Eight flamenco songs dedicated to Spanish gastronomy
The fusion of music and gastronomy has always been a powerful combination for our senses. In the vibrant world of flamenco, we find a rich variety of songs that not only delight us with their passion and rhythm, but also make mention of culinary flavors and pleasures. In this ALL FLAMENCO article, we present eight songs that pay tribute to flamenco cuisine, inviting you to enjoy a feast of emotions and flavors in every beat.
There are many flamenco singers who, in one way or another, mention gastronomy in their songs. There are those in a festive tone, those that have some gastronomic element that is transmitted in the form of a lament, those that have some ingredient in a shopping list, or those that praise some drink.
Flamenco, women and gastronomy
In 1936 the song Échale guindas al pavo, sung by Imperio Argentina in a hit movie of the time, Morena Clara, was first heard. The song illustrates the supposed gypsy picaresque through a story where the turkey has special prominence, and in which other ingredients such as sugar, cinnamon and cloves are also mentioned. In 1954, Lola Flores brought the song back into fashion by performing it in a remake of the film of the same name.
Échale guindas al pavo had a third period of glory in 1970 when it was recovered by singer Rosa Morena, who made it one of the most successful flamenco pop songs of the seventies.
Flamenco songs that were born with a different style
Did you know that the famous Sarandonga published by Lolita in 2001 is based on a Cuban song created in 1950? In 1966, Antonio González 'El Pescaílla', Lolita's father, adapted it to the rumba style changing some words like ñame or jutías for rice and beans. Although we will always keep that ode to rice with codfish that the daughter of La Faraona sang with so much grace and joy.
In Los flamencos cantan a Sabina, an album released in 2012, Antonio Carmona reinterprets in flamenco style Y sin embargo, a famous song by the composer from Jaén and an ambivalent chronicle of a passionate love to which one is unfaithful. In the song, red wine and French champagne (a pleonasm for the sake of melody) have special prominence.
In the same album, Pitingo reminds us in a flamenco key of the sound of the güisqui on the rocks that the master Sabina mentions in the lyrics of 19 días y 500 noches as a measure of time.
Échale guindas al pavo had a third period of glory in 1970 when it was recovered by singer Rosa Morena, who made it one of the most successful flamenco pop songs of the seventies.
Flamenco songs that were born with a different style
Did you know that the famous Sarandonga published by Lolita in 2001 is based on a Cuban song created in 1950? In 1966, Antonio González 'El Pescaílla', Lolita's father, adapted it to the rumba style changing some words like ñame or jutías for rice and beans. Although we will always keep that ode to rice with codfish that the daughter of La Faraona sang with so much grace and joy.
In Los flamencos cantan a Sabina, an album released in 2012, Antonio Carmona reinterprets in flamenco style Y sin embargo, a famous song by the composer from Jaén and an ambivalent chronicle of a passionate love to which one is unfaithful. In the song, red wine and French champagne (a pleonasm for the sake of melody) have special prominence.
In the same album, Pitingo reminds us in a flamenco key of the sound of the güisqui on the rocks that the master Sabina mentions in the lyrics of 19 días y 500 noches as a measure of time.
Pure and hard flamenco
Salud antes que dinero (Health before money) is a song that is part of the album Caminito de Totana by the late Camarón de la Isla, and in it, to the beat of quejío, the man from Cádiz compares himself to a beggar "asking for bread to eat". The song, a fandango - by many accounts one of the most primitive flamenco palos - was a collaboration between Paco de Lucía and Camarón, as are the rest of the songs on the album.
Miguel de Molina popularized in the 40s of the last century Dale arroz, a song similar to a vaudeville where he narrates the tribulations of a newlywed in the kitchen and her relationship with a neighbor and her mother-in-law. In it there is not only rice; mojama, chili peppers, chocolate and water are also part of the lyrics.
Funny melodies with memories of gastronomy
The Caramelos are made of coconut, pineapple, lemon and mint, popularized by the duo Los Amaya in 1971 in song format, a great success at the time of the Catalan rumba!
Just thirty years later, in 2001, La lista de la compra, a song by La Cabra Mecánica in collaboration with María Jiménez, was sung for the first time in Operación Triunfo. A very catchy song, it tells a love story that is not affected by economic hardship. The gastronomic note is provided by a tuna in vegetable oil on offer: what amounts to ¡Contigo, pan y cebolla!
And if you thought that this was the end of this blog post, there's a surprise for you: a brainy study by the University of Oxford assures that paella tastes better with flamenco. We already imagined it...