Tren al Sur

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"Tren al Sur"
Song by Los Prisioneros
from the album Corazones
English titleTrain to south
Published1990
Genresynthpop, alternative rock, new wave
Length5:34 or 4:08
LabelEMI Odeón Chilena
Songwriter(s)Jorge González
Producer(s)Gustavo Santaolalla
Corazones chronology
"Tren al Sur"
(1990) 		"Amiga mía"
(1990)

Tren al sur ("Southbound train" in english) is the first track from the album Corazones by the Chilean group Los Prisioneros, released by several Chilean radios in May 1990, is one of the best known songs of Chilean group Los Prisioneros. There are two versions of this song made by Los Prisioneros, the first is the one that appears on the album Corazones and lasts about 5:34 minutes, and the second is a remix that lasts 4:08 minutes published in his single respective. The cover of the promotional single is a photograph of Jorge González and Miguel Tapia. And with an intimate, somewhat intense and melodramatic lyrics, added to a catchy and creative musical base, "Tren al Sur" became one of the group's most successful songs in Latin America and also one of the most remembered.

In July 2018, the American magazine Rolling Stone included it at number 19 of "The 50 most influential Latin Pop songs",[1]

Lyrics[]

The lyrics are autobiographical, about a trip by Jorge González on a train to south of the country. While he travels he remembers passages from his life, especially his childhood, and hopes to rediscover the beauty of the countryside. Jorge González stated in an interview that he wrote this song at a time when he was going through a somewhat tortuous love relationship with Claudia Carvajal, the then wife of his friend and his former bandmate .

The phrase "Y no me digas pobre por ir viajando así" ("And don't tell me poor for traveling like this" in english) in the chorus refers to the use of the train as a means of transportation for the popular classes as it is cheaper than buses, this in a context of decline of the railway company of State during the 1980s and the progressive deterioration of its general network for the benefit of bus operators.

Release[]

According to Jorge González and Carlos Fonseca, the single was sent to the radio at the end of 1989, but for six months no radio station[2] wanted to air it because according to the radios: "The Prisoners were from the past, the Prisoners were the band of the eighties Latin rock. And the Latin rock no longer worked".

It was not until after the premiere of the video clip on the program , that the song received rotation on radios and became a hit.

Music video[]

The music video, directed by ,[2] begins at Central Station of Santiago and then the band members are seen traveling on the train Two children are also shown playing, thus representing part of the musicians childhood.

The music video he was nominated for "MTV Video Music Awards 1990" in the category "MTV International" by MTV, losing to “Oye mi Canto” by Gloria Estefan.[3]

Covers[]

  • 2000: Lucybell (Tributo a Los Prisioneros)
  • 2004: Moenia (Stereohits)
  • 2007: Volován
  • 2012: Tito Troncoso (Chileswing)
  • 2013: Freaks FS (Capek)
  • 2016: Rio Pacheco (Gracias Jorge, homenaje bandas independientes)
  • 2019: Madueño Hair (Esta es para hacerte feliz, Tributo a Jorge González)
  • 2020: Nicole
  • 2020: Gael (30 Años Corazones)

In popular culture[]

In an episode of the Chilean animation series "Diego and Glot", Los Prisioneros appear on a train performing this song.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Navarrete, Renata Bastidas (12 July 2018). "Rolling Stone destaca dos canciones chilenas entre las más influyentes del pop latino". SACH (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Jorge González y la historia de Tren al sur: "Nadie la tocó por seis meses, la indiferencia fue generalizada"". La Rata (in Spanish). 20 May 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ Álvarez, Raúl (19 May 2020). "5 datos que esconde Corazones, el disco más exitoso de Los Prisioneros". La Tercera. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ Paulette Ruminot (4 September 2020). "Revelan 10 datos desconocidos de Diego y Glot a 15 años de su estreno". ADN (in Spanish): adnradio.cl. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
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