Mecano
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(For the toy construction material, see Meccano)
Mecano was a Spanish pop/alternative band whose's debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña, a sociocultural movement that occurred in Spain during the 1980's. Considered to be one of the most important Spanish speaking bands of the 80s and the early 90s, Mecano achieved a great commercial success in it's native country as well as in Latin America, France, and Italy.
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History
The band itself was started as a synth-pop ensemble (música tecno in Spanish) by brothers Nacho and José María Cano, along with singer Ana Torroja, in Madrid in 1981. In a period of cultural experimentation in the newly democratic Spain , Mecano achieved its initial wide-spread popularity with their debut single, "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar". The initial album, named after the band, turned out to be a collection of classics that would later represent La Movida Madrileña.
At the same time, Nacho Cano branched out into producing other bands, and both brothers wrote songs for other pop up-starts. Although those secondary acts wouldn't achieve the level of success Mecano gained, they turned out to be new experimental fields for the silbings.
Having achieved another huge hit in 1986 with "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte", the band reformed its musical approach with the album Entre el suelo y el cielo. The new approach, while emphasizing a more pop over techno, ensured the success of the band for the rest of the decade. It also facilitated the export of the music to Latin America. In fact, one of the most important songs of the album - "Hijo de la Luna"- was covered as an aria by one of Opera's greatest contemporary singers, Montserrat Caballé. Sarah Brightman has also done a cover for that song.
Their follow-up album, Descanso Dominical, produced their biggest single ever, "Mujer Contra Mujer", which deals with a lesbian relationship, seen through the eyes of a male friend, who only later realizes what is going on. The song was recorded in French, English, and Italian, giving Mecano their first truly global hit.
While the last albums of Mecano repeated the success of the late 80s, the band members decided to set out on solo careers in 1991. In 1998 the band made an abortive return to the scenarios.
In 2005, the members of Mecano are scheduled to release a double-CD/DVD package commemorating the 25th anniversary of the creation of the pop-group. The new CD/DVD, Mecanografia, will include a compilation of all their singles, never-before released songs, and a DVD with videos and early concert appearances.
Trivia
- The majority of the lyrics were written by one of the Cano brothers from a male perspective, and sung by Ana Torroja.
- The early lyrics deal with teenager boredom and unrest. Other themes are drugs and love.
- The actress Penélope Cruz debuted before the Spanish public in a Mecano video clip, La fuerza del destino. She later held a relationship with Nacho Cano for several years.
- In March 2005, a musical written by Nacho Cano, entitled "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar", opened in Madrid. It features Mecano songs sung by the actors within a new story.
- Ana Torroja wrote the lyrics to the chorus of "Mosquito", which was her only lyrical contribution to the group. The rest of the song was written by Nacho Cano.
- Mecano contributed the song "Canción Cortita Para Antes que Nos Abandone el Mar" to the compilation album "Greenpeace, Salvemos al Mediterráneo" (1985).
Foreign Language Recordings
Mecano recorded some of their songs in English, one of which was published as a single: "The Uninvited Guest", which is the English version of "Me Colé en una Fiesta". Other songs that were recorded in English by Mecano are: "Hawaii-Bombay" and "You", but these were never published on official discs.
Mecano also recorded many of their songs in Italian, such as: "Figlio Della Luna", "Croce Di Lame", "Un Anno di Più", "Uno di Quegli Amanti", "Per Lei Contro di Lei", "Il Cinema", "Vado a Nuova York", "Fermati a Madrid", "Mi Costa Tanto di Scordarti", "Responso Positivo", "Anna è Miguel", "Una Rosa è Una Rosa", "Tú", "Dalai Lama", "Il 7 di Settembre", and "La Forza del Destino".
Songs that Mecano recorded in French include "Une Femme avec une Femme", "Dis-moi Lune d'Argent", "Une Histoire à Trois", "Nature Morte", "Le Paradis Artificiel", "Toi", "J.C.", and "Le 7 Septembre".
Unpublished Songs
Some unpublished Mecano songs are "La Extraña Posición" (original version and disco-mix version), "Quiero Vivir en la Ciudad", "Viaje Espacial", "Napoleón", "Súper-Ratón", "Me no Parle Vous Français", "Me he Declarado en Guerra" (demo), "Cristóbal Colón", "El Caballo de Espartero" (demo), "Solo"m(demo), "Lía", "El Pez", "El Romance de la Niña María Luz", "Arlequín", "Al Alba", "¿Qué Haces Tú en el Mundo?", "La Bola de Pelo" (a demo for "Mujer contra mujer"), "Fábula"(demo), and others.
The songs "La Fuerza del Destino" and "El 7 de Septiembre", are dedicated to Coloma Fernández Armero, who was Nacho Cano's girlfriend for several years.
Covers by other artists
Due to the popularity of its songs, Mecano has been covered by other artists in the Spanish, as well as in the non-Spanish, speaking world. Songs from Entre el cielo y el suelo have been covered by Montserrat Caballé and Celia Cruz. Also, The unpublished song Lía ended being sung by Ana Belén.
In a more drastic manner, the Mexican singer Fey decided to relaunch her career with La Fuerza Del Destino, an album consisting of 12 Mecano covers.
Non-Spanish covers include Sarah Brightman, who covered the songs "Tú", "Hijo de la luna", "Naturaleza Muerta". Mario Frangoulis covered "Hijo de la luna" and "Naturaleza Muerta."