Corazón de poeta
Studio album by
Jeanette
ReleasedJune 1981
RecordedEarly 1981
StudioSonoland Studios, Madrid
Genre
Length39:58
LanguageSpanish
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerManuel Alejandro
Jeanette chronology
Jeanette/Todo es nuevo
(1977)		 Corazón de poeta
(1981)		 Reluz
(1983)
Singles from Corazón de poeta
  1. "Frente a frente"
    Released: 1981
  2. "Corazón de poeta"
    Released: 1981
  3. "El muchacho de los ojos tristes"
    Released: 1982

Corazón de poeta (pronounced [koɾaˈθon de poˈeta]; Spanish for "Heart of a poet") is the fourth studio album by English-born Spanish singer Jeanette, released in June 1981 by RCA Victor. The album was almost entirely written and produced by composer Manuel Alejandro, who had written "Soy rebelde", Jeanette's 1971 breakthrough as a canción melódica singer. After releasing an LP record in France and an unsuccessful foray into disco in Germany, Corazón de poeta was Jeanette's return to fame, as well as to the soft, sentimental ballads she had been known for. Corazón de poeta intended to reinvent Jeanette's childlike image into a more mature one, reflected in its erotic tone and its promotional campaign.

Three singles were released from the album: the title track, "Frente a frente" and "El muchacho de los ojos tristes", with the former two becoming hits and aiding Jeanette's resurgent popularity. Jeanette's best-selling studio album to date, Corazón de poeta was a commercial success upon its release, performing well in Spain—where it received a double Gold certification—as well as Latin America—where virtually every song on the record was met with success. It remains Jeanette's most acclaimed release, and is considered by Jeanette herself as her best work. Various tracks from Corazón de poeta are among Jeanette's most famous popular songs, and several of them have been covered by various other artists.

Background and production

"They say that he works for money or for fondness; I think with me he has done it for fondness, because on other occasions he has been offered millions and not accepted. He is a person who chooses his artists; he has a lot of character."

– Jeanette talking about composer Manuel Alejandro, El Periódico de Catalunya, June 1981.[1]

Jeanette had previously worked with Corazon de poeta's composer Manuel Alejandro in her solo debut single "Soy rebelde", released in 1971 on Hispavox. The orchestral song was a departure from the folk rock-influenced style of her previous group Pic-Nic, and established Jeanette as an internationally renowned melodic singer.[2] After the European success of her hit single "Porque te vas"—popularized by its inclusion in the 1976 film Cría cuervos—Jeanette found herself working mostly abroad. Moving away from her career in Spain, the subsequent years she recorded an LP record in France with André Popp, as well as various singles for Germany and the Netherlands. The latter attempted to reinvent Jeanette as a disco singer, something she disliked and later criticized.[1][3][4] In a 1981 interview on talk show Retrato en vivo, Jeanette stated: "They wanted to change my image, what I really am. Because the people here in Spain know me as a singer of melodic, soft songs... [...] And I really did not like it very much, and left it.[3]

Jeanette then decided to refocus on the Spanish career she had put on rest, signing a new contract with RCA Victor. She stated: "my illusion was to record an album with Manuel Alejandro, which would ultimately mean returning to my roots, to do what I have always done."[4] He took a year and a half to compose the songs, which he later played in his piano to Jeanette. She recalled: "I liked them all. But with him you can not say much because he sends you out. He tells me: 'You're going to sing this because I say so'."[5] Corazón de poeta was recorded in early 1981 at Sonoland Studios, Madrid.[6] According to Jeanette, the sessions took a month and featured sixty session musicians in the studio, "without sophisticated machines or anything".[5] Regarding his experience working with Jeanette, Alejandro recalled in 1999: "She had the tiniest voice I've ever heard in my life. They had to record the vocals twice on two tracks. But it was incredible."[7]

Composition

Corazón de poeta was Jeanette's return to the soft and melodic sentimental ballad-led style she had been famous for during the 1970s. In a 1981 interview with Heraldo de Aragón, Jeanette explained: "... it can be said that [on the album] there is a bit of everything, although what predominates are the soft songs, which is my usual style and where I am most comfortable."[1][4] Unlike her previous works, however, the album presented a more erotic tone and less naive lyrics, that corresponded to a more mature woman.[4] The organizers of Festival Europa Sur stated in 2014 that with tracks like "Corazón de poeta" and "Frente a frente", Jeanette "demonstrated that a canción melódica song can be approached from a pop optic".[8]

