This song is all about how Tula's bedroom ( "El Cuarto de Tula") has gone up in flames. That is to say, someone may look the part, but underneath they lack character. What a bizarre twist to the tale! However, these words should not be taken literally, this is a very old (and no longer used) Cuban expression meaning that one's fine appearance is all a facade. The last words of the song are about a man who "camina como chévere, ha matado a su madre", meaning he "he walks cool, he has killed his mother". This song is therefore steeped in moral advice in keeping on the straight and narrow in life. "De Camino a La Vereda" roughly translates as "moving from the road to the pavement". This song is all about not getting led astray. Incidentally, for those who think that writing hit songs is a young person's game, Compay Segundo wrote this catchy tune at the grand old age of 77. The most sung part of the song, "De Alto Cedro voy para Marcané, llego a Cueto voy para Mayarí" simply translates as places where the singer is going in Eastern Cuba: "From Alto Cedro I go towards Marcané, I get to Cueto, head for Mayarí". Chan Chan gets embarrassed as when he puts the sand into a sieve and gives it to Juanica to shake, her whole body shakes at the same time. The lyrics are based on an old Cuban folktale and depict how Chan Chan and a woman called Juanica go to the beach to collect sand, which they intend to use to build a house. Buena Vista Social Club's most famous songs and their meaningĬhan Chan is the name of the male character of the song. Here is a concise breakdown of the lyrics to the songs. There's everything from love and heartbreak to patriotic sacrifice and stories about house fires that have a cheeky double meaning. But once you get to grips with the themes, the songs get elevated to a new level. The album's success owes a lot to the musicality of the songs, and you can easily listen to them and get great pleasure without having a clue what they are singing about.
The album is readily available online and is a good gateway into the diverse range of musical creations in Cuba, especially the genres of son, bolero and danzón. The result, the Buena Vista Social Club album, sold over a million copies worldwide upon its release, and was also accompanied by a critically acclaimed film.
In the mid-1990s the US musician Ry Cooder and his colleagues took high-tech recording equipment to Cuba, assembled some old-time Cuban musicians and re-recorded local songs with a twist.
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