Contrasting with the backwards and authoritarian government of General Juan Carlos Onganía, Argentina and specially Buenos Aires were undergoing a cultural blossoming, based on new art expressions; the new generation, the sons of the middle class, was immersed in an effervescence that would not reappear in Argentina until 1983. Spinetta was part and later an exponent of that blossoming and rebellious youth that would express itself both through the arms and the arts. Spinetta devoted fully to the latter path, although he briefly became involved with left-wing political movements.
It was 1969 and his band, Almendra, recorded their first album. The band started recording and playing intensely and it became successful almost overnight. Almendra composed its own songs and the lyrics were in Spanish (something radically new). The subtlety and beauty of their sound would be one of the milestones (maybe the first) of Argentine rock. After two albums that enjoyed radio diffusion and deserved fame, the band split. Spinetta composed and recorded a new solo album, but an inadequate environment (he would later say that the mood of Argentine rock and rockers of those times were too "heavy" and negative for him) and the vast changes that success effected on his life made him leave the country.
After a lengthy stay in Europe, he returned to Argentina and formed a new band: Pescado Rabioso. It was destined to be as mythical as Almendra. With a far more powerful sound and expressing the tension in the streets of an increasingly violent Argentina, Pescado recorded its first album in 1972. It was both a continuation of the creative stream of Spinetta and a drastic change in the style of his music and lyrics. The band recorded a second album; although a third one carried its name, Pescado was by then dissolved; Artaud, recorded in 1973 and mostly a solo album by Spinetta, was a major breakthrough. Partly based on the writings of Antonin Artaud, Spinetta exorcised many of the demons of his past in this album. This process would open the door to a new era in his music.
In 1974 he formed a new band, Invisible. With his new band he recorded three albums; Invisible I, Durazno Sangrando (together with Artaud, hailed as his best album ever), and El Jardín De Los Presentes. With Invisible, he left the powerful and rough sound of Pescado; the new tunes were more harmonic, soft and mellow, yet his work remained essential and revolutionary. Following this line, he embarked on a solo project, A 18' del Sol, after dissolving Invisible in 1976-77. By then, ten years later after starting his career, his style had became a delicate amalgam of old and new; the old pop and (proto) heavy rock had merged with various elements of jazz and bossa nova. That unique flavour would become his style during the next half decade.
After recording and editing a failed album in the United States in 1979 (the only album that Spinetta lamented ever doing), with lyrics in English and destined to the US market, Spinetta returns to Argentina and starts a prolific era: he would record two albums with a short-lived Almendra Revival (one with original songs and the other live), and embark on a new project: Spinetta Jade.
Spinetta Jade would prove to be a successful and innovative band; Spinetta was joined by some of the greatest Argentinan musicians of those and all times to help him build the new sound he was building since Invisible. The product: a blend of jazz and rock that was unseen in Argentina and that escaped the boom of symphonic rock that reached both the world and Argentina in the early 1980s. These four albums, Alma de Diamante (1980), Los Niños que Escriben en el Cielo (1981), Bajo Belgrano (a homage to the neighbourhood where he grew up, 1983) and the unforgettable Madre en Años Luz (1984), represent a defined style as well as the footprints of Spinetta´s evolution. Towards the last two albums, the sound became a little bit more "pop", and embedded with electronic elements (samplers and synthesisers with "artificial" textures). Something worth remarking: the overpowering influence and fame of Spinetta in the Argentinian rock world was only equalled by that of Charly García. Many fans and critics shared the feeling that the two musicians represented antagonistic styles and values. To show otherwise, Spinetta and Charly (with their respective bands at the moment, Jade and Serú Giran) joined efforts and gave what was probably the most important show in the history of Argentine Rock.
Dissolving Spinetta Jade in 1984, Spinetta shortly engaged in an album to be made together with Charly; yet, this would-be mythical work was abandoned. Of this interrupted work, two songs remained: "Rezo por Vos" and "Total Interferencia".