Alejandro wrote all the songs with Jeanette's voice in mind and even included a paso doble—"Viva el pasodoble"—because he felt it would be "funny" to combine her characteristic English accent and thin voice with the Spanish folk music genre.[1][3][4][9] The singer initially refused to record it but eventually agreed at Alejandro's insistence.[9] However, she mentioned it in 2012 as "one of her songs that she has come to hate" alongside "Voy a tener un niño";[10] and refuses to perform it live, stating that she "does not feel comfortable" doing so.[9] The lyrics of "Frente a frente" have been referred to as "a slow story of disagreement".[11] Jeanette described it in 1981 as "very current", as it "touches on a burning issue that is divorce."[nb 1][4] "El muchacho de los ojos tristes" has been likened to French chanson due to its instrumentation and melody.[13]

Release and promotion

Corazón de poeta was released in June 1981[1] on RCA Victor as a cassette and LP record.[6][14] In addition to Spain, RCA Victor was responsible for the album's release in Peru,[15] Venezuela,[16] Bolivia,[17] Mexico,[18] Ecuador,[19] and the United States.[20] In France, Corazón de poeta was issued on Barclay Records.[21] In 1988, RCA reissued the album in the United States as a CD.[22] The tracks "Corazón de poeta" and "Frente a frente"—with "Comiénzame a vivir" and "Cuando estoy con él" as their respective B-sides—were "almost simultaneously" released as 7-inch singles in 1981.[23][24][25] Both songs were also recorded in English—"Frente a frente" as "Sorrow" and "Corazón de poeta" as "A Heart So Warm and So Tender"—and released as a single that year.[26] "El muchacho de los ojos tristes"—backed by "Toda la noche oliendo a tí"—was released as the album's third and final single in 1982.[27]

Jeanette promoted the album extensively throughout Spain, making appearances across radio, television and newspapers.[4] In August 1981, she appeared as a "guest of honor" on TV show Retrato en vivo, where she performed "Toda la noche oliendo a tí", "Acabaré llorando" and "Frente a frente".[3][28] In her interviews, the singer emphasized her wish to be seen as a more mature woman and leave behind the childlike image people had of her.[1][3][4] In 2016, she recalled:

I remember that time because I find it very funny. When I started to record the album Corazón de poeta, production told me that it was time to become a woman and leave the childish side that everyone knew. I laughed so much when they said my voice was sexy [laughs]. In the cover photo I appear with flying hair, bare shoulders... They made me a woman![29]

In July 1998, BMG released the albums Corazón de poeta and Ojos en el sol together as one compilation.[30] Record label Rama Lama Music released in 2003 a remastered compilation of the three albums Jeanette recorded for RCA Victor.[31] The songs from Corazón de poeta have appeared in several greatest hits albums by Jeanette, such as Grandes éxitos (1987),[32] Sus más lindas canciones (1988),[33] Sigo rebelde (1996),[34] and 20 éxitos originales (2005).[35]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[36]
Lafonoteca[13]

Corazón de poeta was a commercial success in Spain and Ibero-American countries such as Argentina and Chile (where it became number one on the album charts),[37] Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.[38][39] In Spain, the album spent a week at the top of the album charts.[40] On 19 October 1981, Promusicae awarded Corazón de poeta the Gold certification at nightclub Long Play, in recognition of having sold 100,000 copies.[41] The album was later certified double Gold in Spain in early 1982.[37] ABC reported in July 1982 that the album had sold around 200,000 copies.[42] Corazón de poeta continued to sell for several years, eventually becoming Jeanette's best selling album in Spain and South America.[13] According to Lafonoteca, "it harvested millionaire sales around the world, triumphing across the line in several Hispanic American countries."[40]

