I’m quite selective about the salsa music I enjoy – I certainly don’t like just any salsa song, willy-nilly. I have favourites across several salsa styles, many of which have featured here. Songs like Llorarás continue to leave a lasting mark. If anything, they sound better with each listen, as my ears and senses continue to adapt to the rich percussion and rhythmic intensity of salsa.
In rock ’n’ roll, guitar riffs often propel the music and give it its edge. In salsa, that same role is frequently played by brass and percussion. In Llorarás, the trumpet riffs are sharp and repetitive, and lock in with the rhythm section to create this crazy momentum. Those brass lines certainly drive it and give the track its enduring appeal.
Llorarás (You’ll Cry) is the most emblematic hit of Oscar D’León, affectionately known as El León de la Salsa (The Lion of Salsa). The Venezuelan musician and bassist is best known for his powerful contribution to salsa music. He recorded this track in 1974 with his band Dimensión Latina, and it has since become a worldwide anthem of Salsa Brava.
Salsa Brava (often called hard or tough salsa) is characterized by high energy, driving rhythms, strong Afro-Caribbean percussion, and bold, aggressive brass sections. It emerged in the 1970s as dance-floor music with attitude – raw and intense. Llorarás fits this style perfectly. Lyrically, it deals with heartbreak and defiance, delivering a clear message: the person who walked away will one day regret it.
Biography
Oscar D’León had a strong interest in percussion ever since he was a child, improvising bass parts with his throat while playing Latin rhythms with his hands on any available surface. He got in trouble in school early on for doing this constantly. He eventually worked alternate jobs as an auto mechanic, assembly line worker or taxi driver (during the day) and bass player (at night).
As he acquired a reputation for being a solid bass player, clever improviser (he would improvise entire songs on the spot), humorous entertainer and dynamic singer (he used to dance with a double bass onstage while singing, a not-so-subtle physical feat). Together with percussionist José Rodríguez and trombone players César Monge and José Antonio Rojas, he formed Dimensión Latina (see image left) in 1972 which created today’s iconic Salsa track – Llorarás. Four years later, D’León quit the group and created La Salsa Mayor.
Spanish / English subtitles
Sé que tú no quieres que yo a ti te quiera / I know you don’t want me to love you
Siempre tú me esquivas de alguna manera / You always dodge me in one way or another
Si te busco por aquí, me sales por allá / If I look for you here, you turn up over there
Lo único que yo quiero no me hagas sufrir más, tú verá’-rá’ / All I want is for you not to make me suffer anymore, you’ll see, see
[Verso 2]
Oye, oye bien / Hey, hey, listen closely
Por tu mal comportamiento te vas a arrepentir / For your bad behavior you’ll regret it
Bien caro tendrás que pagar todo mi sufrimiento / You’ll pay very dearly for all my suffering
Llorarás y llorarás sin alguien que te consuele / You’ll cry and cry with no one to comfort you
Así te darás de cuenta que si te engañan duele / That’s when you’ll realize that being cheated on hurts
[Interludio]
Tara-ra-ra-ra
Sufrirás como yo / You’ll suffer like I did
[Verso 3]
Oye, mira, y después vendrás a mí pidiéndome perdón / Hey, look, later you’ll come back to me asking for forgiveness
Pero ya mi corazón no se acuerda más de ti / But my heart doesn’t remember you anymore
Llorarás y llorarás sin alguien que te consuele / You’ll cry and cry with no one to comfort you
Así te darás de cuenta que si te engañan duele / That’s when you’ll realize that being cheated on hurts
[Interludio]
Te lo juro que sí / I swear it’s true
Bandolera /
Ahora el que ríe soy yo / Now I’m the one who’s laughing
[Pregón]
Llorarás, llorarás, llorarás (Llorarás) / You’ll cry, you’ll cry, you’ll cry (You’ll cry)
Como lo sufrí yo (Llorarás) / Just like I suffered (You’ll cry)
Oye, tú llorarás (Llorarás) / Hey, you’ll cry
Nadie te comprenderá (Llorarás) / No one will understand you
Todo lo malo que hiciste (Llorarás) / All the bad things you did
Oye, mira, lo pagarás (Llorarás) / Hey, look, you’ll pay for it
Llorarás, llorarás (Llorarás) / You’ll Cry, You’ll Cry
Llorarás, llorarás (Llorarás) / You’ll Cry, You’ll Cry
Tú me hiciste sufrir (Llorarás) / You made me suffer
Ahora el que ríe soy yo (Llorarás) / Now I’m the one laughing
Que no, que no, que sí, que sí (Llorarás) / No, no, yes, yes (You’ll cry)
Ahora yo voy a vivir (Llorarás) / Now I’m going to live
Mi vida como yo quiera (Llorarás) / My life the way I want
Echa pa’lante, que me voy (Llorarás) / Moving forward, I’m leaving
En esta Navidad, mama, ¡llévatela! / This Christmas, mama—take her away!
References:
1. Oscar D’León – 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 
As I’ve noted before, while I can generally recognize salsa, I’m not at all an expert of the genre. That said, I like the groovy aspect about this music. In fact, I almost find it impossible to listen without feeling the need to move. My wife has asked me more than once to take salsa classes. Perhaps one day I’ll relent! 🙂
You should go with your wife, Christian. That’d be fun.
Here it’s almost sacrilegious not to know how to dance salsa, and yet – somehow – I’ve never learned it properly. Your message has definitely given me the wake-up call to finally do something about it.