By 1982, Spinetta had restarted his solo projects, and from then on would never leave them. Kamikaze (1982) puts together a number of previously unreleased songs (one gem is a very old song he composed in 1965 called "Barro Tal Vez"). In Mondo Di Cromo (1983) Spinetta prefigures the style of his solo projects during the second half of the 1980s. His new production, from 1986 to 1993, would include four solo albums (Privé (1986), Téster de Violencia (1988), Don Lucero (1989), Pelusón of Milk (1991)), a joint album with Fito Páez, another giant of Rock Nacional (Sólo la la la (1986)), and the soundtrack of the movie "Fuego Gris" (named after the film, 1993). It is hard to describe this collection of wide albums with a single adjective. The style, the sound, the themes that Spinetta picks and uses with the dexterity of a veteran musician are broad enough to encompass rock, pop, some tango, jazz and bossa; they all sound 1980s like; they all sound Argentinian and reflect the difficult years of the new democracy (1983 onwards) and the contemporary thought about Argentina that is being made. Hope and failure, they are covered with the Porteño melancholy maybe more than Spinetta´s previous work.
After a long silence, produced mainly by Spinetta´s conflicts with the recording companies, he finally opens a new period in his music with his new band: Spinetta y los Socios del Desierto. Three years (1997-1999) and four albums later, Spinetta had created yet another legend in Argentinian rock. Two studio albums, the double Socios del Desierto (1997) and Los Ojos (1999) would bring along a new sound, much more dry and 1990s sounding. The band made an MTV Unplugged, Estrelicia (1998), that because of its softness and acoustic nature, wildly contrasts with their live album, San Cristóforo (1998). As Spinetta said at the beginning of the first concert, "Fans de lo acústico, abstenerse" ("Fans of acoustic music, refrain"). The speed and roughness of the sound recalls Pescado´s sound. Also, in 1998, Spinetta chose the featured songs and artwork of a Greatest Hits album called Elija y Gane, edited the same year.
The band dissolved quietly towards the end of 1999. Spinetta started a solo era that spawns until the present. Silver Sorgo (2001), Obras en Vivo (2002), a live album, and Para Los Árboles (2003) combine maturity with boldness. The changing and mostly tragic landscape of current Argentina powerfully affects the background of these works. In them, Spinetta has showed that his creative flame is anywhere but near of being extinguished.
On 23 December 2011 he published on the Twitter account of his son Dante that he was facing lung cancer. He died on February 8, 2012 in his native Argentina, at the age of 62. His ashes were scattered in the waters of the Río de la Plata, according to his last wish, next to the Memory Park built to remember the desaparecidos of the National Reorganization Process.
Canción para los días de la vida
Luis Alberto Spinetta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
voy a ver si puedo correr
Con la mañana silbándome en la espalda
o mirarme en las burbujas.
Tengo que aprender a volar
entre tanta gente de pie.
Cuidan de mis alas unos gnomos de lata
Si la lluvia llega hasta aquí
voy a limitarme a vivir.
Mojaré mis alas como el arbol o el angel
o quizás muera de pena.
Tengo mucho tiempo por hoy
los relojes haran que cante
Y la espuma gira en torno a mi piel
me han puesto manos para hablarle
a las cosas de mi.
Y al fin mi duende nació
tiene orejas blancas
como un soplo de pan y arroz
Y un hongo como nariz
cuatro pelos locos
y un violín que nunca calla
solo se desprende y es igual a las guirnaldas.
Este dia es algo de sal
me dejó vibrando al nacer
pesa y es liviano como un hilo sin nombre
suena un poco a mi guitarra.
Tengo que aprender a ser luz
entre tanta gente detras.
Me pondré las ramas de este sol que me espera
para usarme como al aire.
Y es que al fin mi duende se abrió
tiene un corazón de mantel y batón
y un guiño al ver que todo es verdad.
Ya los gnomos cuiden
a un violín que siempre canata
nunca se adormece y es igual a las guirnaldas.
Y es que nunca calla, solo se desprende
y es igual a las guirnaldas.
