Tren al Sur

Last updated
"Tren al Sur"
Single by Los Prisioneros
from the album Corazones
Released7 May 1990 (1990-05-07)
Genre
Length
  • 5:39
Label EMI
Producer(s) Gustavo Santaolalla
Los Prisioneros singles chronology
"We Are South American Rockers"
(1988)		"Tren al Sur"
(1990)		"Estrechez De Corazón"
(1990)

"Tren al Sur" (English: "Train to the South") is a song from the album Corazones by the Chilean rock/pop band Los Prisioneros, released as the main single on May 7, 1990. It was considered one of the 50 most important Latin pop songs by Rolling Stone and one of the most groundbreaking Hispanic songs by The Observer . Its official video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 1990.

Contents

Composition and recording

During the recording of their 1990 album, Corazones , the band's vocalist Jorge González dedicated himself to making different demos of more than 19 songs (of which only nine remained for the album), among them were "Por amarte" and "Tren al Sur". He came to make up 3 different versions of both songs, trying to find the environment and the most perfect form of each one. The "most drastic influence for these songs" was during his visit in Bogota, Colombia in 1988, when Claudio Narea showed him some acid house-style records that he bought in France. He talked to his friend Cecilia Aguayo to be his keyboardist. [3]

"Tren al Sur" leaned towards "new musical fashions like the ballads". Its tempo and synth line was mainly based on the 1987 single "Touched by the Hand of God" by English rock band New Order. González programmed the drums and the band's producer, Gustavo Santaolalla, decided to make "a little stop, one where the train stops and they continue singing the chorus only with the noise of the train in the background". According to González, that "rounded off the song" and he also mentioned the importance of a charango brought by Gustavo. [4]

He claimed that the song originated after starring in a "destructive romance", [4] and in a 1990 interview with Rock & Pop magazine stated that "Tren al Sur" and "Es demasiado triste" were written by him "in a slight state of intoxication". [5] According to the former member of Los Prisioneros, the song conveys: "The happiness of the simple, which means enjoying the journey, that journey through life. Although it was composed by Jorge González, a former bandmate, as an interpreter I can say that it is a song that has transpired." [6]

Release

"Tren al Sur" was released on the EMI label [7] as the first single from the album Corazones on May 7, 1990, prior to the official release of the album, and was planned to play on Chilean radio stations. [8] [9] The objective initially had complications, [10] since it had gone six months without playing on the radio. In 1989, the radios had put aside Rock en español and gave importance to other genres. "In fact, there were new albums by Soda (Stereo) and people didn't give a damn ball", González said in an interview with the Rock & Pop radio. [4]

Music video

The difficulties of recording the single caused Jorge to resort to the creation of a music video supported by producer Gustavo. [4] This video "melancholic and frank" was directed by Cristián Galaz, [3] and filmed in Estación Central in June 1990. [11] After the completion of the music video, the song began to play on several Chilean radio stations. [4] It was nominated for an "MTV Video Music Award" in the category "MTV International," but lost to “Oye mi Canto” by Gloria Estefan. [12]

Critical reception

In 2018, the Spanish language version of Rolling Stone magazine chose it as one of the eighteen most important Latin pop songs, and it commented that in this song, Jorge "revisits moments of his childhood; he remembers the sound of the locomotive, the smell of metal, the beautiful Chilean landscapes and the hug of his father." It also cited the influence it had on artists such as Alex Anwandter, Gepe, and Javiera Mena. [1] The Observer's Alice Moreno considered it one of the most groundbreaking Hispanic songs. [13]

Legacy

"Tren al Sur" was featured in an episode of the Chilean animated series Diego and Glot in which the band played it on a train. [14] The book Tren al sur: tropicalización del gótico en el Río de la Plata honored the song. [15] In 2018, a video of several students from the Alicante del Valle de Puente Alto School singing the song was recorded and went viral. The video was shared by González himself on his Facebook account. [16] It was covered by different artists, including Mexican synth-pop band Mœnia, [17] and Chilean rock band Lucybell. [8] In 2020, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of the Corazones album, several artists such as Javiera Mena, Pedropiedra and Miranda! made a version of the song "Tren al Sur", led by the band producer Gonzálo Yañez. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Tres</span> Chilean rock band

Los Tres also known as The Tr3s or The 3, is a Chilean rock band. The band was formed in 1987 in Concepción by Álvaro Henríquez, Roberto Lindl, Francisco Molina and later Ángel Parra Jr. joined. They are one of the most influential rock en español bands.

