Sosa was born in Tucumán, a northwestern province of Argentina, of mestizo descent from French and Amerindian (Quechuan) ancestry. In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months.
Sosa and her first husband Manuel Oscar Matus were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement (which was called nuevo cancionero in Argentina). Her first record was Canciones con Fundamento (Songs with Fundament), a collection of Argentine folk songs.
In 1967, Sosa toured with great success the United States and Europe. In subsequent years, she performed and recorded extensively, broadening her repertoire to include material from throughout Latin America.
In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana (South American Cantata) and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean poet Violeta Parra.
After the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata (Buenos Aires) in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, and the attending crowd was arrested. Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.
Sosa returned to Argentina in 1982, several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Falklands War, and gave a series of concerts at the Opera theater in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller.
In the following years, Sosa continued to tour both in Argentina and abroad, performing in such venues as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Mogador in París.
Sosa's repertoire continued to broaden, and she made recordings in various styles. She collaborated frequently with Argentine musicians such as León Gieco, Charly García, Antonio Tarragó Ros, Rodolfo Mederos and Fito Páez, and other Latin American artists such as Milton Nascimento and Silvio Rodríguez.
Sosa participated in a 2001 production of the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez.
Mercedes Sosa's website(in Spanish)
Luna
Mercedes Sosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ni al silencio, ni al dolor
Y si me sentía sola
Me bastaba la imaginación.
Pero desde hace un tiempo
Algo pasa en mi interior;
No consigo ser la misma,
Luna dame inspiración por un instante
Y siembra mil estrellas en el aire,
Que quiero conquistar su corazón.
Luna llévale el calor de mis palabras
Y bébete la luz de la distancia
Que necesito verlo por favor.
Yo que siempre andaba al día,
Sin hechar la vista atrás;
Convencida presumía
De ser dueña de mi voluntad.
Y ahora estoy aquí sentada
Escribiendo una canción,
Como loca enamorada
Desojando palabra de amor.
Luna dame inspiración por un instante
Y siembra mil estrellas en el aire,
Que quiero conquistar su corazón.
Luna llévale el calor de mis palabras
Y bébete la luz de la distancia
Que necesito verlo por favor. (se repite…)
The opening lines of Mercedes Sosa's song 'Luna' express a time in the singer's life where she has never been afraid of anything, be it silence or pain. Her imagination was enough to comfort her when she felt lonely. However, that has changed, and she finds herself struggling to be herself because of the presence of inner conflict. The singer then makes a request to the moon, asking for inspiration, so she's able to write a song that expresses her love. It's apparent that the singer is nervous about sharing her emotions and stating her feelings for the person she loves. She hopes that the moon provides her with the courage to share her thoughts and feelings.
As the song progresses, we see the singer's vulnerability and insecurities consummating. Her certainties have been turned upside down, and she finds herself as if she's gone mad with love. The feeling of uncertainty is enough to cripple anyone, but she's still moving forward. The chorus repeats twice, showing the importance and urgency she holds for wanting the moon to help her pen the perfect song to profess her love. Sosa's voice is delicate but powerful, and the song's lyrics are powerful and distinctive, telling a story that anyone can relate to whenever they find themselves in a similar situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Nunca tuve miedo a nada,
I have never been afraid of anything,
Ni al silencio, ni al dolor
Not of silence, nor of pain,
Y si me sentía sola
And when I felt alone,
Me bastaba la imaginación.
My imagination was enough for me.
Pero desde hace un tiempo
But for some time now,
Algo pasa en mi interior;
Something is happening inside me;
No consigo ser la misma,
I can't be the same,
Me domina la contradicción.
I am dominated by contradiction.
Luna dame inspiración por un instante
Moon, give me inspiration for a moment,
Y siembra mil estrellas en el aire,
And sow a thousand stars in the air,
Que quiero conquistar su corazón.
For I want to conquer his heart.
Luna llévale el calor de mis palabras
Moon, take the warmth of my words to him,
Y bébete la luz de la distancia
And drink in the light of the distance,
Que necesito verlo por favor.
For I need to see him, please.
Yo que siempre andaba al día,
I, who always kept up with the times,
Sin hechar la vista atrás;
Without looking back;
Convencida presumía
Proudly convinced
De ser dueña de mi voluntad.
That I was the master of my will.
Y ahora estoy aquí sentada
And now here I am, sitting
Escribiendo una canción,
Writing a song,
Como loca enamorada
Like a crazy person in love,
Desojando palabra de amor.
Plucking petals of love words.
Contributed by Isabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maria Alemán
Buscando sus canciones me encuentro con ésta joya... No me canso de escucharla. No sé si es suya la letra pero, lo sea o no, es toda poesía para los sentidos. Maravillosa era, y seguirá siendo por siempre... Gracias por regalarnos esa Voz ✌️❤️
Marcelo Banegas
Increible! esa voz era de y para otro mundo. Y esa letra!, creo que era de los 90, recien hace un par de años que lo descubro. Quiero creer que casi nadie le ha escuchado, que casi nadie le conoce, pues si asi fuera, deberia haber algun dejo de humildes comentarios, como estos tal vez. Es un tema que transmite AMOR por donde se lo mire, y este deberia vencer cualquier odio, pero parece que fuera al reves. P.D: A todos aquellos que creen que el odio les pertenece y que pueden manejarlo, ... NUNCA FUE TUYO!, al igual que el AMOR, LOS DOS PROVIENEN DE SUS FUENTES. Cada uno sabra de que fuente nos estamos sirviendo, y para quien.
Mujernícola
Conocí esta canción cuando tenía veintipocos, en la casa de una amiga en Buenos aires, y me retrato en aquel momento
Necesarisimo volver siempre a ella
Batriz Basualdo
Poesía maravillosa x su letra , música y xq su reina eterna , intensa ,la canta con tanto sentimiento como si a fuese ella la que ama ...
Andrea Ferretto
Uma das minhas preferidas ❤
JUAN CAMILO TAMAYO ZAPATA
Saludos desde el fondo montañoso colombiano. Mercedes, te escucho a diario. Qué pasada eres, cuál es el secreto, cómo es posible tanto amor?... fantásticas todas tus composiciones, pero esta maravilla en particular, es pura apoteosis poética. Se me desdobla el alma en bellezas... Por acá te espero para escucharte en vivo, así sea en otra vida, mujer hermosa. Salud y buenos vientos, donde quiera que estés, eso sí, navegando - como siempre - lo profundo del alma humana. Besos y abrazos, siempre tuyo, Camilo.
analía Saber
Mi canción poesía preferida ❤
Olga Tee
Thank you Mercedes Sosa🌺🌷🌹❣️👌🌞Great singing but also Great music with in the end the sound like the Metal whitish color of the moon ‘Luna’👌❣️🌕
EMKO Blues
Que linda canción