Cecilia (Spanish Singer)
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Evangelina Sobredo Galanes, known as Cecilia, (11 October 1948 – 2 August 1976) was a Spanish singer-songwriter. She took her stage name from the song "
Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...
" by Simon and Garfunkel.


Biography

The daughter of diplomats, she was born in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, spent her childhood in several countries (Spain, The United Kingdom, The United States, Jordan, Portugal) and was raised by an American nun. She attained a bachelor's degree in law in Spain before deciding to dedicate herself to music and composition. Her ironic and lyrical songs, sung in a tiny voice, contributed to the
existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...
and feminist movements of Spanish ''canción protesta'' (''protest songs'') of the 1960s and 1970s.


Career

Her first steps in the music field were with the group Expresión, featuring Nacho Sáez de Tejada and Julio Seijas. She wrote and sang in English. This band only published a single in 1970. In 1971 she signed up a contract as a solo artist with CBS-Spain. Julio Seijas remained as a collaborative musician on Cecilia´s band. She tried to launch her career as 'Eva' but that name was already registered and in use by another Madrilenian artist. In those days, the CBS-Spain label had release Simon and Garfunkel´s hit "Cecilia" and Evangelina took on that stage name. During her musical career as Cecilia, she released 3 LPs and 9 singles that were very well received by Spanish public. Cecilia was also a successful artist in Latin America. Her recordings were released in most Latin-speaking countries. She performed live in Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. She represented
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
in the fourth edition of the OTI Festival in 1975, which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico with the song "Amor de medianoche" (Midnight Love). She ended up first runner-up. In 1976 she was working on several artistic projects, such as a tribute to poet Ramón del Valle-Inclán and launching her music career in the U.S. She was also developing some work as a musical producer.


Death

On the 2nd of August 1976 Cecilia and the musicians of her band drove back to Madrid after a concert in Vigo, Galicia. Early in the morning, they were involved in a car accident near Benavente. She, along with musician Carlos de la Iglesia, died. She was buried in the Madrilenian
Cementerio de la Almudena The ''Cementerio de Nuestra Señora de La Almudena'' ( en, Our Lady of Almudena Cemetery), former ''Necrópolis del Este'' (East cemetery) is a cemetery in Madrid, Spain. It is the largest in Madrid and one of the largest in Western Europe. The nu ...
.


Style and influences

While Spanish singer songwriters such as
Mari Trini Mari may refer to: Places *Mari, Paraíba, Brazil, a city * Mari, Cyprus, a village *Mari, Greece, a village, site of ancient town of Marius * Mari, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran * Mari, Punjab, a village and a union council in Pakistan ...
or
Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style ...
followed French influences, Cecilia introduced a new style in the 1970s. She brought and combined into her music her American and Middle East experiences and also looked into Spanish folk tradition and literature. She sang in English and Spanish. Cecilia was influenced by
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
as she said in several press interviews. She performed and recorded songs of these artists. Her first single as "Cecilia" featured the song "Reuníos" asking The Beatles to get back together as a group. The front cover of her first album ''Cecilia'' shows Evangelina wearing a boxing glove, a clear reference to Paul Simon's song "
The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone sing ...
". Cecilia wrote and recorded her own compositions in her studio recordings. The only exceptions are "Lost little thing", cover of
Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
's "
Dear Prudence "Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in ...
" and "Amor de Medianoche" by
Juan Carlos Calderón Juan Carlos Calderón López de Arróyabe (7 July 1938 – 25 November 2012) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Santander, he was the author of "Eres tú", which, performed by Mocedades, came second in the Eurovision Song Co ...
and Evangelina Sobredo. She composed about 70 songs. The exact number is unknown because some materials remain unpublished. She also wrote several songs for other Spanish artists such as
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
,
Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), professionally known as Massiel, is a Spanish pop singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "La, la, la", beating the British pop singer Cliff Richard' ...
, Simone or
Mocedades Mocedades () is a Spanish singing group from the Basque Country, who represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with the hit song "Eres Tú". Since June 2014, ''Mocedades'' has been the name of two bands: one with Izaskun Uranga ...
. She cultivated other artistic fields beside music: poetry, painting and potteryware.


Censorship

Like many other artists in Spain, Cecilia had to deal with the censorship of
General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
´s
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. Some lyrics and photographs from the albums had to be slightly altered or even removed to be approved. Those elements with references to feminism or to the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
were specially conflictuous. The song "Un millón de muertos" ("A million dead") after being altered and presented as "Un millón de sueños" ("A million dreams") was not approved to be played on the radio ("No radiable"). ''Cecilia 2'' was the name that replaced "Me quedaré soltera" ("I will remain single") as the album title due to the feminism behind that statement. The front cover of the record, originally showing a pregnant Cecilia, was promptly removed by the record company. The super-hit "Mi querida España" had some words deleted on the final version to minimize subtle references to the Civil War and the end of the dictatorship. However, the authentic lyrics made it to print and came out in the inner side of the
gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...
cover of the album.


