Limón y Sal (2006) – Julieta Venegas

I love you with lemon and salt
I love you just the way you are
There’s no need to change anything about you
I love you whether you are coming or going
If you’re up and down, and you’re not
Sure how you feel

The Limón y Sal (Lemon and Salt) is the refreshing but bitter twist used for a classic margarita. It is the metaphor for today’s featured track about the acceptance of a loved one; their strengths and weaknesses – “The sweet is never as sweet without the sour.“
I first heard it yesterday morning when I was browsing a local variety store (stationery, second hand CD, DVDs, books, games etc) called ‘La Gran Manzana‘ (The Big Apple). I was captivated from first-listen and I noticed the store clerks singing in unison. Naturally I asked what it was called. Limón y Sal is a marvellously whimsical and upbeat song despite the depth and sincerity of its subject matter. More over it capped off a lovely morning really, just gallivanting around without a care in the world.

Limón y sal is Julieta Venegas’ second single release from her fourth studio album with the same name. Released in Mexico and USA on August 30, 2006, it did not chart on the billboard hot Latin songs chart. Julieta Venegas is an American-born Mexican singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer who specializes in pop-rock-indie music in Spanish. She took about a year to develop her album, Limón y Sal. When the first single “Me Voy,” (I’m going) a Ranchera/Pop song, was released in March 2006, it quickly rose in popularity, transcending distance and language barriers as it was performed in English, Italian and Spanish.

After a single week, Limón y Sal received a platinum for 100 thousand records in Mexico and more golds for selling 50 thousand copies in both Spain and the United States. A few days later, the album received another gold record for more than 50 thousand copies in Italy.
A total of 4 singles were released. At the same time, she paid tribute to Andrés Calamaro, one of my favourite Latin American music artists, with “Sin Documentos.”

More music will feature here from Julieta Venegas including the aforementioned song Me Voy. Below you can find the official music video of Limón y Sal where Julieta meets a werewolf, and both fall for each other. The video below that is the version translated into English.

An English translation follows:

[Verse 1]
I have to confess that sometimes
I don’t like your way of being
Then you disappear from me
And I don’t really understand why

[Verse 2]
You don’t say anything romantic
When the sunset arrives
You act strangely
With each full moon every month

[Pre-Chorus]
But apart from that
The good that you give me wins me over
Just to have you close
I feel like I’m starting over

[Chorus]
I love you with lemon and salt
I love you just the way you are
There’s no need to change anything about you
I love you whether you are coming or going
If you’re up and down, and you’re not
Sure how you feel

[Verse 3]
I have to confess to you now
I never believed in happiness
Sometimes it looks a bit like it
But it’s pure coincidence

[Pre-Chorus]
Then I come to find myself
With your eyes they give me something else
Just having you close
I feel like I’m starting over

[Chorus] x 2

[Outro]
Just having you close
I feel like I’m starting over

References:
1. Limón y Sal – Wikipedia
2. Limón y sal (song) – Wikipedia