This week, I’ve had Concha Buika’s song, “Mi Niña Lola,” #OnRepeat. For those of you who aren’t hip to Concha Buika, she is a Flamenco-Jazz fusion singer from Spain. When you listen to her voice, you hear the low, powerful range mixed with a somewhat scratchy-like timbre that produces a memorable sound that you won’t be able to get out of your head. I, myself, was introduced to her music back during my undergrad career and instantly fell in love with her sound.
The song, “Mi Niña Lola,” is a beautiful song depicting just how much love a father has for his daughter. Below are the lyrics:
Dime porque tienes carita de pena
Que tiene mi niña siendo santa y buena
Cuéntale a tu padre lo que a ti te pasa
Dime lo que tienes reina de mi casa
Tu madre la pobre no se donde esta
Dime lo que tienes, dime lo que tienes
Dime lo que tienes, dime la verdad
Mi niña lola, mi niña lola
Ya no tiene la carita del color de la amapola
Mi niña lola, mi niña lola
Ya no tiene la carita del color de la amapola
Tu no me ocultes tu pena
Pena de tu corazón
Cuéntame tu amargura
Pa consolártela yo
Mi niña lola, mi niña lola
Se le ha puesto la carita del color de la amapola
Mi niña lola, mi niña lola
Se le ha puesto la carita del color de la amapola
Siempre que te miro mi niña bonita
Le rezo a la virgen que esta en la ermita
Cuéntale a tu padre lo que te ha pasado
Dime si algún hombre a ti te ha engañado
Niña de mi alma no me llores mas
Dime lo que tienes, dime lo que tienes
Dime lo que tienes, dime la verdad
Mi niña lola, mi niña lola
Mientras que viva tu padre no estas en el mundo sola
Her performance of the lyrics–where she chooses to pause, increase in intensity, decrease in volume, or even just speak the lyrics instead of sing–adds so much to the meaning of the song. Her raspy-like timbre adds desperation to the message of the father’s words to his daughter. I also appreciate the fact that she didn’t change the sex of the point of view of the narrator (father to mother). Sometimes singers do this and it makes the lyrics lose value. I might be slightly biased about this song specifically since I am a daddy’s girl, but even so, this song is beautiful.
If you guys have any new music, musicians or groups to check out, leave a comment below!