If my band members are to know that I have recorded a cover song and shared the video with you here, they would flip. Because I don’t usually do covers. But in the spirit of learning Spanish, it is indeed fun to learn a Spanish song. I am still not 100% sure on what the lyrics mean. And I am still not 100% sure how the singer of the band Despistaos manages to pronounce some of the words in such a different way. Since I have no idea how that works, I did my own interpretation instead. Hope that doesn’t turn out too bad.
The title of the song is “Caricias En Tu Espalda”, which means “Caressing Your Back”. The story evolves around what happened this morning. There was a girl, a window, a ray of sunlight, a bed, a pillow, and her bare chest. I think it is a beautiful song.
My interpretation of the lyrics goes something like this (Spanish version of the lyrics can be found in our Spanish class’s website):
This morning, a ray of sunshine has cast through your window, which is the window of my room. It has appeared and caught me taking your hand. This morning, it was really warm.
I left my forgotten shame at the bottom of a glass in the last bar. The lost glance, the rusty voice, awake in your bed and it gets me to sing …
“Give me the time you don’t need and I promise to spend it to caress your back. Give me the time you don’t need and I promise to spend it to caress your back.”
This morning, I remember I was better. A pillow, your bare chest in the face. You are gone and you have left me pretty worn out. This morning, the heat was killing me.
I left my forgotten shame at the bottom of a glass in the last bar. The lost glance, the rusty voice, awake in your bed and it gets me to sing …
“Give me the time you don’t need and I promise to spend it to caress your back. Give me the time you don’t need and I promise to spend it to caress your back.”
36 replies on “I Sing A Spanish Song: Caricias En Tu Espalda”
[…] Yo canto una canción en español: caricias en tu espalda Publicado el Noviembre 18, 2010 por Wilfrid Esta una canción española que me muy encanta. La canción está escrita por Despistaos. He practicado todos los días. Es difícil seguir la canción 100%. Así que hice mi interpretación. Por cierto, ¿cómo traducir las letras en Inglés? He tratado aquí. […]
BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO!!!!!! Wilfrid!!!! pero si eres un artista (escribes, cantas, practicas fotografía, ….). ¿¿Hay algo que no sepas hacer??
No conocía la canción, el grupo sí. Por cierto, tu traducción al inglés es muy buena. ¡Enhorabuena! 🙂
Muchísimas gracias por compartir el vídeo.
Alejandra – Sí. Despistaos es una banda española de pop-rock originaria de Guadalajara y fundada en 2002. Me gusta su música. Es dentro de mi rango vocal. Lo que me parece difícil es la pronunciación. Me tomó dos semanas para trducir la letra. Jejeje. Cynthia me ayundó anoche. Y gracias por la confirmación 🙂
Me gustan las diferentes formas de arte. Y todavía estoy aprendiento.
Once again you amazed me, not only on singing and writing Spanish but you have the time to read, watch a movie or two, blog, take photos, work and take Spanish classes too!!
J – Thanks! Trying to live life to the fullest. To be honest, a lot of these hobbies are still in the development stage. Mastering them is hard.
On reading, I am so stuck with that JoV’s read-along for the book “Midnight’s Children”. 🙁 Are you doing that also by any chance?! That seems like a mightily heavy book. Ha ha ha.
ok my office speakers is disabled, I’ll have to go home and hear what you sing. it is going to be one of these two reactions, I’ll either laugh or at awe of your talent, I hope it is the latter! 😉
As for the read-along, you made it sound like a drudgery. Maybe it is, compared to all your other interesting hobbies! LOL 😀 You can’t back out now. You are one of the mastermind remember?
JoV – Uh oh. It is likely to be what-the-?!-and-you-call-this-music?! kind of reaction … hehehe. I mean, it is still something I am working on.
Oh no. I ain’t no back out on you. Since I am your biggest fan! Yes, we are in this together. I am hoping to enjoy the process, that’s all. This book really really requires a read-along buddy. No joke.
JoV – Hey there. Wish to drop you a quick note. I have started reading Midnight’s Children. It is indeed a good read. So jokes aside, this is going to be a rewarding journey 🙂
Ah… glad you like Midnight’s Children so far.
As for your clip, I have watched it and this is what I think:
1. Your singing is good.
2. but because you are a beginner in the language, you lack the fluidity of the language. this always happens in language with multi-syllabus words. i.e. Spanish, Japanese… notice how people speaks extra fast in these languages?
For fear of offending you and you don’t read along with us anymore, I end this with saying “It is a very good effort!!!”… really. 😀
JoV – Thanks for watching. Yep. That is a fair comment. It is something I am still working on. Pronunciation is always the hard part, for non-native speakers.
And thanks for the encouragement!
Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am not in the read-along for this book. If it is heavy for you, it will be inconceivable to me. 😀 Having said that it doesn’t mean I won’t join other session, I will check if there are any easy reading titles to me….and you guys will have to be patience with me.
