He realized very quickly that he wasn't made for studying, but he was good at soccer. He played in the lower ranks of Astur CF, at the time a reserve team for Real Oviedo. Afterwards, he worked as a waiter in several bars and spent all night out, living experiences that would later go on to make up the lyrics of his songs. In 2001, he joined a group called "El bosque de Sherwood", and soon after recorded a demo with only three songs, "Sin noticias de Holanda", "El informe del forense", and "Vuelvo a traficar".
In February 2003, Melendi released his first solo disc, called "Sin noticias de Holanda" with twelve songs. In December 2003, this disc was rereleased with two new songs, "Asturias" and "Moratalá". However, he reached true fame with the 2004 Vuelta a España chose his song "Con la luna llena" as its official theme. In May 2004, he started a small tour around Spain, selling 50,000 copies of his CD, making it a Gold Album.
In 2005, he released his second solo CD, "Que el cielo espere sentao", which has sold more than 200,000 copies. Later that same year, he rereleased the album with three new songs, "El Nano", "La dama, and "El vagabundo y Carlota", and a Live concert DVD recorded in Oviedo. He also became a father that year, and received the Onda award for Best Song of the Year for "Caminando por la vida".
In November 2005, he received seven Platinum Discs for his two albums. "Sin noticias..." received four and "Que el cielo..." three.
In 2006, it was announced that he would be one of the main stars in the PSP game "Gangs of London". Melendi played Mr. Big, an evil gangster. He also wrote the song "Gangs of London" for the occasion, going on to film a video amidst police lights and sirens. The videogame was launched on August 1 of that year in the UK and on September 6 in Spain; EMI stepped in to distribute his CDs worldwide.
Melendi in Valladolid.
He also wrote the song "Volveremos" (We Shall Return) for Real Oviedo. The singer is also involved in the production of the film "Vuelvo a traficar: The Film" (I'm Dealing Again).
"Mientras no cueste trabajo" was released on November 13, 2006 in two formats: a normal CD with 12 songs, and a special edition, with 16 songs and a DVD with extras. The disc was rereleased on September 29, 2007 with four new songs, "Firmes", "El rey de la baraja", "La aceituna", and "Me gusta el fútbol".
In 2007, he received the "Best Tour" award from the "Premios de la Música" ceremony held in Cordoba. He also did an advertising campaign for Canal+ Spain entitled "Me gusta el fútbol" (I Like Football), for which he wrote a song of the same name.
In 2007, he stood trial for provoking an incident while under the influence of alcohol on a flight from Madrid to Mexico City that required the pilot to return to Madrid two hours after takeoff[1][2]. He was released after testifying. Soon after, he was given the "Left Foot" award from Spanish radio station Cadena 100 for this incident.
Currently, Melendi directs his Blue Donkey Music company, helping young singers start their careers. He's offered contracts to four groups, Algunos Hombres Buenos, Rasel, La Dama y Belo, and Los Susodichos. This last group was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Vocals. Algunos Hombres Buenos left the label in 2008.
On August 9, 2008 he presented his new single, "Un violinista en tu tejado" from his album Curiosa la cara de tu padre on Spanish radio station Los 40 Principales. The album was released on September 16, 2008. On December 12, Los 40 Principales awarded him their award for this album.
On March 17, 2009 he released a new double CD, Aún más curiosa la cara de tu padre, including the original disc and another with nine new songs and links to exclusive content on his website.
Con Tanto Héroe
Melendi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que un disco duro era un disco de metálica
Que las barillas del paraguas eran mágicas
Y los gemidos de las putas de verdad.
Nunca se resignó
A que los Reyes Magos fueran concejales
Dibujaba siempre su nombre en los cristales
No quiso crecer
Y el Pan de Peter se endurece día a día
Su callejón se olvida un caso a la salida
Y baila con lobos tangos tristes de Gardel.
Y al amanecer
Su primavera fué violada en una esquina
Con tanto héroe de corbata y gabardina
El gato al agua se llevó
Como siempre la heroína.
Y el siempre creyó
Que con cerrar los ojos nadie lo veía
Quiso dar la vuelta al mundo en ochenta días
Y no salió de un parque de Moratalá.
Le gustaba pensar
Que contruiría mil castillos en el aire
Por si el infierno ya no fuera edificable
Cuando un mal pico lo juntara con Satán.
No quiso crecer
Y el Pan de Peter se endurece día a día
Su callejón se olvida un caso a la salida
Y baila con lobos tangos tristes de Gardel.
Y al amanecer
Su primavera fué violada en una esquina
Con tanto héroe de corbata y gabardina
El gato al agua se llevó
Como siempre la heroína.
The lyrics of the song "Con Tanto Héroe" by Melendi tell the story of a person who refuses to grow up and face reality. This person rejects the idea that life is not a fairy tale and that the world is not always a happy place. He holds onto childhood notions of magic and fantasy, believing that a hard drive is made of metal and that the bars of an umbrella are magical. He also romanticizes the lives of prostitutes, thinking their moans are genuine expressions of pleasure.
This person's refusal to grow up is also reflected in his rejection of authority and convention. He cannot accept that the "Reyes Magos" (Spanish equivalent of Santa Claus) could be town councilors and he draws his own name on the windows that look out over the courtyard of "Neverland." This person's perspective on the world is tainted by a sense of disillusionment, and he chooses to ignore reality in favor of his own fantasies.
However, the song takes a darker turn in the final verse. The person's innocence is shattered when his "springtime" is "violated" in a corner by people who wear suits and trench coats, a metaphor for those who abuse power and authority. The idea of heroes being dressed in suits reflects the idea that not all heroes wear capes, but rather are often those who hold positions of power and authority. The song acknowledges that there is a dark reality that cannot be escaped, and that innocence and fantasy cannot protect you from it.
Line by Line Meaning
El siempre creyó
Que un disco duro era un disco de metálica
Que las barillas del paraguas eran mágicas
Y los gemidos de las putas de verdad.
He always believed that a hard drive was a metal disk, that the rods of the umbrella were magical, and that the moans of prostitutes were real.
Nunca se resignó
A que los Reyes Magos fueran concejales
Dibujaba siempre su nombre en los cristales
Que daban al patio de luces de Nunca Jamás.
He never resigned himself to the idea of the Three Wise Men being local councilors. He always drew his name on the windows that overlooked the patio of Neverland.
No quiso crecer
Y el Pan de Peter se endurece día a día
Su callejón se olvida un caso a la salida
Y baila con lobos tangos tristes de Gardel.
He didn't want to grow up and his Peter Pan bread hardened day by day. His alley is forgotten at the exit and he danced with wolves to the sad tangos of Gardel.
Y al amanecer
Su primavera fué violada en una esquina
Con tanto héroe de corbata y gabardina
El gato al agua se llevó
Como siempre la heroína.
And at dawn, his spring was violated in a corner by so many heroes in ties and raincoats. The cat got the water, as always with heroin.
Y el siempre creyó
Que con cerrar los ojos nadie lo veía
Quiso dar la vuelta al mundo en ochenta días
Y no salió de un parque de Moratalá.
And he always believed that by closing his eyes, nobody would see him. He wanted to go around the world in eighty days, but he never left the park in Moratalá.
Le gustaba pensar
Que construiría mil castillos en el aire
Por si el infierno ya no fuera edificable
Cuando un mal pico lo juntara con Satán.
He liked to think that he would build a thousand castles in the air, just in case hell was no longer buildable. When a bad peak brought him together with Satan.
Contributed by Austin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.