The lyrics of Canción para los días de la vida by Luis Alberto Spinetta describe the beginning of a new day and the singer's attempt to navigate through life, which involves learning to fly among many people, being surrounded by beauty, and experiencing sadness. The singer also talks about his unique companion, a duende with white ears, a mushroom for a nose, crazy hair, and a violin which never stops playing. The duende appears to be a symbol of the singer's creativity and imagination, and through him, the singer is able to connect with the world around him.
The first stanza is about the beginning of a new day, and the singer's desire to be free and move forward. He mentions the morning whistling in his back and the bubbles around him, conveying a sense of freedom and joy. However, the second stanza suggests that this freedom is not easy to attain, as there are too many people around him. The singer talks about gnomes guarding his wings, which connects with the idea of a duende as an otherworldly creature connecting with nature.
The third stanza describes the possibility of rain and how the singer may either embrace it or succumb to sadness. The fourth stanza changes the tone and the focus by talking about time and how clocks dictate our lives. The singer mentions the foam on his skin and how he was given hands to communicate with the world. The reference to the duende with his unique features and his violin which never stops playing is a symbol of the singer's creativity which is also a part of him and never disappears.
Overall, the lyrics of Canción para los días de la vida convey the idea of finding one's place in the world and learning to appreciate the beauty around us. The duende as a symbol of creativity and imagination is an integral part of the singer's journey in the song, and he learns to embrace his unique features and use them to connect with the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Este dia empieza a crecer
A new day has just begun.
voy a ver si puedo correr
I will try to move forward in this day.
Con la mañana silbándome en la espalda
I am welcomed by the sound of the morning, which feels like a comforting pat on my back.
o mirarme en las burbujas.
Or I might simply spend some time enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like bubbles.
Tengo que aprender a volar
I have to learn to fly, to become my best self.
entre tanta gente de pie.
Amidst so many people who are just standing still, I have to try to rise above.
Cuidan de mis alas unos gnomos de lata
I have some helpers who are taking care of me, like metal gnomes who are nurturing my wings.
que de noche nunca rien.
Even at night, when we are more vulnerable, they do not abandon me.
Si la lluvia llega hasta aquí
If it rains down on me,
voy a limitarme a vivir.
I will simply enjoy the moment and let it take me where it will.
Mojaré mis alas como el árbol o el ángel
I will let myself be soaked, just like a tree or a guardian angel who stands in the rain and feels it wash over them.
o quizás muera de pena.
Or perhaps the weight of the moment will be too much for me to bear.
Tengo mucho tiempo por hoy
But I have all day to figure it out,
los relojes haran que cante
And the ticking of the clock reminds me to keep moving forward.
Y la espuma gira en torno a mi piel
As I move through the day, I am surrounded by the foaming waves of life.
me han puesto manos para hablarle
I have been given hands so that I can interact with the world around me.
a las cosas de mi.
I am here to take part in this world, to experience all it has to offer.
Y al fin mi duende nació
And finally, my inner spirit has been born.
tiene orejas blancas
It is something pure and innocent, like a child.
como un soplo de pan y arroz
And it brings me sustenance in the same way that bread and rice do.
Y un hongo como nariz
With a nose like a mushroom,
cuatro pelos locos
And wild hair,
y un violín que nunca calla
But at its core, it is like a violin that never stops playing.
solo se desprende y es igual a las guirnaldas.
It is constantly evolving, shedding its old skin and becoming something anew.
Este dia es algo de sal
This day is something both bitter and sweet,
me dejó vibrando al nacer
And it has left me feeling alive and filled with energy from the very start.
pesa y es liviano como un hilo sin nombre
It is both heavy and light, like a nameless thread that weaves in and out of our lives.
suena un poco a mi guitarra.
It has a rhythm that sounds a bit like the music I make with my guitar.
Tengo que aprender a ser luz
I have to learn how to shine like a beacon of light,
entre tanta gente detrás.
Even as so many people are following their own paths.
Me pondré las ramas de este sol que me espera
I will wear the branches of the waiting sun,
para usarme como al aire.
