#OnRepeat: Carlos Varela’s “Una Palabra”

This week, I’ve had Carlos Varela’s “Una Palabra” #OnRepeat. I was actually watching the movie, Man on Fire, starring Denzel Washington, and the song, which played at the end of the movie, caught my attention.

Man on Fire is about a man who is hired to protect a little girl who lives with her family in Mexico during a time when kidnapping children of prominent families is prevalent in the major cities. The little girl becomes close to the body guard, but is taken and presumed dead. The majority of the film shows the man’s journey to find what happened to the child. This film already has a very shocking and somber premise, but this beautiful song and its words add so much poignancy to the end scene.

Carlos Varela is a singer-songwriter form Havana, Cuba who is relatively unknown outside of the island. Varela has been singing and writing music for nearly three decades. His lyrics are considered part of the Nueva Trova movement, a political musical movement associated with the Cuban Revolution that uses poetry to comment on everyday life and political issues in Cuba. Varela’s open critique of the Cuban government and beautifully written lyrics have garnered attention from celebrities and musicians in the United States and hundreds of people on the island. “Una Palabra” is one of his most well-known songs, however, some of his other recordings include “Todos se Roban” and “Memorias.”

“Una Palabra” is another example of what happens when you mix seemingly simplistic lyrics, a bare melody, and the right arrangement. Varela’s use 0f space in this song adds so much to the overall feeling and sound. I’ve always been a big believer of “less is more;”how can you manipulate silence so that it can be given the same weight as sound, a word or musical note? The lyrics are beautiful too–you get the theme of the song within the first 2 to 3 lines:

“Una palabra no dice nada

y al mismo tiempo lo esconde todo.”

Roughly translated to English:

“A word says nothing

and at the same time hides everything.”

Listen below:

“Una Palabra” Carlos Varela

The words are so beautiful and so simple that it leaves you wanting to hear more. Varela’s writing combined with his distinct voice has made him the subject of a HBO Latino documentary film titled, The Poet of Havana, airing this October. I look forward to seeing this documentary and hearing more of Carlos Varela’s music.

Are there any singers or groups that you can’t stop listening to? Leave a comment below!

 

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