Latin alternative / Pop raggae
Album: ...próxima estación... Esperanza (RYM: 3.35/5)
Artist Biography by Chris Nickson (Allmusic)
Manu Chao helped begin the Latin alternative movement way back in the '80s -- although it had no name then -- and in his later work he cut a cross-cultural swath across styles and geographic boundaries. Chao was born on June 26, 1961, in Paris to Spanish parents -- his father, Ramon Chao, a respected writer, comes from Galicia, his mother Bilbao. Growing up bilingual, he was also influenced by the punk scene across the English Channel that happened while he was still in his teens. As a teen he played in bands, including a rockabilly outfit called Les Hot Pants, which won local critical praise but never went anywhere before breaking up. After that, Chao and his cousin began Mano Negra, named for an anarchist organization that operated in Spain. They recorded their first single, "Mala Vida," for a small label, but its French success led them to a contract with Virgin -- something many early fans decried as selling out.
Multilingual and decidedly multicultural, but with an edge heavily influenced by the punk rock of the Clash, Mano Negra seemed comfortably at home anywhere, be it North Africa or North America, in their music. Operating as a collective, without a manager, wasn't the best way to guarantee international success, and their attempts to break the U.S. at the start of the '90s didn't work -- America simply wasn't ready for their musical ratatouille. However, Europe loved them, as did South America. In 1992 they began a seemingly odd tour of Latin America, traveling by boat with actors and a circus, playing in port cities on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides, aided and abetted by various political guerilla groups, which sometimes didn't sit well with governments. In 1995, Chao moved the band to Spain, where he also formed another outfit, Radio Bemba Sound System, employing both musicians from Mano Negra and outside, which, according to rumors, caused rifts within the ranks, leading to the split of Mano Negra.
Chao then returned to South and Central America, spending the next few years drifting around with his guitar and a four-track, recording here and there. The resultant collection of songs was released in 1998 (1999 in the U.S.) under the title Clandestino and included a reworking of the Mano Negra track "King of Bongo," which was picked up for use on the soundtrack to Madonna's The Next Big Thing. The album itself took off very slowly, but after a year was going stronger than ever, a sleeper that found its niche in the burgeoning Latin alternative scene (even though its lyrics freely mixed English and French along with the Spanish). In 2000 Chao played a rare pair of shows in Los Angeles, and in June 2001 released Proxima Estacion: Esperanza, which showed that his musical self had been spending the last couple of years soaking up the sounds of the Caribbean. This was further explored on Radio Bemba Sound System, a live recording done in 2002 that was taken from the tour following Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. In 2004 Chao released his first French-only album, Sibérie M'était Contéee, about Paris, and in 2007 Radiolina, the artist's first studio album in six years, came out. It was followed in 2009 by the release of another live album, Baionarena, and by further heavy worldwide touring, including a number of high-profile festival appearances.
Wikipédia (more complete biography)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Chao
AllMusic Review by Alberto Moreno de la Fuente
Clandestino, Manu Chao's first solo effort, owed its greatness to its character. It was a minimalistic, yet filled with experimentation, album. But, what's most distinctive, it was honest, direct, intimate: the personal diary of someone who had traveled a lot, not only around Latin America but through life. Unfortunately, Chao seems to lose his way a little bit in Esperanza. Apparently intended to be a continuation of what started in Clandestino, it ends being just a clone of it. The reiteration of ideas and formulas takes away from Esperanza everything that made of Clandestino a memorable piece of work. The problem with Esperanza is that Chao, instead of deepening what he proposed in his first album, seems to overfly the surface of his ideas. The consequence of this is that he transforms charm into cliché, leaving the listener with a very light flavor. Anyway, Esperanza still has a bunch of great songs ("Mr Bobby," "Mi Vida," "Trapped By Love," "Me Gustas Tú," "Bixo") and good lyrics ("Mi Vida") which amply justify its listening. Dedicated fans will find that Esperanza is not what they were expecting, yet it's really easy-going and accessible so it will end working for them as well as for casual listeners.
Song (Wikipédia)
"Me Gustas Tú" is the second single from Manu Chao's second solo album, Próxima Estación: Esperanza. It has proved to be one of the artist's most popular songs worldwide. Its lyrics show a simple but catchy structure and it is primarily sung in Spanish but on the chorus French is also spoken. The song, as well as two other tracks from the same album, "La Primavera" and "Infinita Tristeza", feature the same background music. In fact, on the album, "La Primavera" fades and leads into "Me Gustas Tú".
Me gusta viajar, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la mañana, me gustas tú.
Me gusta el viento, me gustas tú.
Me gusta soñar, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la mar, me gustas tú.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais pas.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais plus.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je suis perdu.
¿Qué horas son, mi corazón?
Me gusta la moto, me gustas tú.
Me gusta correr, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la lluvia, me gustas tú.
Me gusta volver, me gustas tú.
Me gusta marijuana, me gustas tú.
Me gusta colombiana, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la montaña, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la noche...
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais pas.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais plus.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je suis perdu.
¿Qué horas son, mi corazón?
Me gusta la cena, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la vecina, me gustas tú.
Me gusta su cocina, me gustas tú.
Me gusta camelar, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la guitarra, me gustas tú.
Me gusta el reggae, me gustas tú.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais pas.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais plus.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je suis perdu.
¿Qué horas son, mi corazón?
Me gusta la canela, me gustas tú.
Me gusta el fuego, me gustas tú.
Me gusta menear, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la Coruña, me gustas tú.
Me gusta Malasaña, me gustas tú.
Me gusta la castaña, me gustas tú.
Me gusta Guatemala, me gustas tú.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais pas.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je ne sais plus.
¿Qué voy a hacer? Je suis perdu.
¿Qué horas son, mi corazón?
I like airplanes, I like you.
I like to travel, I like you.
I like the morning, I like you.
I like the wind, I like you.
I like to dream, I like you.
I like the sea, I like you.
What am I going to do? I don't know.
What am I going to do? I don't know anymore.
What I'm going to do? I'm lost.
What time is it, my darling?
I like motocycles, I like you.
I like running, I like you.
I like the rain, I like you.
I like going back, I like you.
I like marijuana, I like you.
I like Colombiana Kola, I like you.
I like mountains, I like you.
I like the night...
What am I going to do? I don't know.
What am I going to do? I don't know anymore.
What I'm going to do? I'm lost.
What time is it, my darling?
I like dinner, I like you.
I like my neighbor, I like you.
I like her cooking, I like you.
I like to flirt, I like you.
I like the guitar, I like you.
I like reggae, I like you.
What am I going to do? I don't know.
What am I going to do? I don't know anymore.
What I'm going to do? I'm lost.
What time is it, my darling?
I like cinnamon, I like you.
I like fire, I like you.
I like to shake it, I like you.
I like Corunna, I like you.
I like Malasaña, I like you.
I like chestnuts, I like you.
I like Guatemala, I like you.
What am I going to do? I don't know.
What am I going to do? I don't know anymore.
What I'm going to do? I'm lost.
What time is it, my darling?
Thanks to frukost on LyricsTranslate.