Letting the light carry me forward like a gust of wind.
Y es que al fin mi duende se abrió
And my inner spirit has blossomed and opened up,
tiene un corazón de mantel y batón
With a heart that's as soft as linen and as strong as a baton,
y un guiño al ver que todo es verdad.
And it winks at me, reminding me that all of this is very real indeed.
Ya los gnomos cuiden
The metal gnomes are taking good care of me,
a un violín que siempre canata
Especially my violin, which never stops playing.
nunca se adormece y es igual a las guirnaldas.
It never tires, and continually surprises me with its infinite variations, like a never-ending stream of garlands.
Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cafinario
1979, volviendo con amigos en la madrugada, riéndonos a los gritos, como se ríe uno a los 20 años. En la radio del auto pasan este tema, que ninguno había escuchado. Las risas se acallan, sube el sol, nosotros pegamos las narices contra los vidrios y miramos en silencio las casas pasar. El conductor, padre de uno de nosotros, se percata. "Che, quien es el que canta??", un "Shhhhh!!!!!!" le cae en la nuca, con esquirlas de saliva y todo. Sorprendido, me mira por espejo retrovisor, le contesto con una levantada de cejas, como quien dice "no es el momento...".
@adriannestordiaz9395
Es dificil explicar la magia pero lo que tiene de bueno es que sucede
@Blueboy_7
Usted es un gran narrador, Gustavo
@Mbdnieto
Este tema me lleva al día que enterramos a mí abuelo. En ese entonces lo creí el día más triste de mí vida y cuando estaba saliendo del cementerio puse el MP3 en aleatorio y salto este tema. Fue como un bálsamo. De repente todo se hacía un poquito más liviano. Desgraciadamente pasaron muchas cosas malas posteriormente, pero siempre que escucho este mismo tema siento esa misma sensación de alivio y que todo pasa por algún motivo. Y está todo bien de nuevo, aunque sea por un ratito.
@ayrtonsuas9854
El mio falleció hace 3 meses de un cáncer terminal que se detecto muy tarde, hay dos canciones de Cerati dedicadas a su padre y madre... Té para tres y Tu medicina, en el momento que mi madre entra a la habitación y me dice "Acaba de fallecer tu abuelo" se echo a llorar... Y en ese instante entendí esa canción "Te ví que llorabas... Por el"...
En su funeral cuando llevaron a cremar el cuerpo su mejor amigo de mi abuelo puso la canción Naturaleza/ Adiós A Un Amigo de Alfonso Guerrero y Su Orquesta... No había llorado hasta ese momento, cargue su ataud, pasamos por su puerta de su casa, con el trabaje un tiempo cargando sillones y al momento de cargarlo fue mi forma de despedirlo saliendo ambos por la puerta... Al momento de dejar el ataud solo le di una palmada y en mi mente dije "Adiós abuelo", llore como nunca...
Ahora al escuchar esas canciones las canto pensando en el... Le gustaba el rock y la salsa, el se veía algo reflejado en mi por las cosas que nos justaban en común después de su partida escucho canciones como esta, Sui Generis- Canción para mi muerte y otras que me recuerdan a el... Soy Mexicano tengo 16 años, no me arrepiento escuchar esta música tan poética, en ella encuentro paz y una sensación de felicidad, han estado cuando mejor me siento o peor.
Perdón por lo largo, solo concluyo diciendo que sin la música en general no seríamos nada... Y esta música en general es algo que hay que apreciar por lo que nos provoca y recuerda, para mi es una forma de decir "Te amo" a tu ser querido sin necesidad de tenerlo en este mundo terrenal.
@jesusadrian7755
Me encantan los comentarios en las canciones del Flaco. Personas, palabras, pensamientos agradables...
@nicolasronge7931
JAdrián Gb sabé
@juliyt2288
adhiero
@israelaceitunobustillos6293
Que agradable sujeto.
@FoParlo
Siento q al entenderle nos hizo el flaco hijos de un mismo universo