Chilean rock is rock music and its corresponding subgenres produced in Chile or by Chileans. Chilean rock lyrics are usually sung in Spanish so can be considered as part of rock en español, although sometimes are sung in English as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Prisioneros</span> Chilean rock band

Los Prisioneros were a Chilean rock/pop band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, in 1983. They are considered one of the most important Chilean bands, and one of the strongest musical influences that Chile has made to Latin American music. In addition, they are considered pioneers of Rock en español by Latin American media and musicians, and the band with strongest socio-political impact in Chile. Their roots date back to March 1979, when their core members entered high school. From their beginnings in 1983 at the Festival de la Canción del Colegio Miguel León Prado to their first limited release album in Chile under the record label "Fusión Producciones", they struggled to make themselves known until they were able to sign with EMI Records in 1985, re-releasing their first album on LP record and cassette. From that point on, they reached mainstream success in Chile, then in Peru. Los Prisioneros created a simple punk sound with a mix of rockabilly, reggae, and then pop rock and synthpop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda!</span> Argentine electropop band

Miranda! is an Argentine electropop band formed in Buenos Aires in 2001. Original band members include Alejandro Sergi, Juliana Gattas, Lolo Fuentes (guitar), Bruno de Vincenti (programming), and Nicolás Grimaldi (bass). It is currently a duo between Sergi and Gattas.

Corazones is the fourth studio album by the Chilean rock band Los Prisioneros, released in 1990. Produced by the Argentine Gustavo Santaolalla, in conjunction with Aníbal Kerpel on the EMI label, it was recorded, mixed and mastered in Los Angeles, California being the first album recorded outside of Chile. It was distributed overseas by the Capitol label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge González (musician)</span> Chilean musician

Jorge Humberto González Ríos is a Chilean singer-songwriter, best known for being the leader, vocalist, writer and bassist of the band Los Prisioneros, considered by some to be the most popular rock band in the country.

<i>Jorge González</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Jorge González

Jorge González is the self-titled solo debut of former lead singer and songwriter of the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, recorded in 1992 and released in early 1993. It was produced by Gustavo Santaolalla with Aníbal Kerpel's collaboration. The 14 tracks featured in this album were written and composed by González.

<i>La Espada & la Pared</i> 1995 studio album by Los Tres

La Espada & la Pared is the third studio album by Chilean rock band Los Tres, released on 17 March 1995, through Sony Music Chile. The album is composed by thirteen songs, including two covers, and was produced by Argentine record producer Mario Breuer alongside the band. The artwork for the cover is the painting "Portrait of Nadya Repina" by Russian painter Ilya Repin.

Quiero Club is an experimental pop indie band from Monterrey, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Ángeles Negros</span> Chilean pop ballad band

Los Ángeles Negros are a Chilean pop ballad band formed in San Carlos de Chile in 1968. The band's best-known line-up consisted of singer Germaín de la Fuente, guitarist Mario Gutiérrez, keyboardist Jorge González, bassist Miguel Ángel "Nano" Concha, and drummer Luis Ortiz. Their music is a blend of boleros, psychedelic funk and rock music, known as Balada rockmántica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maná discography</span>

Mexican pop-rock band Maná has released 9 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 compilation albums, 5 video albums, 2 box sets and 1 soundtrack album. Throughout their career, Mana has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, becoming the most successful Latin American band of all time. ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños? remains as the best-selling Spanish-language rock album in history with 10 million copies sold worldwide.

<i>31 Minutos</i> (soundtrack) 2003 soundtrack album by 31 Minutos

31 Minutos is the first soundtrack album of the Chilean television series 31 Minutos, released on July 8, 2003 under the label La Oreja. It mainly contains the soundtrack for the first season of the show.

<i>Pateando piedras</i> 1986 studio album by Los Prisioneros

Pateando piedras is the second studio album by the Chilean group Los Prisioneros. It was released on September 15, 1986 in cassette format in Chile and 12-inch vinyl in South America. It was the group's first album to be released by a multinational company. It sold five thousand copies in its advance sale, and reached ten thousand units sold in a short time. The album was preceded by the hit single, "Muevan las industrias", which featured the group drawing European techno influences from bands like Depeche Mode.

This list is a discography of Los Prisioneros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El baile de los que sobran</span> 1986 song by Los Prisioneros

"El baile de los que sobran" is a single from the album Pateando piedras by the Chilean rock/pop band Los Prisioneros. It was considered by National Library of Chile as one of the most emblematic of Chilean popular music of the 80s.

