El Matador El Matador
Leanna Perr
"Matador" or "El matador" (Spanish for "Killer"), is a song written by Flavio Cianciarulo, bass player of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, a rock band from Argentina. It was first released in their 1993 album Vasos Vacos and it is considered their signature song since the song topped the charts all across Hispanic America.
Alongside "Mal Bicho", "Manuel Santillan, El Len" and "Desapariciones" (a cover of Rubn Blades' song), "El Matador" is one of the Cadillacs' several thematic songs about the oppression and forced disappearances during the years of military dictatorship across the Southern Cone, particularly Argentina's last civil-military dictatorship (1976-1983). The song narrates the story of a revolutionary (known as "El Matador") who is being hunted down by pro-dictatorship law enforcement agents, and the narrative is told from the revolutionary's POV. The song also references Vctor Jara, a Chilean folksinger and supporter of the Allende government who was kidnapped, tortured and assassinated shortly after the Chilean coup of 1973 by military officials loyal to the dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Musically, the song mixes elements of Latin rock and ska with candombe, an Afro-Argentine and Afro-Uruguayan style of music popular in the Ro de la Plata.[1] It also incorporates elements of Buenos Aires-style murga.[2]
1. The Parade
A Spanish style guitar echos in the distance, as the participants enter the arena with a parade and are introduced to the crowd. A long and exciting accelerando ensues as the winds and percussion enter and build to a huge Latin style impact, and the fight is under way!
3. The Wounded Bull
The bull is wounded, but clings to life to fight again. After a front ensemble introduction, a beautiful and lyrical baritone or trombone solo enters. This melody is handed off to the winds as they layer in, and build to a gorgeous and moving impact.
4. The Final Round
The matador and bull engage in their final encounter. A fun and stylistic percussion feature begins this movement, complete with effective and realistic sound design. We then transition into the final segment, recapping melodies from throughout the show. A trumpet trio shows off their skills, building to the final impact, and a triumphant ending for the Matador!