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La Gota Fría: Lyrics and Theme Carlos Vives Version
La Gota Fría: Lyrics and Theme Carlos Vives Version
La Gota Fría (English: The Cold Drop) is a 1938 Colombian Vallenato song, composed by Emiliano Zuleta.[1] It has been proposed as an unofficial
Colombian anthem. The song emerged from a musical controversy with Lorenzo Morales. Many artists had covered the song include Carlos Vives,
Grupo Niche, Ray Conniff, Gran Pachanga, Los Joao, La Sonora Dinamita, Julio Iglesias, Tulio Zuloaga, and Alfredo Gutiérrez. The title of the song
alludes metaphorically to the weather phenomenon, in which a cold front clashes with warm air, producing heavy storms and torrential rains; the
cold drop is occasionally apparent near the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Contents
Lyrics and theme
Carlos Vives version
Background and composition
Reception
Music video
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Before Clásicos de la Provincia, Vives was not considered a famous Colombian singer on the international stage.
He began his career as a soap opera star in such telenovelas.[2] Then tried his hand in a dual career as both
television star and romantic balladeer. While he gained domestic attention through his first few albums in the late
1980s, his synthpop style did little to differentiate himself from other musical artists of the era. It took a few years
for Vives to find inspiration out of the limelight in Bogotá and back to his roots in Santa Marta.[2]
Single by Carlos Vives
In 1991, when Carlos was approached to play the part of Rafael Escalona in the biographical film Escalona (1991),
it would not only be a star-turning role for the rising actor, but the beginning of Carlos's musical breakthrough. from the album Clásicos de la
Playing the famous musician, Carlos used his own musical talents to reinterpret Escalona's music, embedded in Provincia
the traditional Colombian style of music known as Vallenato.[2] With vallenato being the musical style of Released 1993
Colombia's northern coast, the location of Carlos's Santa Marta birthplace, Vives found success embracing his
hometown roots. While vallenato was a musical style that had slowly lost popularity with Colombia's younger Genre Vallenato
generation, Escalona would inspire Carlos to fuse the vallenato with modern rock, a sound that would break Length 3:33
Carlos not only in his own Colombian homeland, but the entire Latin American music market.[3] Label Polygram
With Carlos's backing band, La Provincia, Carlos took a cue from his successful interpretations of Rafael Songwriter(s) Emiliano Zuleta
Escalona, and decided to delve deeper into the famous artists of Colombia's vallenato past. The result would be Producer(s) Eduardo de Narvae
Carlos's first true breakthrough hit Clásicos de la Provincia, in 1993 (1994 internationally).[3] As the title implies,
Carlos Vives singles chronology
the album consists of Colombia's vallenato standards, not only popular during its time, but in a new rock style,
nearly turning the songs into new compositions. For example, the album opener "La Gota Fria", when compared "No Podrás "La Gota "Alicia
to the original by Emiliano Zuleta, sounds like two distinct songs, if one were to ignore song lyrics.[4] Escapar de Fría" Adorada"
Mi" (1993) (1994)
(1989)
Reception
Upon its release, "La Gota Fría" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who recognized it as one of the best track from Clásicos de la
Provincia. Carlos Quintana of About.com wrote about the song that "this song took Colombia, and later the world, by storm. The feeling inside of it
represents in a perfect way the festive spirit of Colombian people", and named it as ideal track for any Latin party.[5] Also was placed it among his
personal list of the Best Vallenatos in History, ranking the first place in a top ten.[6] Janet Rosen from Allmusic praised the song because is different
between the other song of the album and expressed "a witty tune that was a major hit for Vives", going on to select the song as one of the best tracks of
the album.[7]
"La Gota Fría" became Vives's first record to attain commercial success. The song peaked at numbers 6 and 14 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and
Latin Pop Songs component charts. The song won for Tropical Song of the Year at the 1995 Lo Nuestro Awards.[8] In Chile the song was certified
Platinum for selling over 25,000 copies.[9]
Music video
The music video for "La Gota Fría" was shot in the Romelio Martínez Stadium in Barranquilla, and Pescaíto (a popular neighborhood of his native
Santa Marta), the two locations are in Colombia. On December 7, 1993, Vives offered a concert in Barranquilla. The event was very special because the
music video for "La Gota Fría" was going to be filmed. They had many film cameras, dollies and clapperboards (with the participation of group of
video from RCN TV). At the 4:00 am the next day, La Provincia and Carlos Vives, left Barranquilla because they needed to shoot some scenes of the
music video in Santa Marta. The video of the song starts with Carlos singing live with La Provincia, during the video show scenes of the band
members playing their instruments. There are other scenes that show the public and other that shows Carlos Vives playing football at the beach, a
drop falling in the water, a cactus and other images.[10]
Track listings
12" maxi-single[11]
CD Maxi Single[12]
An image of Carlos Vives in the
1. "La Gota Fría" music video for "La Gota Fría".
