Grammy Award winning song: Calle 13 - Latinoamrica

[Judi Lynn]

Wikipedia:

Latinoamérica (song)

"Latinoamérica" is a song by Puerto Rican alternative hip hop band Calle 13, released September 27, 2011, as the fifth single from their fourth studio album, Entren Los Que Quieran (2010). It was written and produced by Rafael Arcaute and Calle 13, and features additional vocals from other Latinoamerican recording artists; Peruvian Susana Baca, Colombian Totó la Momposina and Brazilian Maria Rita. The song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2011. The song is important in that it touches on many underlying historical, social, and political themes present throughout Latin America.[1]

Background
Calle 13 is well known for their creation of music with strong themes and agendas, particularly music focused on social consciousness. The band has also released a documentary, Sin Mapa. Sin Mapa follows the evolution of Calle 13 as its two main members, stepbrothers Residente (René Pérez Joglar) and Visitante (Eduardo José Cabra Martínez), travel across Latin America. Sin Mapa presents many of the same issues highlighted in "Latinoamérica". "Latinoamérica"'s reflection on historical, social, and political themes acts as a criticism of Western force and influence within Latin America, while at the same time asserting the collective strength of the Latin American oppressed. In addressing the shared history of Latin America, the band exposes the faults that are still a factor in present-day Latin America.

Music video
The music video for Latinoamérica was filmed in March, over the course of twenty-one days, in Perú. It was directed by Jorge Carmona and Milovan Radovic. In addition to the new footage shot throughout Latin America, the music video incorporates previously unused footage shot by the brothers from their pivotal trip captured in Sin Mapa. The video opens to a striking landscape of Peruvian mountains, as the silhouettes of Residente and Visitante are seen crossing the frame.

The stepbrothers make their way up dirt roads, to a radio station in the Peruvian mountains, where they are presented to a Quechua-speaking DJ.

As the video continues, additional symbolism becomes apparent. The start of the song’s instrumental music contains percussion reminiscent of the sound of heartbeats. The audio image of heartbeats is then synchronized to a large visual image of a beating heart.

In the remainder of "Latinoamérica"'s music video there is a wide variety of interesting symbols that play off the song’s lyrics. Nevertheless, for the most part these symbols ultimately tie back to the themes of unity and knowledge.

Musical composition
The song primarily incorporates the Argentine chacarera, which is a style with 6/8 meter and syncopated drum patterns.

Critical reception
Calle 13 was nominated for 10 Latin Grammys in 2011, two of which – Song of the Year and Record of the Year – were for "Latinoamérica".[1] The group won both awards for "Latinoamérica" as well as seven others, which makes them the current record-holders for the group with the most Latin Grammy wins.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latinoam%C3%A9rica_(song)




This act has won the post Latin Grammys in history.


Lyrics
I
am I am what they left
I am completely left over from what was stolen
A town hidden on the top
My skin is made of leather so it can withstand any weather
I am a smoke factory
Peasant labor for your consumption
Cold front in the middle of summer
Love in the time of cholera, my brother
The sun that rises and the day that dies
With the best sunsets
I am the development in living flesh
A political speech without saliva
The most beautiful faces I have ever known
I am the photograph of a missing person
The blood inside of your veins
I am a piece of land that is worth it
I am a basket with beans
I am maradona against England scoring two goals
I am what sustains my flag
The spine of the planet is my mountain range
I am what my father taught me He
who does not love his country does not want his mother
I am Latin America
A town without legs but that walks , hears
You can't buy in the wind
You can't buy in the sun
You can't buy the rain
You can't buy the heat
You can't buy the clouds
You can't buy the colors
You can't buy my joy
You can't buy my pains
You can't buy in the wind
You can't buy in the sun
You can't buy the rain
You can't buy the heat
You can't buy the clouds
You can't buy the colors
You can't buy my joy
You can't buy my pains
I have the lakes, I have the rivers
I have my teeth for me when I smile
The snow that makes up my mountains
I have the sun that dries me and the rain that bathes me
A drunken desert with beautiful drinks of a pulque
To sing with the coyotes, everything what I need
I have my lungs breathing light blue
The height that suffocates
I am the teeth of my mouth chewing coca
Autumn with its leafless leaves
The verses written under the starry night
A vineyard full of grapes
A cane field under the sun in Cuba
I am the Caribbean Sea Who watches the houses
Making rituals of holy water
The wind that combs my hair
I am all the saints that hang from my neck
The juice of my fight is not artificial
Because the fertilizer of my land is natural
You can't buy in the wind
You can't buy in the sun
You can't buy the rain
You can't buy the heat
You can't buy the clouds
You can't buy the colors
You can't buy my joy
You can't buy my pains
It is not possible to buy or sell it It is
not possible to buy or sun It is
not possible to buy to chuva It is
not possible to buy or heat It is
not possible to buy as nuvens It is
not possible to buy as cores It is
not possible to buy minha'legria It is
not possible to buy minhas dores
You can't buy the sun
You can't buy the rain
Let's go walking
Let's draw the road
You can't buy my life
My land doesn't sell
Gross work but with pride
Here it is shared, mine is yours
This town does not drown with marullos
And if it collapses I do not rebuild it I do
not blink when I look at you
So you remember my last name
The operation condor invading my nest I
forgive but never forget, hey
Here you breathe fight
(We are walking)
I sing because you hear (we are walking)
Here we stand
May America live
you can not buy my life
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Rafael Ignacio Arcaute / Eduardo Cabra / Rene Perez
Latin America lyrics © Sadaic Latin Copyrights, Inc