Although the title track was intended to be the album's main single, it was "totally obscured" by "Frente a frente",[23] which "sold quite more" and was able to "collect the dividends that its matrix LP was producing in the [album] market".[11] According to Lafonoteca's Julián Molero, it "obtained a surely unexpected success at the beginning of its publication and became one of the most representative titles of Jeanette's career."[11] In early 1982, ABC stated that "the song "Corazón de poeta" [had returned] Jeanette to the forefront of musical news in Ibero-America", with both the title track and "Frente a frente" appearing on Spain's singles chart.[39] "El muchacho de los ojos tristes", the album's final single, failed to perform as well as the previous singles, as by that time its tracks were already well-known.[43] Instead, it "fulfilled the objective of keeping in limelight the name of the singer on hold for the news that would occur the following year."[43]

Corazón de poeta remains Jeanette's "most revered work".[44] Critic Julián Molero felt that the album was "impeccable in its production and interpretation" and that "in its style it is among the best of those years."[13] He further wrote: "If you allow me one last reflection of personal nature, I must say that this is not the kind of music I like, but it is evident that it is a very, very well done album. One of those records that you can not put a formal 'but', where nothing is unnecessary or a free whim. It is not surprising that it has been republished since the date of its publication."[13]

Legacy

Jeanette performing "Frente a frente" in Arequipa, Peru in 2014.

Over time, songs like "Corazón de poeta", "Frente a frente" and "El muchacho de los ojos tristes" have come to be considered classics,[45][46][47] and gained cult status.[48] During an interview for home video series Las canciones de tu vida in 2008, host José María Íñigo asked Jeanette what Corazón de poeta meant in her discography, to which she replied: "That was the best LP I ever recorded in my life. Look at the curiosity that the twelve [sic] tracks of the record were number one in many countries of South America. It's not like today that they make you a CD and there are two or three songs that are worth, and the rest is more or less. Here were twelve wonderful tracks."[9] Julián Molero described it as "her most famous album whose songs thirty years later continue to sound in the musical thread of the big surfaces and some stations specialized in retromusic that serve as background to any work activity."[13]

The songs from Corazon de poeta have been extensively covered by other artists. Rocío Jurado famously covered "Viva el pasodoble", which became her most known song and led many people to believe she was its original singer.[9][13] Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Bunbury is an andmirer of "Frente a frente", and included a cover version of the song, featuring Miren Iza, in his album Las Consecuencias. It was released as the album's lead single in January 2010, and its music video featured a cameo appearance by Jeanette.[49][50] Mariana Montenegro of Chilean band Dënver covered "Corazón de poeta" in 2013.[51][52] Por Qué Jeanette, a Spanish post-punk tribute band focusing on the singer, have released several reinterpretations of songs off Corazón de poeta, including the title track, "Cuando estoy con él", "Toda la noche oliendo a tí", "Acabaré llorando", "Un día es un día", "Comiénzame a vivir" and "Frente a frente".[53][54] In October 2015, Peruvian label Plastilina Records released the double album Contemplaciones. Homenaje iberoamericano a Jeanette, in which several artists from Spain and Ibero-America paid homage to the singer. It includes cover versions of "Si te vas, te vas" by Chico Unicornio, "Corazón de poeta" by Carmen Sandiego, "El muchacho de los ojos tristes" by Niza, "Cuando estoy con él" by Sexores and "Frente a frente" by Los Waldners.[55] In 2016, Jeanette re-recorded "Toda la noche oliendo a tí" alongside fellow ballad singer Juan Bau, which was released as a single on Regalia Records.[56]

The song "Frente a frente" has been sampled in several hip-hop tracks, including Noreaga's "Gangsta's Watch", Cookin' Soul's remix of "Threat" by Jay-Z, Cartel de Santa's "El dolor del micro", Facção Central's "A malandragem toma conta (Releitura)", and The Louk's "Ritmos & Letras".[57] Chicano rapper Conejo sampled "Corazón de poeta" in "Coins Like Judas", a song off his 2014 album Favela Tres.[58]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Manuel Alejandro and Ana Magdalena,[nb 2] except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Corazón de poeta"4:35
2."Un día es un día"3:47
3."Cuando estoy con él"4:18
4."Frente a frente"3:19
5."Viva el pasodoble"4:05
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."El muchacho de los ojos tristes"3:38
2."Comiénzame a vivir"4:00
3."Si te vas, te vas"4:06
4."Toda la noche oliendo a tí"3:47
5."Acabaré llorando" (David Beigbeder)4:23
Total length:39:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]