2. "Alicia Adorada"
3. "Matilde Lina"
4. "Honda Herida"
Charts
Peak Peak
Chart (1994) Chart (1994)
position position
Certifications
References
1. "Emiliano Zuleta" (https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/nov/14/gu 8. Lo Nuestro 1995 - Historia de Premio lo Nuestro (http://www.univisio
ardianobituaries.colombia). theguardian.com. 2005-11-14. Retrieved n.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=490957) Archived (https://web.archiv
2013-09-20. e.org/web/20110805232615/http://www.univision.com/content/conten
2. "Carlos Vives Biography" (http://www.carlosvives.com/index.php?opti t.jhtml?cid=490957) 2011-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Univision
on=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=104&lang=en). Sony 9. Fernandez, Carmen Alicia (December 28, 1994). "Al son de bolero y
Music Entertainment. carlosvives.com (http://www.carlosvives.com/in vallenato" (http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-26946
dex.php?lang=en). Retrieved July 12, 2013. External link in 8). El Tiempo (in Spanish). Casa Editorial El Tiempo S.A. Retrieved
|publisher= (help) July 12, 2013.
3. "Biografía de Carlos Vives" (http://www.candelaestereo.com/musica/a 10. Silva Guzmán, Mauricio (December 10, 1993). "Vives: de local y de
rtistas-favoritos/9-carlos-vives/271-biografia-carlos-vives.html). visitante" (http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-
Candela Stereo (in Spanish). Retrieved July 12, 2013. 272406). El Tiempo (in Spanish). Casa Editorial El Tiempo S.A.
4. "Carlos Vives: Ya está listo el último trabajo musical de Carlos Vives y Retrieved July 13, 2013.
la cosa pinta de alto turmequé" (http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/doc 11. "Carlos Vives - LA Gota Fría (vinyl)" (http://www.discogs.com/Carlos-
umento/MAM-173434). El Tiempo (in Spanish). Casa Editorial El Vives-La-Gota-Fria/release/4670030). Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved
Tiempo S.A. July 19, 1993. Retrieved July 13, 2013. July 12, 2013.
5. Quintana, Carlos. "Carlos Vives – 'Clásicos De La Provincia' CD 12. "Carlos Vives - La Gota Fría (CD Maxi Single)" (http://www.discogs.co
Review" (http://latinmusic.about.com/od/carlos_vives/fr/Carlos-Vives- m/Carlos-Vives-La-Gota-Fria/release/421735). Discogs. Zink Media.
Clasicos-De-La-Provincia-Album-Review.htm). About.com. Retrieved Retrieved July 12, 2013.
July 12, 2013. 13. "Carlos Vives Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)" (https://www.billboard.
6. Quintana, Carlos. "Best Vallenatos in History" (http://latinmusic.about. com/music/Carlos-Vives/chart-history/HTL). Billboard. Retrieved April
com/od/colombian/tp/Best-Vallenatos-In-History.htm). About.com. 28, 2011.
Retrieved July 12, 2013. 14. "Carlos Vives Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)" (https://www.billboard.
7. Rosen, Jane. "Clásico de la Provincia" (http://www.allmusic.com/albu com/music/Carlos-Vives/chart-history/LPO). Billboard. Retrieved April
m/clasicos-de-la-provincia-mw0000109533). Allmusic. Rovi 28, 2011.
Corporation. Retrieved July 12, 2013. 15. "The Year in Music" (https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAgEAAAA
MBAJ&q=carlos+vives). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 106
(52): YE-82. December 26, 1994. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
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