Aidalai

Aidalai
Studio album by
Mecano
ReleasedJune 1991 (1991-06) (Spain)
GenrePop
Length56:02
LabelAriola Eurodisc S.A.
ProducerMecano
Mecano chronology
Descanso Dominical
(1988) 		Aidalai
(1991) 		Ana José Nacho
(1998)

Aidalai is an album by pop group Mecano. It was released in 1991 and produced by the group. Its launch was in the middle of rumors of the separation of the group due to differences between Nacho Cano and José María Cano. It was their third release with Ariola Records. The title is a play on words: Aidalai → ¡Ay Dalai!, meaning in English something like Oh Dalai!.

Spain Edition

Aidalai songs range from very minimalist ones like "Sentía" (I felt), a kind of bossa nova music in which the voice of singer Ana Torroja is accompanied by only two acoustic guitars and maracas, to others as complex as "Naturaleza muerta" (Still Nature), which has a complex orchestral string arrangement. However, also on the album are songs typical of the group's techno pop style, like "El fallo positivo" (The positive verdict) about the issue of AIDS, with perhaps one of the best works of vocal arrangements of Nacho Cano, and "Dalai Lama", that narrates the life of the Dalai Lama and the invasion of Tibet by China.

It also includes "El 7 de septiembre" (September 7th), written by Nacho Cano, which won best song of the year in Spain in 1991 and was dedicated to his ex-girlfriend, the writer Coloma Fernández Armero. "Tú" (You), a heartfelt song by José María Cano, is also included.

José María Cano's song "Una rosa es una rosa" (A rose is a rose) was inspired by the famous sentences of the writer Gertrude Stein: Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose and the video won in the category of "Best National Video of the Year" in the Ondas Awards and the Lo Nuestro Award for Video of the Year.[1][2]

Track listing

Tracks:[3]

  1. "El fallo positivo"  (I. Cano) - 4:00
  2. "El uno, el dos, el tres"  (J.M. Cano) – 4:41
  3. "Bailando salsa"  (J.M. Cano)– 4:08
  4. "El 7 de septiembre"  (I. Cano) – 5:02
  5. "Naturaleza muerta"  J.M. Cano – 5:02
  6. "1917 (Instrumental)"  (I.Cano)– 4:12
  7. "Una rosa es una rosa"  (J.M. Cano) – 4:48
  8. "El lago artificial" – 3:53 (I.Cano)
  9. "Tú"  J.M. Cano – 4:10
  10. "Dalai Lama" – 5:29 ( I.Cano)
  11. "El peón del rey de negras"  (J.M. Cano) – 4:49
  12. "J.C."  (I. Cano) – 4:20
  13. "Sentía" (J.M Cano) – 3:28
  14. "El 7 de septiembre (Acoustic version)"  (I. Cano) – 4:36 (Only on the 2005 edition)

Singles

  • El 7 de septiembre
  • El peón del rey de negras
  • Naturaleza muerta
  • Dalai Lama
  • Una rosa es una rosa
  • Tú
  • El fallo positivo
  • Bailando salsa (Only for Mexico)

Italy Edition

This edition was released simultaneously with the Spain and France editions. It has a length of 56:02 min; it includes 6 tracks in Italian and the rest in Spanish. The adaptations were made by B. Bonezzi and M. Luberti.

Track listing

Tracks:[4]

  1. "Responso positivo (El fallo positivo)" – 4:00
  2. "El uno, el dos, el tres" – 4:41
  3. "Bailando salsa" – 4:08
  4. "Il 7 di settembre (El 7 de septiembre)" – 5:02
  5. "Anna e Miguel (Naturaleza muerta)" – 5:02
  6. "1917 (Instrumental)" – 4:12
  7. "Una rosa è una rosa (Una rosa es una rosa)" – 4:48
  8. "El lago artificial" – 3:53
  9. "Tu (Tú)" – 4:10
  10. "Dalai Lama (Italian Version)" – 5:29
  11. "El peón del rey de negras" – 4:49
  12. "J.C." – 4:20
  13. "Sentía" – 3:28

Singles

  • Tu/Tú (1991)

France Edition

This French edition was released simultaneously with the Spain and Italy editions. It has a length of 60:22 min. It includes 7 songs in French, 6 in Spanish and an instrumental one. This edition was published by BMG Musique in Quebec, Canada. Its adaptations were made by Luc Plamondon, D. Burgard, M. Penalva and A. Moreau.