Production

  • Manuel Alejandro – producer, arranger, orchestration
  • José Antonio Alvarez Alija – engineer, assistant producer
  • Maurizio Gaudenzi – assistant engineer
  • David Beigbeder – conductor, assistant producer

Cover design

  • Antonio Lax – design
  • Francisco Ontañón – photography
  • José María Castellví – photography

Charts

Chart (1981–82) Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF)[37] 1
Chile[37] 1
Mexico (AMPROFON)[37] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin LPs (Florida)[60] 23
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[13] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] 2× Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ On 7 July 1981—around the time of Corazón de poeta's release—Spain enacted its divorce law.[12]
  2. ↑ Ana Magdalena is the pseudonym of Purificación Casas Romero, Manuel Alejandro's wife. According to Libertad Digital, Alejandro used to sign with her "for reasons of rights before the Treasury".[59]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jeanette". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. 20 June 1981. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Molero, Julián (18 September 2010). "Soy Rebelde" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Miguel de los Santos, Jeanette (25 August 1981). Retrato en vivo (talk show) (in Spanish). Spain: Televisión Española. RTVE. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Uribe, Matías (30 August 1981). "Jeanette: "Esa imagen de niña dulce y romántica que la gente tiene de mí es falsa"". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Padilla, Juan Alberto (30 October 2016). "Jeanette: "Las canciones de hoy no lograrán trascender"". Diario Correo (in Spanish). Lima: PrenSmart S.A.C. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Spain: RCA Victor. PL-35348.
  7. ↑ Rodríguez, Rafa (2 May 1999). "Manuel Alejandro". La Revista (in Spanish). El Mundo. Unidad Editorial. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "El Festival Europa Sur tendrá en Trujillo a Jeanette como cabeza de cartel" (in Spanish). Región Digital. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 José María Íñigo, Jeanette (2008). La entrevista. Las canciones de tu vida, 1981 (1) (DVD) (in Spanish). Ediciones del Prado.
  10. ↑ Amilibia (5 May 2012). "Jeanette/Cantante: "Qué voy a ser rica Vivo al día Hacienda me deja pobre"". La Razón. Grupo Planeta. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 Molero, Julián (18 September 2010). "Frente a Frente" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Ley 30/1981, 7 de julio, por la que se modifica la regulación del matrimonio en el Código Civil y se determina el procedimiento a seguir en las causas de nulidad, separación y divorcio" (in Spanish). Noticias Jurídicas. Grupo Wolters Kluwer España. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Molero, Julián (18 September 2010). "Corazón de Poeta" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (Compact Cassette). Spain: RCA Victor. PK-35348.
  15. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Peru: RCA Victor. XRPL1-845.
  16. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Venezuela: RCA Victor. LPVS-2007.
  17. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Bolivia: RCA Victor. RLP-077.
  18. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Mexico: RCA Victor. MILS-4536.
  19. ↑ Jeanette (1982). Corazón de poeta (LP record). Ecuador: RCA Victor. 800617-6.
  20. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). United States: RCA Victor. RKLI-7004.
  21. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (LP record). France: RCA Victor. 200.415.
  22. ↑ Jeanette (1988). Corazón de poeta (CD). United States: RCA Victor. 8492-2-RL.
  23. 1 2 Molero, Julián (18 September 2010). "Corazón de Poeta" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  24. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Corazón de poeta (7-inch single). Spain: RCA Victor. PB-7745.
  25. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Frente A Frente (7-inch single). Spain: RCA Victor. PB-7744.
  26. ↑ Jeanette (1981). Jeanette canta en inglés (7-inch single). Spain: RCA Victor. ESP-581.
  27. ↑ Jeanette (1982). El muchacho de los ojos tristes (7-inch single). Spain: RCA Victor. PB-7768.
  28. ↑ "El 'Retrato en vivo' de Jeanette". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 25 August 1981. p. 69. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  29. ↑ Rodríguez, Juan Diego (13 November 2016). "Jeanette: "Siento que me quedé con 29 años"". El Comercio (in Spanish). Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  30. ↑ "2 en 1: Corazón de Poeta y Ojos en el Sol by Jeanette". Apple Music. July 1998. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  31. ↑ Jeanette (2003). Jeanette Vol. 2: Todos Sus Albumes En RCA (1981–1984) (Double CD). Spain: Rama Lama Music. RO-52502.
  32. ↑ Jeanette (1987). Grandes éxitos (Compact Cassette). Spain: RCA. 35614.
  33. ↑ Jeanette (1988). Sus más lindas canciones (CD). Spain: RCA International. 9578-2-RL.
  34. ↑ Jeanette (1996). Sigo rebelde (Double CD). Spain: Hispavox. 8-52131-2.
  35. ↑ Jeanette (2005). 20 éxitos originales (CD). United States: Norte (Sony BMG). SMK-95846.
  36. ↑ "Corazón de Poeta – Jeanette". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2 triunfadoras en España y en el mundo". Billboard (in Spanish). 27 March 1982. p. 65. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  38. ↑ Amilibia (5 May 1982). "Ismael Merlo y Vicky Lagos: Seducidos y abandonados". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. p. 91. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  39. 1 2 "El mundo del espectáculo". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 12 January 1982. p. 91. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  40. 1 2 "Biografía de Jeanette" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  41. ↑ "Disco de oro para Jeanette". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 18 October 1981. p. 75. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  42. ↑ J. A. (2 July 1982). "Jeanette, con sabor brasileño". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. p. 77. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  43. 1 2 Molero, Julián (18 September 2010). "El muchacho de los ojos tristes" (in Spanish). Lafonoteca. Música Española S.L. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  44. ↑ Tristan, Frank John (17 August 2017). "Spanish Singer Jeanette Came Straight Outta La Habra And Now She's Coming Back To Cali". OC Weekly. OC Weekly News, Inc. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  45. ↑ Gómez Cabanillas, Soledad (11 February 2017). "La cantante Jeanette actuará en el castillo en el festival Europa Sur". El Periódico Extremadura (in Spanish). Grupo Zeta. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  46. ↑ "Jeanette: hoy salen las entradas para ver a la intérprete de "Corazón de poeta"". Publimetro (in Spanish). Peru: Grupo El Comercio. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  47. ↑ "La Banda de la Diputación y Jeanette ofrecen un concierto sinfónico". Hoy de Extremadura (in Spanish). Ediciones Digitales S.L.U. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  48. ↑ Piedra, Rodrigo (7 October 2015). "Luciana Tagliapietra, Violeta Castillo y más participan en Contemplaciones, un homenaje a Jeanette" (in Spanish). Indie Hoy. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  49. ↑ Sara Rodríguez, Jeanette (17 January 2014). Jeanette. Enlazando acordes (Youtube) (in Spanish). Cáceres: Live Cáceres.
  50. ↑ Ferrer, Pablo (16 January 2010). "Bunbury, terroríficamente tierno en el vídeo de 'Frente a frente', su nuevo single". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  51. ↑ Ramírez Ontiveros, Verónica (15 September 2013). "La 'no despedida' de Dënver" (in Spanish). Reconoce MX. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  52. ↑ "Jeanette en Lima: escucha aquí los mejores covers de sus éxitos". El Comercio (in Spanish). Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  53. ↑ "Por Qué Jeanette. "Por qué Jeanette"". Rockdelux (in Spanish). 25 November 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  54. ↑ "Por Qué Jeanette. "Por qué no te vas"". Rockdelux (in Spanish). 9 January 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  55. ↑ "Varios. "Contemplaciones"". Rockdelux (in Spanish). 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  56. ↑ Jeanette, Juan Bau. Toda la noche oliendo a tí (Downloadable). Regalia Records. ASIN B01CBIS9KQ.
  57. ↑ "Frente a Frente by Jeanette". WhoSampled. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  58. ↑ "Corazón De Poeta by Jeanette". WhoSampled. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  59. ↑ Román, Manuel (6 April 2017). "José Luis Rodríguez 'El Puma': "Cada día que me levanto es un milagro"". Chic (in Spanish). Libertad Digital S.A. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  60. ↑ "Billboard Special Survey: Hot Latin LPs". Billboard. 10 July 1982. p. 70. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
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