This week begins Hispanic Hertiage Month. In a lot of ways, this is a month dedicated to the cause we’ve been working on since January (don’t worry, we’ll explore that elsewhere). We’re kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with Azucar Moreno and their 1996 hit “Solo Se Vive Una Vez”.
Azucar Moreno consists of Spanish sisters Toñi and Encarna Salazar from Badajoz, Spain. The sisters came from a long line of performers with their grandfather, father, uncle, and brothers all being involved in the music industry. They began their career as backup singers but were discovered in 1983. The sisters began to release albums throughout the 80s. Their biggest break came in 1990 when they participated in the Eurovision song contest. Although they finished 5th after major technical issues, their stardom was launched across Europe.
As their career developed, they released 13 studio albums. Their releases contained a number of covers of classics and standards as well as original tracks. The band went on hiatus from 2008-2013 as Encarna battled breast cancer. The duo reunited and released new music beginning in 2013.
This week’s song is “Solo Se Vive Una Vez”. I have to give a shoutout to Spotify for this one. I initially found this on the playlist “Canciones del Recuerdo“. The title of the song translates to “You Only Live Once”. This was the biggest song of the duo’s career. It topped charts in Spain and was a hit across Central and South America. It’s a fun, bouncy song that gets you moving. The lyrics are simple and positive. The phrase “you only live once” is basically all the song is about. It’s a reaffirmation that life is worth living and worth celebrating.
From 1996, “Solo Se Vive Una Vez”.
For last week’s post, click here.