone, received the MTV Latino Video Music Award in 1994 for the single "Matador", in what probably was the peak of popularity of the band. On September 29 of that year they produced an MTV Unplugged concert. The Cadillacs also won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, and were nominated in the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards for Best Band and Best Music Video ("La Vida"), which received the now-defunct International Viewer's Choice Award (Southern Region) at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
La Rosca
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Lyrics
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Un remolino loco se levanta
Vuela el polvo se puso todo negro
El cuervo espera en una plaza
La tormenta que ya va a llegar
Y en un minuto sordo, todo se hace calma
Sólo escuchar el rechinar de las hamacas
(Que el viento mueve)
Entonces caen dos gotas
Y el perfume de la tierra se levanta
Y el cuervo negro y ciego
Huele como todo cambia
Como todo cambia
Y siente llegar la rosca, la sudestada
Que ya viene cuervo, rosca
Se inunda el mundo con la sudestada
El viento dice esto no es nada
Ahora se viene la rosca de verdad
The lyrics of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ song La Rosca describe a storm that is about to hit. The looming storm is symbolized as a whirlwind, which the crow (Cuervo) waits for in the plaza. As the storm builds, the dust and wind pick up, and everything turns black. However, just as quickly as the storm comes, it calms down to total silence, with only the sound of creaky swings that the wind moves back and forth. Two drops of water fall, and the scent of the earth rises. The crow, who is black and blind, senses that everything is changing.
The word “rosca” refers to a type of storm that occurs in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the band is from. The storm is called a “sudestada” and is notorious for its power to flood areas of the city. The rosca is also used as a metaphor in the song for a storm that could be emotional or internal. The lyrics suggest that the coming storm harbours both positive and negative effects, including an opportunity for renewal and transformation. The crow is symbolic of the people who can feel the changes coming, even if they can’t see them.
Overall, the song seems to be about change and transformation, the anticipation of a storm which can bring chaos, and the sense of renewal that comes after the storm has passed. The lyrics are poignant and powerful, and the metaphor of the storm is used effectively to convey the emotions the singer is trying to express.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuervo, rosca
Introduction to the idea of an impending natural disaster, the sudestada.
Un remolino loco se levanta
Wild winds start to pick up and create a sort of crazy whirlwind.
Vuela el polvo se puso todo negro
As the winds continue to intensify, dust starts to fly around and everything becomes darker.
El cuervo espera en una plaza
The crow waits patiently on a plaza, perhaps expecting the storm to arrive there as well.
La tormenta que ya va a llegar
Acknowledgment of the impending storm that is about to hit.
Y en un minuto sordo, todo se hace calma
Suddenly, the winds stop and everything becomes eerily calm and quiet.
Sólo escuchar el rechinar de las hamacas
The only sound that can be heard is the creaking of the hammocks that are being pushed by the remaining gusts of wind.
Que el viento empuja
The sound is caused by the wind that is still slightly present.
(Que el viento mueve)
Reiteration of the fact that the sound is caused by the movement of the wind.
Entonces caen dos gotas
Out of nowhere, two raindrops fall, further proof of the storm's arrival.
Y el perfume de la tierra se levanta
As soon as the rain starts to fall, the smell of earth's perfume rises.
Y el cuervo negro y ciego
The black and blind crow, symbolizes how unaware humans are of the greater forces at work here.
Huele como todo cambia
The crow senses that a big change is coming.
Como todo cambia
Everything changes, emphasizing the idea that nothing stays the same forever.
Y siente llegar la rosca, la sudestada
The crow can sense the arrival of the sudestada, the storm that is about to hit.
Que ya viene cuervo, rosca
Another warning about the storm that is coming.
Se inunda el mundo con la sudestada
The world starts to flood as the sudestada hits.
El viento dice esto no es nada
The winds themselves are trying to diminish the impact of the storm, implying that it is actually much worse than it seems.
Ahora se viene la rosca de verdad
The final warning that the true storm is about to arrive.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GABRIEL JULIO FERNANDEZ-CAPELLO, PABLO ZIGLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind