For her part, Mónica Molina grew up in Madrid and began her career in show business as an actress, making her screen debut at age 18 with her sister in 1986's La Mitad del Cielo (released in the U.S. as Half of Heaven in 1988). Further roles followed in the '90s (1992's Demasiado Corazon, 1993's La Ardilla Roja [The Red Squirrel], 1995's Belmonte) before Molina turned to the theater, making her stage debut in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. She went on to appear in a television series with her sister before embarking on a musical career.
After her father's death in 1996, she and her brother Noel began work on an album paying tribute to Antonio Molina, with Noel writing the music. Finally released in 1999, to a public previously unaware of her musical ambitions, Tu Desperida (Your Goodbye) became a sizable hit in Spain, selling over 50,000 copies. Two years later, she returned with a follow-up, Vuela, which featured a combination of boleros, ballads, and Portuguese fados. Vuela was an even bigger success, breaking Molina to a more international audience and earning her a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Album at the 2002 Latin Grammy Awards. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Ay Amor
Monica Molina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
iluminando este rinc?n de mi soledad.
Resulta tan dif?cil dividir lo que me dicta este sentir entre la verdad...
Ay, ay, amor, si s? que no me puedes querer,
?qu? diablos hago am?ndote?
Soy prisionera de tu calor.
?qu? ser? lo que veo en ti, si al cabo s?lo queda el dolor?
?Ser? el aire que te das, moreno,
que beb? la p?cima de tu veneno
o tu forma de mirar, que nubla mi voluntad?
?Ser? el brillo de tu voz, serena, dulce melod?a que quita la pena,
o tu forma de re?r al comp?s de mi latir?
Disculpa que no me pueda quedar
a descansar en tu jard?n ni un minuto:
es tiempo de partir hacia el lugar
donde una buena tierra al fin d? su fruto...
Ay, ay, amor, que yo s?lo quisiera saber
qu? rayos habr? visto en ?l, si al cabo s?lo queda el dolor...
?Ser? el aire que te das, moreno,
que beb? la p?cima de tu veneno
o tu forma de mirar, que nubla mi voluntad?
?Ser? el brillo de tu voz, serena, dulce melod?a que quita la pena,
o tu forma de re?r al comp?s de mi latir?
Ay, ay, se?or, si yo s?lo quisiera saber
qu? es lo que habr? visto en usted, si al cabo s?lo queda el dolor...
(gracias a Rebk por esta letra)
The lyrics of Monica Molina's "Ay Amor" describe conflicted feelings of love towards someone who cannot reciprocate those feelings. The singer sits alone on their balcony, contemplating the difficulty of distinguishing between their true emotions and the pain they feel from loving someone who cannot love them back. Despite this, they describe themselves as being "prisoner" to this person's warmth and affection. The singer is full of questions, wondering what it is they see in this person, whether it is their charm, their voice, or their laughter that cloud their judgment.
As the song comes to a close, the singer apologizes for not being able to stay in this person's garden for even a moment longer. It is time for the singer to move on, to a place where good fruits can finally come from good soil. The song ends with the singer continuing to question their feelings, asking if they will ever truly understand what it is they saw in this person if all that remains is the pain of unrequited love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Ay Amor" express the complicated emotions of loving someone who cannot love you back, and the difficulty of deciphering what truly attracts us to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
La tarde se detiene en mi balcón,
The afternoon stops on my balcony, illuminating this corner of my solitude.
Resulta tan difícil dividir lo que me dicta este sentir entre la verdad...
It's so hard to separate what this feeling dictates to me from the truth...
Ay, ay, amor, si sé que no me puedes querer, ¿qué diablos hago amándote?
Oh, love, if I know you can't love me, what the hell am I doing loving you?
Soy prisionera de tu calor.
I'm a prisoner of your warmth.
Amor, ya no me dejo de repetir, ¿qué será lo que veo en ti, si al cabo sólo queda el dolor?
Love, I keep asking myself, what is it that I see in you, if in the end, only pain remains?
¿Será el aire que te das, moreno, que bebí la pócima de tu veneno o tu forma de mirar, que nubla mi voluntad?
Could it be the way you carry yourself, dark one, that I drank the potion of your poison, or the way you look at me, clouding my will?
¿Será el brillo de tu voz, serena, dulce melodía que quita la pena, o tu forma de reír al compás de mi latir?
Could it be the sparkle of your calm voice, sweet melody that dispels sorrow, or your way of laughing in sync with my heartbeat?
Disculpa que no me pueda quedar a descansar en tu jardín ni un minuto: es tiempo de partir hacia el lugar donde una buena tierra al fin dó su fruto...
Sorry I can't stay to rest in your garden for a minute: it's time to leave for the place where a good land finally bore its fruit...
Ay, ay, amor, que yo sólo quisiera saber qué rayos habré visto en él, si al cabo sólo queda el dolor...
Oh, love, I just wish to know what the hell I saw in him, if in the end, only pain remains...
¿Será el aire que te das, moreno, que bebí la pócima de tu veneno o tu forma de mirar, que nubla mi voluntad?
Could it be the way you carry yourself, dark one, that I drank the potion of your poison, or the way you look at me, clouding my will?
¿Será el brillo de tu voz, serena, dulce melodía que quita la pena, o tu forma de reír al compás de mi latir?
Could it be the sparkle of your calm voice, sweet melody that dispels sorrow, or your way of laughing in sync with my heartbeat?
Ay, ay, señor, si yo sólo quisiera saber qué es lo que habré visto en usted, si al cabo sólo queda el dolor...
Oh, sir, if only I knew what the hell I saw in you, if in the end, only pain remains...
Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.