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 "Moratal谩". However, he reached true fame with the 2004 Vuelta a Espa帽a 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 f煤tbol".
In 2007, he received the "Best Tour" award from the "Premios de la M煤sica" ceremony held in Cordoba. He also did an advertising campaign for Canal+ Spain entitled "Me gusta el f煤tbol" (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, A煤n m谩s curiosa la cara de tu padre, including the original disc and another with nine new songs and links to exclusive content on his website.
Hasta Que la Muerte Los Separe
Melendi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anuncia un mal nacido tras la puerta
Porque llego el del coraz贸n cobarde
Cobarde, mil motivos para odiarle
Por el pasillo cruje una madera
Igual que suena el alma de esa madre
Porque el no pega con la mano abierta
Es algo que aprendi贸 viendo a su padre
Si cortarse las venas o clavarselo a el
Si apoyar la nevera se deja caer
Y llorando
le ruega que no le des en el mismo lado
marido y mujer
hasta que la muerte los separe
y ella espera tener hierro en sus manos
porque solo as铆 podr谩 devolverle parte del da帽o
Y fue a la ley
y la ley le dio del otro lao
no son suficientes los moraos
y segar al cero su amor sincero
pa condenarle
el solamente se siente seguro
cosiendole el coraz贸n a su pu帽o
un hombre que es infiel
hasta del viento
pues sabe que el solo es mierda por dentro
pero la vida le devolvi贸 la hostia
clavando aquel momento en su memoria
momento que no cuento los humanos
ahogando lo que hacia tiempo habia matado
Ella conge un cuchillo no sabe que hacer
Si cortarse las venas o clavarselo a el
Si apoyar la nevera se deja caer
Y llorando
le ruega que no le des en el mismo lado
marido y mujer
hasta que la muerte los separe
y ella espera tener hierro en sus manos
porque solo as铆 podr谩 devolverle parte del da帽o
porque fue a la ley
y la ley le dio del otro lao
no son suficientes los moraos
y segar al cero su amor sincero
pa condenarle
marido y mujer
hasta que la muerte los separe
y ella espera tener hierro en sus manos
porque solo as铆 podr谩 devolverle parte del da帽o
porque fue a la ley
y la ley le dio del otro lao
no son suficientes los moraos
y segar al cero su amor sincero
pa condenarle
Y no le dio
Miedo la muerte
Y se marcho
Tan sonriente
Fue la ultima vez
Que lloro
Y no le dio
Miedo la muerte
Y se marcho
Tan sonriente
Fue la ultima vez
Que lloro
The lyrics to Melendi's song "Hasta Que la Muerte Los Separe" tells the story of a woman who is driven to extreme measures by her abusive and unfaithful husband. The song starts with the husband returning home, and the wife preparing for his arrival with a knife in hand. The husband, who has learned to be violent and callous from his own father's example, is met with the anger and frustration of his wife who struggles with the decision of whether to harm herself or harm him.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the couple's relationship has been toxic for some time. The wife seeks recourse through the legal system, but it is not enough to satisfy her desire for justice. The couple is bound together by the traditional vows of "marido y mujer, hasta que la muerte los separe" (husband and wife, until death do us part) even though their love has become tainted and broken.
Despite her feelings of despair, the wife finally breaks free from the cycle of abuse and the song ends on an uplifting note. She becomes unafraid of death and leaves with a smile on her face, having shed the last of her tears.
Overall, "Hasta Que la Muerte Los Separe" is a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of toxic relationships and the resilience of those who manage to break free from them.
Line by Line Meaning
Afina la punter铆a con las llaves
He prepares for a possible confrontation with his partner by holding his keys firmly
Anuncia un mal nacido tras la puerta
He knows his partner's angry and abusive behavior is about to manifest again
Porque llego el del coraz贸n cobarde
He acknowledges his own cowardice in staying with his abusive partner
Cobarde, mil motivos para odiarle
He resents himself for not having the courage to leave despite the countless reasons to do so
Por el pasillo cruje una madera
He hears the sound of a creaky floorboard, symbolizing the tense atmosphere in the house
Igual que suena el alma de esa madre
The creaky floorboard sounds like the mother's soul crying out in pain for her child's suffering
Porque el no pega con la mano abierta
He doesn't physically hit his partner because he learned from his abusive father that hitting is done with a closed fist
Es algo que aprendi贸 viendo a su padre
He attributes his abusive behavior to the toxic masculinity modeled by his father
Ella coge un cuchillo no sabe que hacer
She grabs a knife in a moment of desperation, unsure of how to protect herself
Si cortarse las venas o clavarselo a el
She considers self-harm or even harming him in order to escape the cycle of abuse
Si apoyar la nevera se deja caer
She collapses in despair, overwhelmed by the weight of the abuse and trauma
Y llorando le ruega que no le des en el mismo lado
She tearfully begs him not to hit her in the same spot again, hoping to avoid any more physical pain
marido y mujer hasta que la muerte los separe
They are bound by the social construct of marriage until death, regardless of the abuse within the relationship
y ella espera tener hierro en sus manos porque solo as铆 podr谩 devolverle parte del da帽o
She wishes to have the strength to fight back, to be able to inflict some of the same pain on him
Y fue a la ley y la ley le dio del otro lao no son suficientes los moraos
She seeks help from the law, but finds it to be ineffective and unsympathetic to her plight
y segar al cero su amor sincero pa condenarle
She hopes to completely destroy their love in order to punish him for his abuse
el solamente se siente seguro cosiendole el coraz贸n a su pu帽o
He feels powerful and safe when he inflicts harm on his partner, using his closed fist to sew up his own wounded heart
un hombre que es infiel hasta del viento pues sabe que el solo es mierda por dentro
He is unfaithful to his partner and knows deep down that he is a terrible person
pero la vida le devolvi贸 la hostia clavando aquel momento en su memoria
A moment of painful retribution from life becomes etched in his memory
momento que no cuento los humanos ahogando lo que hacia tiempo habia matado
He keeps the painful moment a secret, trying to bury the pain and trauma he has inflicted on others
Y no le dio miedo la muerte y se marcho tan sonriente fue la ultima vez que lloro
He is not afraid of death and leaves with a smile, having finally reached an end to his suffering and pain
Contributed by Alex H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.