Track listing

Tracks:[5]

  1. "Dis-moi lune d'argent (Hijo de la Luna)" – 4:20
  2. "El fallo positivo" – 4:00
  3. "Une histoire à trois (El uno, el dos, el tres)" – 4:41
  4. "J.C. (French version)" – 4:20
  5. "Bailando salsa" – 4:08
  6. "Dalai Lama" – 5:29
  7. "Toi (Tú)" – 4:10
  8. "Le 7 septembre (El 7 de septiembre)" – 5:02
  9. "Una rosa es una rosa" – 4:48
  10. "Le paradis artificiel (El lago artificial)" – 3:53
  11. "Nature morte (Naturaleza muerta)" – 5:02
  12. "1917 (instrumental)" – 4:12
  13. "El peón del rey de negras" – 4:49
  14. "Sentía" – 3:28

Singles

  • Dis-moi lune d'argent/Hijo de la Luna (1991)
  • Nature morte/Naturaleza muerta (1991)
  • Toi/Tú (1991)
  • Dalai Lama/Le 7 Septembre (1991)

Charts

Album charts

# Chart
Peak Position		 Date
1. "Spain Album Charts"
(1991 Edition)		 #1[6] June 10, 1991
2. "Switzerland Chart"
(France Edition)		 #29[7] Nov 15, 1991
3. "Spain Album Charts"
(2nd Edition)		 #32[8] Sep 11, 2005

Single charts

Date Title Chart positions B-Sides
ESP MEX CRI CHL COL NIC ECU VEN ARG NLD FRA ITA
27 May 1991 El 7 de septiembre 5 9 9 2 5 10 5 10 10 76[9] - - El 7 de septiembre (Acoustic Version)
16 October 1991 Naturaleza muerta 9 11 12 9 7 5 15 10 10 - - - El peón del rey de negras
9 December 1991 Dalai Lama 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 - - - Dalai Lama (Instrumental)
1991 Dis-moi lune d'argent - - - - - - - - - 5[10] 6[11] - Hijo de la Luna
12 May 1992 Una rosa es una rosa 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 64[12] - - Una rosa es una rosa (Live)
1 August 1992 Un anno di più - - - - - - - - - - - 32 Une femme avec une femme
September 1992 El fallo positivo 2 9 11 10 10 15 10 10 19 - - - El fallo positivo (LP Version)
16 November 1, 1992 Tú 4 9 10 10 10 15 13 10 14 47[13] - - 1917

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[14] 2× Gold 200,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] 10× Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Untitled Document". www.premiosondas.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  2. ^ "Lo Nuestro – Historia". Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  3. ^ "allmusic ((( Aidalai > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  4. ^ "Aidalai (Italiano) (1991)". www.grupomecano.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  5. ^ "Aidalai (Frances) (1991)". www.grupomecano.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  6. ^ "1991 Albumes". Listas de AFYVE (in Spanish). Blogspot.
  7. ^ "Mecano - Aidalai - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  8. ^ "spanishcharts.com - Mecano - Aidalai". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  9. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Mecano - El 7 de septiembre". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  10. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Mecano - Hijo de la luna". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  11. ^ "lescharts.com - Mecano - Hijo de la luna". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  12. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Mecano - Una rosa es una rosa". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  13. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Mecano - Tú". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  14. ^ "French album certifications – Mecano – Aidalai" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 3 June 2021. Select MECANO and click OK. 
  15. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 932. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.