Just out of curiosity, why Spanish and not other language? I love languages but again no much action from my end in picking them up. I attended a beginner Japanese class but couldn’t complete it because of my new job….excuse, excuse. 😀
A request, can you and your band sing this the next time? I love this song – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMf_wCZqbi4
J – Why Spanish? Very good question. Spain won the Euro Cup back in … some time ago and Cynthia suddenly got all excited in learning Spanish (I am not a football fan, but she is). As for me, you know me, I am always up for new experiences in life. So although I know my linguistic capability sucks, I go along and see how long I can last. More than two years now. And since Spain won the World Cup this year, looks like our Spanish journey is renewed.
Initially I said to Cynthia, if I picked up Spanish, she has to pick up Japanese. Because I love J-pop, J-movie, and anything Japanese. We wanted to do it at the same time. That was the deal. But learning one language has proven to be too hard for me. So the idea of learning Japanese has to be shelved, for now.
What is that song by the way? Is it … F4?! That video is blocked in my region. Do you have the song title?
Good guess! The name of the song is Yo Te Amo. It is in the Meteor Garden 2’s soundtrack. The song is by Chayanne. Wonder why the video is blocked in your region….it looks like a very decent video…hmmm…maybe it is the kissing scene. 😀 I have confident you can master this because it doesn’t sound it has long syllabus. 😀
Hope this one is not blocked – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVR3Ba0_fE
J – Ah, that is blocked too. I however found a clip in my region. It is a song by Chayanne. Titled “Yo Te Amo”. It is a video of a tunnel full of traffic jam. At the end of the tunnel, there was a traffic accident. The dude thought that his love one died. But she was safe in a police car. Nope. No kissing. Is it that one?!
If so, I will do my best … ha ha ha. It is challenging in its own way. But it should be fun.
Of course, Midnight Children has to take a little bit higher priority. In case JoV reads this … hehehe.
Yes, I am reading this. 🙂
J, great Spanish song by Chayanne. Your link is not blocked in my part of the world. Nice. 😉
Wilfrid, I wanted to say Elephant vanishes, Dance x3 and Wild Sheep Chase seems to belong to the Rat trilogy series, if you read one you have to read all three. Are you up to anything I have suggested up there on my book list?
Yes, Midnight’s Children takes priority, or else…. . hee hee I am at Book 3 now. I think it’s a good idea to learn Spanish (as opposed to Japanese), Spanish is very widely spoken. The whole continent of Lat American speaks Spanish, on top of Spain, part of Morocco, easier to learn than French, definitely share similarities with Italian.
JoV – What?! Book 3?! I am officially deflated. Ha ha ha.
I am finding it hard to move really fast because of the time taken to research on every word that is Indian referenced, research on the historical events that took place, and on the buildings described. In any case, you will read more on my blog enter that will be published later today.
You are spot on. Spanish is widely used as a native language. And I think it is relatively easier to learn than other Romance language too because you can literally speak Spanish by reading the words off the page.
Hi J / Wilfrid,
What about we three read a Murakami book sometime first quarter of next year? I am keeping the best for the last, “Norwegian Wood” has been in my pile for a long long time.
Murakami is easy to read, entertaining, this one is a good romance story, also introduces J to translated Japanese fiction.
What do you all think?
JoV – Good idea. Murakami is a good choice. Could we pick another one please? I have read a few of his. All here.
http://www.wilfridwong.com/tag/haruki-murakami/
I am up for the challenge but i don’t have any of his book so I suppose I can read any title, as long as it is easy reading. 😀 You guys can decide on the title. 🙂
oh dear you have read so many of Murakami. Everything that I hope to read, you have read them.
I am trying to introduce something which are easy going for J and also set in Far Eastern or South East Asian background that might be of interest of us all. Some thoughts:
Banana Yoshimoto, very easy read. NP, Amreta, Lizard are the 3 I haven’t read.
Eileen Chang – Love in a Fallen City, or Lust, Caution. (Eileen Chang is a HK author in the 50’s, many of her books are adapted to films)
Lisa See – Snow Flower and Secret Fan
Yukio Mishima – The Sound of Waves
Tash Aw – Harmony Silk Factory – (Malaysian author, won whitbread first novel)
Xinran – The Good women of China or what the Chinese don’t eat
Xiaolu Guo – Village of Stone (although I highly recommend “A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers” for J! I think you will really like it).
Or Something chilling and ghastly, but thought provoking – “Out” by Natsuo Kirino – the book I need book sock to read it on the train.
I think what I have suggested are quite an easy read, although “Out” is a tad thicker.
J & JoV – I do however have the following Murakami books in my bookshelf ready to be read: The Elephant Vanishes, Dance Dance Dance, A wild Sheep Chase, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and Kafka On The Shore. The first three are tinner ones. Most friendly I guess 🙂
Hi guys, I am lost in the book titles already. 😀 Kidding. Just want to let you know Murakami’s sound good and it has always been at the back of my mine to read some of his books. I am taking a backseat in picking out the title though because my bucket is empty . Hehe….
