El baile de los que sobran

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"El baile de los que sobran"
El baile de los que sobran album art.jpg
Song by Los Prisioneros
from the album Pateando piedras
Released1986
GenreNew wave, Protest, post-punk
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Jorge González
Los Prisioneros singles chronology
"¿Por qué no se van?" "El baile de los que sobran" "Estar solo"

El baile de los que sobran (The dance of those left over) is the third track of the album Pateando piedras from the Chilean group Los Prisioneros. It is considered by many as the most important song in the band's history and one of the biggest classics of popular Chilean music, written and composed by Jorge González.

"El baile de los que sobran" is considered by the group as their best theme, and in addition is considered by National Library of Chile as one of the most emblematic of Chilean popular music of the 80s.[1] "El baile de los que sobran" is a song that presents strong social criticism from its main composer, Jorge González, which he defines as a "song to marginalized youth after leaving formal education".[2]

The song also became one of the anthems of the protests held in Chile during 2019, being sung in marches and used in banners and graffiti.[3][4][5] Regarding the use of the song, Jorge González said that "it is very sad that people are still singing it. That song was created under the same conditions in which it was sung: with a curfew and bullets."[6]

It also ranked first among the most listened to Chilean songs on Spotify.[7] After the victory of the "Apruebo" option in the 2020 Chilean national plebiscite, the song was also sung by supporters of said option in celebration.[8][9]

Song[]

Promotional vinyl of 7 inches of "The Baile de los Que Sobran"

The song is considered to be one of the biggest hits in popular Chilean music. It is about the social inequality that is caused by different educational opportunities. "El baile de los que sobran" is meant to represent all young people from lower social classes that, once graduated from school, realize that their opportunities for a stable job or of higher education are completely limited. The main reason is linked to the fact that low-income schools have a series of weaknesses, both structural and operational, that prevent them from providing quality education in line with the challenges of the country, as compared to private institutions.

"El baile de los que sobran" seeks to identify with all those who graduated from school and find themselves unemployed or frustrated in the face of low expectations ("It's another night of walking, it's another end of the month without news"), and that all he can do is "kick stones," (Spanish: Pateando piedras) that is, do nothing.[1] The song was also inspired by the students of the .

Due to the song's immense popularity, the phrase "kicking stones" is used often during the discourse of educational inequalities in Chile. "El Baile de los que sobran", along with other songs by Los Prisioneros, became a symbol of the fight against the repression of the military dictatorship. As the 1988 plebiscite approached, their music began to suffer from censorship, as it was gaining popularity among "No" supporters.

Composition[]

Graffiti inspired by the song in Santiago during the 2019–2020 Chilean protests.

According to Jorge González, in an interview published in 2001 on the band's official website:

For me, it was a song like any other... Just like the song "Exijo ser un héroe", the phrase "Kicking stones" appeared, which was an expression we used with Miguel... I did "El Baile de los Que Sobran" with a tiny drum machine, lent to me by from (today in Fiat 600). I would spend time in the rehearsal room with the drum machine and with the Casio keyboard that I had doing the basses. I wanted to do a song like the ones that Heaven 17 or Depeche Mode had made. In the version before mixing, I started with out with a drum machine, that we eventually removed to leave the guitar alone. And the Casio had an accordion-like sound that I tweaked a bit.[6]

At first, Jorge González said that the dog heard barking in the beginning of the song was his mother's pet, Néstor, but, in reality, it was a dog sound effect on a synthesizer.

Originally the song was a synthpop theme with keyboards, consoles and electronic drums, in the style of "Muevan las industrias" from the same album. The acoustic guitar, which was played by , which belonged to Tapia's older brother, was added at the last minute before recording to "give the song a nice touch," as were the barking dogs.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "El baile de los que sobran". Memoria Chilena. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Música Popular". 15 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-15.
  3. ^ PERÚ, NOTICIAS EL COMERCIO (26 October 2020). ""El baile de los que sobran": la historia de la canción de Los prisioneros que Chile canta tras el plebiscito". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  4. ^ Garrido, Mónica (2020-10-18). "Canto universal: las canciones que sonaron fuerte en el estallido social chileno" [Universal song: The songs that sounded loud in the Chilean social outburst]. La Tercera. Retrieved 2020-10-26.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Gamarra Dueñas, Ayrton (2019-10-30). ""El Baile De Los Que Sobran": un himno para América Latina" ["El Baile De Los Que Sobran": an anthem for Latin America]. Garaje del Rock (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  6. ^ a b "Jorge González y "El baile de los que sobran": Es triste que se siga cantando" [Jorge González and "El baile de los que sobran": It' sad that it's still being sung]. Cooperativa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  7. ^ Digital, Equipo de Crónica. "Cómo nació "El Baile de los que Sobran": el himno de la Revolución Ciudadana en Chile". Crónica Digital (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. ^ "[VIDEO] Quillotanos salieron a la plaza a celebrar el triunfo del "Apruebo"" [[VIDEO] People from Quillote went out to the plaza in order to celebrate the triumph of the "Approve"]. Diario El Observador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  9. ^ Chernin, Andrew (2020-10-26). "La fiesta y la furia de Baquedano: Los festejos en la zona cero" [The party and fury of Baquedano: The partying in the zero zone]. La Tercera. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2020-11-12.

External links[]

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