"El Preso"
Single by Fruko y sus Tesos
Released1975
GenreSalsa
Songwriter(s)Álvaro Velásquez

"El Preso" (translation "the prisoner") is a song recorded by Fruko y sus Tesos. It was released in 1975 with vocals by Wilson Saoko.[1] The song was composed by the band's percussionist Álvaro Velásquez.[2][3]

The lyrics are the narration of a prisoner ("preso") serving 30 years.[4] The actual inspiration for songwriter Velásquez was a friend's letter describing another friend's pain being jailed for 30 years on a drug charge.[5] In an interview, Julio Ernesto Estrada (aka Fruko) said it "became a world anthem of salsa music".[5]

Radio Nacional de Colombia also called the song a "universal hymn of salsa."[6]

The song has also been recognized as one of the greatest Colombian songs of all time by multiple media sources:

  • In its list of the ten most iconic Colombian songs, El Nuevo Siglo, rated La Pollera Colorá at No. 10.[7]
  • It was selected by Hip Latina in 2017 as one of the "13 Old School Songs Every Colombian Grew Up Listening To"; the publication wrote that "the infectious beat will have you dancing quite freely."[8]
  • In its list of the 50 best Colombian songs of all time, El Tiempo, Colombia's most widely circulated newspaper, ranked the song at No. 41.[9]
  • It was selected by Billboard in 2018 as one of the "15 Best Salsa Songs Ever".[10]

References

  1. ↑ "El Preso by Fruko Y Sus Tesos". University of California at Los Angeles Library. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Adiós a Álvaro Velásquez, compositor de "El Preso"". Senal Radio Colombia (in Spanish). 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Se fue Álvaro Velásquez, el autor de 'El preso'". El Heraldo.
  4. ↑ "Conozca la historia de Fruko, el teso". El Pais (in Spanish). 19 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 González, Eric E. (14 December 2000). "Fruko: De Colombia para el Mundo Entero". Herencia Latina (in Spanish).
  6. ↑ "'El preso': la historia de un himno salsero a la libertad". Radio Nacional de Colombia. November 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Las de siempre: top 10 de las canciones más colombianas". El Nuevo Siglo. September 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ "13 Old School Songs Every Colombian Grew Up Listening To". Hiplatina.com. 18 September 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Las 50 mejores canciones de Colombia". El Tiempo.
  10. ↑ Cantor-Navas, Judy (31 May 2018). "The 15 Best Salsa Songs Ever: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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