Un Año De Amor
A Year of Love
by Luz Casal
One of the ways I’ve expanded my burning need for foreign languages is through film. I’ve learned more Spanish from the films of Pedro Almodóvar than most other places except en la calle (on the streets). He is a remarkable filmmaker from Spain, and back in 1991 when my friend Leighsa shared one of his films with me, I fell in love with the story, his style, and the music.
Quentin Tarantino has that same knack for the right song and the right visuals. He and Sr. Almodóvar both share an equally favorable place in my film libraries. In fact, nothing is better than a bottle of red wine, a bottle of nigorozake (cloudy sake), a pizza, and a double feature of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Tacones Lejanos, or High Heels.
The title of this post is the name of one of the spotlight songs, performed by a man in a dress. I could explain more about him, but that would reveal a lot about the story. If you haven’t seen this movie, hunt for it. It was never released on DVD in the U.S., but if you look hard enough you’ll find it.
Despite how incredible I think the rest of Almodóvar’s works are, and how much I love them all, High Heels is so purely translated into film, you’re watching a master at work in this film. It’s intensely Spanish, a loose parallel of the Bergman film Autumn Sonata, a story about a mother who is concerned with fame and her daughter’s life as a result. Comedy, tragedy, farce, and thriller, High Heels really has it all, including this amazing song. Plus there’s a female-prison dance number led by a trans actress (in 1991!!) to another song called “Pecadora” which means sinner-woman. It’s jaw-dropping and classic Almodóvar, but that song is for another time. Oh, and there’s a sex scene that begins on an exposed pipe in a back-stage dressing room. And there’s also a… well, it’s an Almodóvar film. ‘Nuff said.
We all have break-up songs. But I pretty much had this song in my back pocket as an insurance policy because I knew one day I’d need to listen to it on repeat after a nasty break up. I was realistic as a teen, understanding that I’d have to go through some bad relationships to find the good ones.
Prescient or not, that day happened later in life, and this song hit the spot. Add in a dash of “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morisette and let the catharsis begin. So now, without any further gilding of this lily, I give you the lyrics in Spanish and my English poetically licensed translation, which means I want no comments on my translation, kthxbai!
Lo nuestro se acabó, y te arrepentirás
De haberle puesto fin, a un año de amor.
Si ahora tú tevas, pronto descubrirás
Que los días son eternos y vacios sin mí.Y de noche, y de noche,
Por no sentirte soloRecordarás, nuestros días felices,
Recordarás el sabor de mis besos
Y entenderás, en un solo momento
Qué significa, un año de amor.Te has parado a pensar, lo que sucederá,
Todo lo que perdemos, y lo que sufrirás.
Si ahora tú te vas, no recuperarás
Los momento felices, que te hice vivir.Y de noche, y de noche,
Por no sentirte soloRecordarás, nuestros días felices,
Recordarás el sabor de mis besos
Y entenderás, en un solo momento
Qué significa, un año de amor.Y entenderás, en un solo momento
Qué significa, un año de amor.
We are through, but you will soon regret,
having ended a year of love.
If you leave right now, you will soon find,
your days of emptiness will last forever.And each night, in your loneliness…
You will remember our happy days,
you will remember the taste of my kisses.
Then, suddenly, you will realize,
the importance of our year of love.Have you stopped to think what will happen?
All you will loose, and how you will suffer?
If you leave now you will never find
anything close to the happiness we shared.And each night, in your loneliness…
You will remember our happy days,
you will remember the taste of my kisses.
Then, suddenly, you will realize,
the importance of our year of love.Suddenly, you will realize,
the importance of that year of love.