"Cardo o ceniza" (translated "thistle or ash") is a song written and performed by

Chabuca Granda María Isabel Granda Larco (3 September 1920 – 8 March 1983), better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Granda's "La flor de la ...

. It was written in 1973 and tells of the passionate desire and shame felt by Chilean singer-songwriter

Violeta Parra Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal and ...

after being rejected by her lover,

Gilbert Favre Gilbert Favre (November 19, 1936 – December 12, 1998) was a clarinetist from Geneva, Switzerland. He trained at the Conservatory of Geneva, and also played jazz clarinet. In South America, he discovered the quena, and when he moved to Bolivia, he ...

Composition

Granda wrote "Cardo o ceniza" in 1973 while living in Mexico. She wrote several songs about the Chilean singer-songwriter

, who committed suicide in 1967. Granda had not met Parra, but her death had deeply touched Granda who called it an "irreparable" tragedy. The song's musical composition is in the form of a landó, a sensual and rhythmic style of the Peruvian coast. Singer

Tania Libertad Tania Libertad de Souza Zúñiga (born October 24, 1952) known professionally as Tania Libertad, is a Peruvian-Mexican singer in the World Music genre. Libertad was named an Ambassador for Peace by UNESCO, Comendadora by the Peruvian government, a ...

, who later covered the song, wrote: "The letter is a permanent questioning; the sensuality and rhythmic division of the landó allow syncopation and spaces where there is room for doubt and lack of answers. That's how great Chabuca was." The song's lyrics describe the passionate desire and shame felt by Parra over her love for the Swiss musician

, who was 19 years younger than Parra. Parra's suicide in 1967 has been blamed in part on her love for Favre. Author Sara Vignolo offered an interpretation on the song: "The thistle is a showy flower with a stem and thorny leaves; it is captivating and painful like the stories of impossible love. The ash is what remains after the burning of all the ships, after the flame of all the dreams; when all the cravings burned in the embers of the flesh ... It is hell of ashamed love; offbeat, lilting, syncopated ... a forbidden dance, a drink joyful and bitter ”

Lyrics

Spanish

Cómo será mi piel junto a tu piel Cómo será mi piel junto a tu piel Cardo o ceniza Cómo será Si he de fundir mi espacio frente al tuyo Cómo será tu cuerpo al recorrerme Y cómo mi corazón si estoy de muerte Mi corazón si estoy de muerte Se quebrará mi voz cuando se apague De no poderte hablar en el oído Y quemará mi boca salivada De la sed que me queme si me besas De la sed que me queme si me besas Cómo será el gemido y cómo el grito Al escapar mi vida entre la tuya Y cómo el letargo al que me entregue Cuando adormezca el sueño entre tu sueño Han de ser breves mis siestas Mis esteros despiertan con tus ríos Pero, pero Pero cómo serán mis despertares Cada vez que despierte avergonzada Tanto amor y avergonzada

English translation

How would my skin be next to your skin Thistle or ash How would it be If I melt my space before yours How would it be for your body to transverse me And my heart if I were to expire My voice will break when it fades from not being able to speak in your ear And my mouth will burn From the thirst that burns me if you kiss me How will the cry and the shout be When I escape my life into yours And how the languor to which I surrender When the dream sleeps between your dream My slumber must be brief My rivers awaken with yours But, but How will my awakenings be Every morning, I wake ashamed So much love and ashamed

Recording history

Recordings by Granda

Granda first recorded the song for her 1974 Sono Radio album, ''Chabuca Granda y ... don Luis González''. Granda again performed the song in November 1977 for the program, ''

300 millones ''300 millones'' is a weekly Spanish musical and cultural television variety show produced by Televisión Española (TVE), aired between 1977 and 1983 on TVE-1 in Spain and transmitted via satellite to all member stations of the Organización de ...

'' of

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

. She was accompanied on the performance by Rodolfo Arteaga, Félix Casaverde, and

Caitro Soto Pedro Carlos Soto de la Colina (23 October 1934, San Luis, Cañete, Peru – 19 July 2004, Lima, Peru), popularly known as Caitro Soto, was an Afro-Peruvian musician and composer. He was known for his version of the Peruvian folk song, "Toro Mata" ...

. In 1978, Granda included the song on her album, "Tarimba Negra". Granda suffered a heart attack in 1979 and was in poor health thereafter. She recorded her final album, '' Cada Cancion con su Razon'', in 1980 at the EMI studios in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. She included "Cardo y ceniza" on the album with accompaniment by

, Pititi Sirio, and Álvaro Lagos.

Covers

The song is among the most popular in Granda's oeuvre and has been covered by many artists, including the following: * Peruvian singer-songwriter and Grammy winner

Susana Baca Susana may refer to: * Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation * Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * ''Susana'' (magazine) ...

covered the song on her 2001 album, ''Gifted: Women of the World''. *

Eva Ayllón Eva María Angélica Ayllón Urbina (born February 7, 1956) better known by her stage name Eva Ayllón, is a female composer and singer, one of Peru's foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians, and one of the country's most enduring living legends. She he ...

, recipient of the

Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend performers "who have made contributions of outstanding artistic ...

, covered the song on ''The Rough Guide to Afro Peru'' (2002) and on ''Eva! Leyendra Peruana''. *

, also the recipient of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, covered the song on the 1983 tribute album, ''Lo Inolvidable de Chabuca Granda''. *

Dulce Pontes Dulce José Silva Pontes (; born 8 April 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk, and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s ...

, a Portuguese

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...

singer, covered the song on the 2017 tribute album, "A Chabuca", which was nominated for a Latin Grammy.

Recognition

In 2017, Granda's body of musical work was declared a part of the "Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación" (" Cultural Heritage of the Nation"). "Cardo o Ceniza" was one of the works cited in the declaration. In 2019, ''

La República LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'', one of the two major national newspapers in Peru, included "Cardo y ceriza" on its list of the six best songs of Granda that have represented Peru around the world. The magazine ''

Caretas ''Caretas'' (Masks) is a weekly newsmagazine published in Lima, Peru, renowned for its investigative journalism. History ''Caretas'' was founded in October 1950 by Doris Gibson and Francisco Igartua. In the mid-1950s, Gibson's son, Enrique Z ...

'' also included the song in its 2020 listing of Granda's five most emblematic songs. In 2020, on the 100th anniversary of Granda's birth, Peru's Ministry of Culture published a book on Granda's life and works, written by Rodrigo Sarmiento Herencia. Sarmiento opened the book by naming "Cardo y ceniza" among Granda's four most recognized works, demonstrating her unfading creative capacity and talent.Sarmiento, "Llego Rasgando Cielos, Luz y Viento", p. 11.

References

External links

Cardo o ceniza "Cardo o ceniza" (translated "thistle or ash") is a song written and performed by Chabuca Granda. It was written in 1973 and tells of the passionate desire and shame felt by Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra after being rejected by her lover ...

at Spanish Wikipedia