Dominican music legend Juan Luis Guerra has featured here 6 times. Ojalá Que Llueva Café (I Wish That It Rains Coffee) will make it lucky seven. This song is a hymn of encouragement to Latin farmers in their fight to bring food to the city and cafe to the masses. Many latinos see Juan Luis Guerra as unmatched, unique and incomparable like each individual seed sown by the Cafeteras (coffee makers).
Juan Luis Guerra has sold 15 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards including 23 Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards.
A crude English translation of “Hope It Rains Coffee” (Verses 1, 2 & final) follows:
Oh oh I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
A downpour of yucca and tea
From heaven a jar of farm cheese
And to the south a mountain of watercress and honey
Oh oh Wo oh oh
I hope it rains coffee
I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Combing a high hill with wheat and mapuey
Go down the hill of grained rice
And continue the plowing to your hearts content
So that all the children sing in the field
I hope it rains coffee in the field
So that in La Romana they hear this song
I hope it rains coffee in the field
Ojalá Que Llueva Café is the title track from Juan Luis Guerra’s 4th studio album. It is considered one of his most emblematic and important albums. Critics praised the artistic growth and innovation it demonstrated and is seen as the “the album that made him a star“.
The title track Ojalá que llueva Café is a social criticism endured by rural Dominicans.
We Latin Americans are united by language, and also by hunger, need and hope. This great song portrays the illusion that one day everything will get better – Andres Tapia
Ojalá que llueva café was the first single released from the album in June 1989, and included the participation of the Dominican children’s choir “Retoños,” in the last verse. Its music video (seen below) is appraised as one of the best music videos in Dominican history. It was filmed in the southern region of the Dominican Republic.
Reference:
1. Ojalá Que Llueva Café – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Matt this is very cool. The song, video. Love the children at the end!
I’m chuffed you enjoyed it, Tom. I listened and watched the video again this morning.
The children effect reminds me a bit of when the children sing on Dylan’s ‘They Killed Him’.
I imagine you’d also like ‘Bachata Rosa’ from Juan Luis Guerra:
‘They Killed Him’.love that song. ‘Bachata Rosa’ is really cool. I really like him. Uplifting.