Legacy

There have been posthumous compilations and a re-edition of her songs sung by famous artists like Merche Corisco, Miguel Bosé,
Ana Belén María del Pilar Cuesta Acosta (born 27 May 1951, Madrid), known professionally as Ana Belén, is a Spanish actress and singer. Life/career Born in 1951, Ana Belén is the oldest of three children. Her father was a cook in Hotel Palace, and ...
, Manolo Tena, and
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
in 1996. Some of her songs such as "Un ramito de violetas" and "Dama, dama" have been covered by many artists worldwide:
Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...
,
David Broza David Simon Berwick Broza ( he, דויד ברוזה; born September 4, 1955) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. His music mixes modern pop with Spanish music. Biography David Broza was born in Haifa, Israel. His father was an Israeli–British bus ...
,
Manzanita Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Or ...
,
Natalia Oreiro Natalia Marisa Oreiro Iglesias (; born 19 May 1977) is a Uruguayan actress, singer, songwriter, model, television presenter and fashion designer. Oreiro began her career in telenovelas. Since 2008 she has switched to work primarily in films. O ...
, Fangoria, Amaral and Pablo Milanés among many others.


Discography


Singles

A total of 11 singles were published during Cecilia's life. 6 of her songs hit the number 1 on Spanish best-selling and radio charts: "Dama, Dama", "Nada de nada", "Andar", "Un ramito de violetas", "Mi querida España" and "Amor de Medianoche". After her death, 3 more singles and a CD-single were released. * "Try catch the sun" / "Have you ever had a blue day?", ''Expresión'', featuring Nacho Sáez de Tejada ( Nuestro Pequeño Mundo) and Julio Seijas * "Mañana" / "Reuníos", 1971 * "Fui"/" Dama, Dama", 1972 * "Nada de nada" / "Mi gata Luna",1972 * "Andar" / "Me quedaré soltera", 1973 * "Canción de amor" / "Un millón de sueños", 1973 * "Un ramito de violetas" / "La primera comunión", 1974 * "Mi querida España" / "Nuestra tierra", 1975 * "Amor de medianoche" / "Decir adiós", 1975 * "Tu y yo" / "Una guerra", 1976 * "A million reasons" / "Come the wind", 1976 (Only released in the USA45 Discography for Epic Records
/ref>) * "El viaje" / "Lluvia", 1976 * "Doña Estefaldina" / "Nana del prisionero", 1983 * "El juego de la vida" / "Lady in the limousine",1983 * "Desde que tú te has ido", 1996 (only CD-single)


LPs

* ''Cecilia'', 1972. Track list: "Fui", "Dama, Dama", "Señor y dueño", "Mi gata Luna", "Llora", "Portraits and Pictures", "Al son del clarín", "Canción de desamor", "Fauna", "Mama don´t you cry", "Nada de nada", "Lost little thing". * ''Cecilia 2'', 1973. Track list: "Andar", "Me quedaré soltera", "Si no fuera porque...", "Con los ojos en paz", "Canción de amor", "Un millón de sueños", "Cuando yo era pequeña", "Me iré de aquí", "Mi ciudad", "Equilibrista". * ''Un ramito de violetas'' 1975. Track list: "Mi querida España", "Decir adiós", "Sevilla", "La primera comunión", "Nuestro cuarto", "Esta tierra", "Mi pobre piano", "Un ramito de violetas", "Don Roque", "Tu retrato". * ''Amor de Medianoche'', 1975. A greatest hits collection, released because of the OTI Festival. The voice was newly recorded in all songs except "Un ramito de violetas". All songs were remixed. "Llora" was taken half step lower, so the song sounds slower and has longer timing than the original mix. Track list: "Amor de medianoche", "Andar", "Un ramito de violetas", "Nada de nada", "Un millón de sueños", "Mi querida España", "Fui", "Señor y dueño", "Llora", "Dama, dama".


Later collections

* ''Canciones inéditas'', 1983. Posthumous album that includes unpublished songs and discarded materials from previous recordings. Track list: "El juego de la vida", "Doña Estefaldina", "Lady in the limousine", "Tocan a muerto", "Nana del prisionero", "Perdimos algo", "El Testamento", "Como puede vivir", "Sister of the sand", "Quiero vivir palabras", "Soldadito de plomo", "Between the blinds". * ''20 Grandes canciones'', 1990 * ''Desde que tu te has ido'', 1996 * ''Un millón de sueños'', 2007 * ''Cecilia inédita en concierto'', 2011. 2 CD´s/ 2 LP´s set featuring live radio performances of Cecilia, unpublished for 35 years. * ''Mi Muñeca'', 2013. Posthumous album that includes unpublished songs and uncensored versions of her greatest hits.


References


Bibliography

* Madrid, José: Equilibrista, la vida de Cecilia. Madrid, Ocho y medio, 2011


External links

* * www.cecilianet.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecilia 1948 births 1976 deaths Road incident deaths in Spain Singers from Madrid Writers from Madrid 20th-century Spanish singers Burials at Cementerio de la Almudena 20th-century Spanish women singers