Inside Salsa...

We all have preferences for one style of music over others. Mine happens to be Salsa music. Since I was young, I've been fascinated by the sound, the energy, the joy of the music. The vibe in a club when a hot band and committed dancers are in sync, is nothing short of electric. An adept dancing couple will exude style and sensuality on the dance floor, it's inspiring!


I submit that a decent Salsa arrangement can be just as complex and nuanced as any classical symphony. Using basic percussion instruments (bongo and conga drums, timbales, clave, cowbell, guiro), each with it's own discreet part, they all come together in syncopated rhythms that provide the pulse of the music. 


Now add the bass, piano, horns, vocalist and background singers. They all  contribute to the music by overlaying intricate phrasing, call and response, with volume dynamics to accent the melody.


I'm providing below a typical salsa performance so you can investigate all of the above items for yourself. On the surface, this song is lively and upbeat but it tells the story of a happily married man who cheated and is now living the consequences.


Yep, Salsa can even make personal tragedy sound like fun!

Note:
Spanish lyrics in red
Translated English lyrics in yellow
Background vocals in (white parentheses)

Un hombre de su hogar, ese siempre fui yo, cariñoso y romantico.

A man of his home, that was always me, affectionate and romantic.

Era el padre ejemplar, marido singular, cariñoso y romantico.

I was the exemplary father, a singular, affectionate and romantic husband.

Mi vida era feliz hasta que sucedio, no se, me deje ir, no, no se que me paso,

My life was happy until it happened, I don't know, I let myself go, no, I don't know what happened to me,

Pero la conoci y mi vida cambio, no pude resistir tan linda tentacion,

But I met her and my life changed, I could not resist such a beautiful temptation,

su cuerpo era un Eden un mundo de pasion, poemario del placer,

her body was an Eden, a world of passion, poetry of pleasure,

mi corazon latio a un ritmo que jamas pude sentir jamas, para mi perdicion.

my heart beat to a rhythm that I could never again feel, to my perdition.

-Chorus-

Y no tengo perdon, (lo se) .............No pude recobrar (jamas)

And I have no excuse (I know) .....I could not recover (never)  

La dicha que perdi, (por ti), ..................a, a mi familia

The happiness that I lost,  (for you) ........to, my family

Y no tengo perdon, (lo se)............. No, no, pude recobrar (jamas)

And I have no excuse, (I know)...... I could not recover  (never) 

La dicha que perdi, si, si, (por ti),.......................a, a mi familia.

The happiness that I lost, yes, yes, (for you) ..... to, my family

Y aquel remazo que describo como hogar lo hice sucumbir fue un crimen pasional,

And that home life  that I describe, I suppressed it. It was a crime of passion

Lo que yo cometi contra mi santa paz y contra mi famiilia

That I committed against my holy peace and against my family.

-Chorus-

Y no tengo perdon, (lo se) .............No pude recobrar (jamas)

And I have no excuse (I know) .....I could not recover (never)  

La dicha que perdi, (por ti), ..................a, a mi familia

The happiness that I lost,  (for you) ........to, my family

Y no tengo perdon, (lo se)............. No, no, pude recobrar (jamas)

And I have no excuse, (I know)...... I could not recover  (never) 

La dicha que perdi, si, si, (por ti),.......................a, a mi familia.

The happiness that I lost, yes, yes, (for you) ..... to, my family

-Bridge-

(Y no tengo perdon) no, no, no, no, no...... (Y no tengo perdon, yo se),

(   ) no, no, no, no, no ... and I have no excuse, I  I know)

no se me deje ir, por lo que sucedio, (Y no tengo perdon, y no tengo perdon),

Do not let me go, for what happened, (and I have no excuse, and I have no excuse)

para que y para que y para que si mi vida completa cambio

For what and for what and for what since my whole life changed

(y no tengo perdon) ...... (Y no tengo perdon, yo se),
(and I have no excuse) ...... (and I have no excuse, I know)

no, no, no, no es que no pude resistir esa linda tentacion

no, no, no, no it's that I could not resist that beautiful temptation

(y no tengo perdon), .....(y no tengo perdon, no se)

(and I have no excuse, and I have no excuse I don't know)

su cuerpo era un Eden, un mundo de pasion.

her body was an Eden, a world of passion

Instrumental break

Repeat the Bridge (with different words, same message) to end.

Yeah, that was fun!