La voz de los '80 is the debut studio album by the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, released independently under the Fusion label on December 13, 1984. Produced by leader, vocalist, and songwriter Jorge González, who credited it to the name of the band. A thousand copies were released in cassette format at its launch, today these cassettes are considered cult objects of Chilean rock. In 1985, Los Prisioneros signed a contract with EMI Odeón Chilena, who relaunched La voz de los '80 nationally and with Latin American projection that year, managing to sell around 100.000 in Chile do you copy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedropiedra</span> Musical artist

Pedro Subercaseaux García de la Huerta, better known by his stage name Pedropiedra, is a Chilean musician and composer. In addition to his solo career including five studio albums, he has also served as drummer for Jorge González' and 31 minutos' bands, as well as being member of several other bands such as CHC (2001-2009) and the superband Pillanes since 2018 as a multi-instrumentalist.

Aníbal Kerpel is an Argentine producer, engineer and mixer. Member of the progressive rock band Crucis, he began a successful career as a producer after the split of the band, working with artists such as Los Prisioneros, Café Tacvba, Divididos, Molotov, Gustavo Santaolalla, Bersuit Vergarabat, Juanes and Árbol, among others. During his career he has received a Grammy Award and over ten Latin Grammy Awards.

<i>Ya No Somos Los Mismos</i> 2022 studio album by Elsa y Elmar

Ya No Somos Los Mismos is the third studio album by Colombian singer and songwriter Elsa y Elmar, released on April 28, 2022, through Sony Music Mexico. It was produced by Elsa y Elmar herself, alongside Julián Bernal and Nico Cotton, with Alizzz, Malay, Eduardo Cabra and Manuel Lara also having production credits in some tracks. Colombian salsa singer Joe Arroyo makes a posthumous appearance in the album as a featured artist.

References

  1. 1 2 "Las 50 canciones más importantes de pop latino". Rolling Stone en Español (in Spanish). 11 June 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Grandes éxitos (EMI/Capitol)". La Opinión. 5 April 1993. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Jorge González y la historia de Tren al sur: "Nadie la tocó por seis meses, la indiferencia fue generalizada" – La Rata" (in Spanish). 20 May 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 LR, Redacción (11 July 2020). "A 30 años de 'Tren al Sur', la emblemática canción que pudo quedar en el olvido". La República (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Pérez, Patricio (20 May 2015). "Especial #Corazones25Años: Entrevista de Los Prisioneros a Revista Rock&Pop (Mayo 1990)". Rata.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "El tren también inspiró al grupo de rock 'Los prisioneros'". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). 25 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  7. ↑ Maira, Manuel (1 October 2016). Jorge Gonzalez. Una Historia Original (in Spanish). Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Chile. p. 24. ISBN   978-956-304-256-6 . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  8. 1 2 English, Jorge (2 January 2022). "¿"Tren al Sur" en versión metalera?: Lanzan el cover más extremo del clásico tema de Los Prisioneros". Fotech.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  9. ↑ Donoso, Freddy Stock (1 September 2015). Corazones Rojos (in Spanish). Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Chile. p. 164. ISBN   978-956-9582-20-2 . Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  10. ↑ Rodríguez, Cristofer (26 August 2022). Con el corazón aquí: Estado, mercado, juventudes y la Asociación de Trabajadores del Rock en la transición a la Democracia (1991-1995) (in Spanish). Ediciones Universidad Alberto Hurtado. p. 23. ISBN   978-956-357-372-5 . Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Con cantos ancestrales y danzas: así inició la 8va edición del 'Festival Identidades' en Antofagasta". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Álvarez, Raúl (19 May 2020). "5 datos que esconde Corazones, el disco más exitoso de Los Prisioneros". La Tercera. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Moreno, Alice (6 October 2022). "Groundbreaking Hispanic Songs: Rock en Español Edition". The Observer. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Ruminot, Paulette (4 September 2020). "Revelan 10 datos desconocidos de Diego y Glot a 15 años de su estreno". ADN (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Gabriel, Eljaiek-Rodríguez (10 April 2017). Selva de fantasmas: El gótico en la literatura y el cine latinoamericanos (in Spanish). Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. p. 63. ISBN   978-958-781-088-2 . Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  16. ↑ valladares, javier (11 September 2018). "El emocionante homenaje de escolares a "Tren al Sur" de Los Prisioneros". Radio Concierto Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  17. ↑ "Moenia y su cover de "Tren al Sur" de Los Prisioneros". Trenes y Metros (in Spanish). 8 April 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Varios artistas versionan "Tren Al Sur" de Los Prisioneros". Indie Rocks! (in Spanish). 22 May 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.