She started her career as an actress, working in the theatre and in some of the most famous Spanish movies from the 1940 decade.
During the 1950s, she started singing professionaly, eventually abandoning her career as an actress in the 1960s. Since then, she has recorded more than 35 albums.
As a singer, she is specialized in traditional Spanish and Latin American music: bolero, copla, ballad, ronda, vals, and folk music (Peruvian, Argentinian, Mexican, and Venezuelan). Her voice tone is clear and slightly low, and she has an extremely proper Spanish pronunciation. She typically sings with the only company of guitars, requintos, and drums.
She singed for close to 30 years with the same group, Los Gemelos, formed by two twin brothers, Santiago López Hernández and Julián López Hernández, until the death of Santiago in the early 1990s.
Las Barandillas del Puente
Maria Dolores Pradera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ay remolona por caridad dime que me quieres no me hagas pena.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Las barandillas del puente se menean cuando paso.
Hay remolona por caridad dime que me quieres no me hagas pena.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
The lyrics of María Dolores Pradera's song Las Barandillas del Puente capture the essence of unrequited love. The singer seems to be acknowledging that he only has eyes for one person, María Dolores, and doesn't pay any attention to anyone else. He declares his love by stating that the railings of the bridge shake when he passes by, as if the world is trembling with anticipation. He pleads with her to reciprocate his feelings, asking her to tell him that she loves him, to save him from his misery. The repetition of the line "Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar" suggests that he's desperately hoping for any sign that she feels the same way about him.
In the end, the song makes the listener feel the desperation and anguish of someone who is hopelessly in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way. They long for an acknowledgement of their love but it seems as if it will never come. The melancholic melody and the unrequited love theme make for a poignant and emotional experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Las barandillas del puente se menean cuando paso,
The bridge railings sway when I walk by,
a ti solita te quiero, de las demás, no hago caso.
You are the only one I love, I ignore the rest.
Ay remolona por caridad dime que me quieres no me hagas pena.
Oh, lazy one, for the love of God, tell me you love me and don't make me suffer.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Oh, lazy one, for the love of her, tell me you love me and don't make me suffer.
Las barandillas del puente se menean cuando paso.
The bridge railings sway when I walk by.
Hay remolona por caridad dime que me quieres no me hagas pena.
Oh, lazy one, for the love of God, tell me you love me and don't make me suffer.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Oh, lazy one, for the love of her, tell me you love me and don't make me suffer.
Ay remolona por caridad por ella dime que me quieres no me hagas penar.
Oh, lazy one, for the love of her, tell me you love me and don't make me suffer.
Las barandillas del puente se menean cuando paso.
The bridge railings sway when I walk by.
Contributed by Camilla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.