De Musica Ligera (1990) – Soda Stereo

De Musica Lijera (translated – From Delicate Music) is the first Latin rock song I have presented here. The Argentine rock band Soda Stereo released it on their 1990 album Cancion Animal (Song Animal). It is one of their most famous and iconic songs (if 48 million views are to go by in the you tube video) still played with frequency here in Colombia. Apart from western rock music like Queen or Aerosmith which is very popular here, I rarely hear Latin rock music on the radio except Soda Stereo.

The drummer of Soda Stereo ‘Charly’ stated, ‘We recorded it (de musica lijera) in a single try, in a studio in Miami. This is unusual, because usually it takes like fifteen times to record. After, we recorded two additional versions, to try out different things, but they didn’t stick. The version that is heard on the album is the first take we did.‘

She slept in the heat of the masses
And I woke up wanting to dream of her
Some time ago I thought of writing to her
That I never dodged the traps of love

Of that love
Of light music
Nothing frees us
Nothing else remains

I will not send you ashes of roses
I do not intend to avoid a secret touch
(loose English translation)

I like to hear this song, not because I think it’s some masterclass classic rock song, but it seems to have harnessed a lot of an alternative rock arrangement that I would later be accustomed to hearing in English just after its release. I love it’s riff and it’s hard not to impressed by what it sets out to do. Even so, it’s surprising how it remains so successful in Latin America and be so fondly revisited by Generation X.

In November 2017 Coldplay did a cover of ‘De Musica Lijera’ This song is recognised as one of the most memorable songs of rock in Spanish. From the ten songs that were on the record, 9 of them were released as singles. You can read more from each band members description of the album here (in Spanish).

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand