Throwback Thursday 6/3 – Rocio Durcal and Eternal Love

This week’s Throwback Thursday post marks a first for Pa La Cultura. This week marks the first solo female artist to be a focus of our series. Rocio Durcal deserves that honor.

Born in Madrid in 1944, Rocio Durcal began her singing career at a very young age. At the age of 15 she participated in a TV show where a producer saw her singing and abilities and signed her. Durcal had a long film career in her younger years. She acted in several films before shifting her focus to music in the early 1970s. As her career began to grow, she met Juan Gabriel who convinced her to sing rancheras. Durcal became a superstar immediately with her first album with Gabriel taking off. Rocio would end up recording 5 albums with Gabriel.

Eventually her relationship with Gabriel would come to an end. Her career, however, continued to grow. In total she released over 50 albums in her career. Durcal died of uterine cancer at the age of 61 in 2006 at her home in Madrid.

Many of the songs that would contribute to the legendary career of Durcal were written by Juan Gabriel. This week’s selection is one of those such songs. Amor Eterno was released in 1978. The song is a ranchera, as were most of Durcal’s songs. The lyrics are heartbreaking. The title, “Eternal Love” is about loving someone who has passed. Gabriel beautifully captures the inescapable sadness of losing someone whom you’ve loved. As he writes, although they may be gone, one day they will be loved again, forever. Perfectly delivering these lyrics over a ranchera composition, Durcal cries in the video included. This is a wonderful song although it evokes difficult emotions.

From 1978, Amor Eterno.

For last week’s post, click here.