Becoming involved in music since he was 15, in 1979 he and his brother Alejandro formed underground rock band ZAS. The following year he managed to contact Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and gain a spot on stage as the opening act for the British group for their Buenos Aires concerts. He turned ZAS into one of the most important argentine rock bands of the early 80s.
In 1986, Mateos recorded in the United States his first solo album (officially, but in practice he still used members of ZAS as supporting band). With a much more polished sound, and greater pop accessibility than the ZAS works, Mateos jumped on the crest of the wave of Argentine rock acts that dominated the 1986-1988 period all over Latin America, Spain, and elsewhere.
Solos en América was considered a watershed album containing cuts that would become classics of Rock en Español from that time, including the homonymous track, "Cuando Seas Grande", and "Mi Sombra en la Pared".
Riding a wave of massive popularity in Mexico, Mateos introduced the slogan "Rock en tu Idíoma" (Rock In Your Language) in 1987. He began touring that nation, introducing along the way local acts such as Caifanes and Maldita Vecindad, among others. All those groups would become major acts in their own right within a short period. In the 1987-1988 Mateos would tour Latin America to sell-out stadiums.[1] He was among the first Rock en Español acts to receive active support from fledgling MTV International.
The 1990s would be a period of continued solo success for Mateos and his now adult-pop rock music across the Spanish-speaking world, though ironically he would drop off somewhat in popularity in his homeland. In general, what in the rest of Latin America is considered rock, in Argentina tends to be seen as pop. This has sometimes led to cultural confusion about how to categorize the current Miguel Mateos musical output, as outside Argentina Mateos remains an iconic figure of the Rock en Español movement.
Mateos went on the so-called first Rock en Español tour of the United States in 1990, where he was awared the Bravo Musical Award. He released Bar Imperio in 1998 and after a hiatus released Uno in 2005.
Yo
Miguel Mateos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Perdón por tanta vanidad
Sabes muy bien como soy yo
Con el pulgar tapo el sol
Mañana siempre es mejor
Así soy yo
A veces rock, a veces pop
A veces retro y otras post
A veces simplemente yo
Yo fui quien te llamó
Y dejó en el contestador
Porque yo
Que amo el suspenso y la inquietud
Y hago del cambio una virtud
Vengo a dar con vos
No te das cuenta que
Caemos en la red
En la conspiración
Y a veces no sos vos
Y otras no soy yo
Que hace un hombre como yo
En el paraíso de tu piel
Sino entregarse a algún complot
Y esperar la ocasión
Estoy seguro que soy (yo)
Yo soy tu gran amor
Y no quisiera presumir
Modestia aparte así soy yo
El que rezo y blasfemo
Y grabo en el contestador
Porque yo
Que amo el suspenso y la inquietud
Y hago del cambio una virtud
Vengo a dar con vos
No te das cuenta que
Caemos en la red,
En la conspiración
Y a veces no sos vos
Y otras no soy yo
The opening line of "Yo" by Miguel Mateos, "Yo, yo soy tu gran amor" (I am your great love), sets the tone for a song about love, its complexities, and its powers. The singer apologizes for his vain tendencies and acknowledges that the listener knows who he is - a person who tries to control everything and cover up his flaws. He talks about how he calls and leaves messages on the answering machine; he loves the suspense and the unease and sees change as a strength. He also accepts his conspiracies and faults in their relationship.
Throughout the song, Miguel Mateos questions the motives of love and how it can affect people. "Que hace un hombre como yo en el paraíso de tu piel" (What is a man like me doing in the paradise of your skin?) suggests that he doesn't feel worthy of being loved in such a manner. Yet, he also acknowledges that he is the great love the listener is waiting for. The song ends with the line "Y a veces no sos vos y otras no soy yo" (Sometimes, it's not you, and sometimes, it's not me), implying that both the singer and the listener are to blame for the relationship's issues and that it's necessary to look past the blame game to understand each other better.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, yo soy tu gran amor
I am your great love
Perdón por tanta vanidad
Sorry for so much vanity
Sabes muy bien como soy yo
You know exactly how I am
Con el pulgar tapo el sol
With my thumb, I cover the sun
Mañana siempre es mejor
Tomorrow is always better
Así soy yo
That's how I am
A veces rock, a veces pop
Sometimes rock, sometimes pop
A veces retro y otras post
Sometimes retro and other times post
A veces simplemente yo
Sometimes simply me
Yo fui quien te llamó
I was the one who called you
Y dejó en el contestador
And left a message on the answering machine
Porque yo
Because I
Que amo el suspenso y la inquietud
Who loves suspense and unease
Y hago del cambio una virtud
And turn change into a virtue
Vengo a dar con vos
I come to find you
No te das cuenta que
Don't you realize that
Caemos en la red
We fall into the trap
En la conspiración
In the conspiracy
Y a veces no sos vos
And sometimes it's not you
Y otras no soy yo
And other times it's not me
Que hace un hombre como yo
What is a man like me doing
En el paraíso de tu piel
In the paradise of your skin
Sino entregarse a algún complot
Except joining in some plot
Y esperar la ocasión
And waiting for the opportunity
Estoy seguro que soy (yo)
I am sure that I am (me)
Yo soy tu gran amor
I am your great love
Y no quisiera presumir
And I don't want to brag
Modestia aparte así soy yo
Modesty aside, that's how I am
El que rezo y blasfemo
The one who prays and blasphemes
Y grabo en el contestador
And records on the answering machine
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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