Good guess! The song title is Yo Te Amo, it is in the Meteor Garden 2’s soundtrack. Don’t believe F4 sang it, I have the soundtrack that is in one of my 34 boxes now and won’t see lights until I moved…but I remember it is a Spanish singer who sang this.
Woo! U always bring surprises to us! You are good at this. I cant catch the lyrics but you really sound like a pro! And the speed that you were singing!
Si Ying – Thanks! Took me quite some time to go through the lyrics to be honest. On day 1, I spent 8 hours straight singing the same song. Fortunately Cynthia was not at home, Otherwise she would have gone crazy … hahaha. And then I practiced in the car, in the shower room and what not.
Anyway, if you are interested in the lyrics, it is published in our Spanish class website.
http://chicosdelaslilas.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/yo-canto-una-cancion-en-espanol-caricias-en-tu-espalda/
Woo ! thats quite alot of practice but the end result is great so its worth it! Hahaha perhaps Cynthia would sing along with u if she was at home the whole time 🙂
Oh there is even a class website! Is that for higher classes?
Oh did you set up the website? 🙂
Si Ying – Oh, Cynthia would love to join, with the bass guitar and with the singing. But I guess she works in a different timeline … hehehe. Let’s see if we will get a 2nd version some time in the future. I am trying to get my band to play this song too, in our next jamming session. Hehehe.
Yes, I set up the website. But the contents are from the students and teachers. Is that for higher classes? Well, it is mainly for our class – currently and past students. Having said it, all are welcome to join, so long as there is no English postings 🙂
Okies!
Yap will browse through. I need to revise my vocab soon!
J, I wanted you to try some of Murakami’s more “romantic” and sensitive books, unfortunately our romantic Tai Lou Wilfrid here have finished reading all of Murakami’s more Girlie friendly titles!! 🙁
This thread is getting longer and longer. So how?
J – Ah, OK. So long as you are in, I guess we will need to pick a book and a time. That should be the easy part 🙂
JoV – I am easy, really. Hmmm … there ain’t any more girlie friendly Murakami titles that I haven’t read yet? Anything remotely girlie?!
You pick the title or titles. You know my likes and dislikes (and J’s too). Let’s do this!
Wilfrid / J,
Ah, easy beezy, lemon squeezy Wilfrid (I learnt this from my 5-year-old), you are sooo.. can-do!
Ok this is final final. I have done my “research” and I think we should read “Dance, Dance, Dance” together. Since it’s just us threesome who are reading along, that repetition of 3 Dances seems to be symbolic! LOL 😀 If we are reading this, I suggest Wilfrid you read “A wild sheep chase” first, since this is a prequel to “Dance, Dance, Dance” although both books can be read separately and is my preferred choice.
I’d like to read “The Elephant Vanishes” – short stories too, but neither the library nor I have a copy, and I am unofficially on a book buying ban (from Amazon.co.uk bcos I have to pay more). But if J wants to read this, I’ll “harden my skull skin” (Chinese idiom, guess?) and go out and buy a copy.
J, I have checked your public library catalogue in Edmonton. They have all the Murakami titles we have mentioned, even audio book for “Elephant vanishes”, if your audiobook can be downloadable and then send it to me, hee hee (but I doubt it might only work in one PC) then we can read Elephant together. I am really impress with the Edmonton Library, you have Murakami in so many translated version (Italian, Hebrew, Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic some more!!!)
We aim to finish this before next January end, where my Japanese Literature 4 reading challenge ends too. are you all ok with what I have suggested? 😀
Let’s do Dance, Dance, Dance then. So we are starting this in Feb or we have to finish reading it by Jan?
Some of the books in our library are in a queue. I mean long queue. I tried to put a hold on Mini Sophaholic and “Eat, Love, Pray.” and the queue was over 400 people long….so I end up buying them. 😀 Not sure about Murakami, but I will definitely test it.
Both of you wouldn’t by any chance have read “Eat, Pray, Love”, have you? What do you think of this book?
Jo, if this discussion is getting too long, we can do this discussion via email?
Jov – Great idea. Thanks for the tips. I will read the prequel first. And then the three of us can do Dance^3. He he he. In short, I am delighted by your suggestion.
J – I think JoV would prefer Dance^3 to be completed before end Jan … ha ha ha. By the way, I have taken a quick look at “Eat, Pray, Love”. Not 100% convinced though. And also our libraries seem to have a very limited stock 🙁 JoV? Any view?
yo Man! that was a great effort in spanish!!! this is cool and reminds me to dig my own spanish books in college. keep it up! looking to see more dude! cheers!
Mark S – Hey, thanks! Still learning and still trying. I suppose of the many mode of learning, music still speaks to my heart.