Sanz: Lo que fui es lo que soy (2018) - full transcript
-This intimate, tender and disclosing documentary is about one of the most important Latino singers of all time.
How do you see
those who strive to remain humble
even when they're at the height
of their artistic career?
People like that...
You know what it is?
I'm just changing someone's tape here!
-It's mine.
-Yours? I'll change it for you.
-Thanks.
-Don't mention it!
This is what I use for composing...
I bought a computer and now
it's where I do my best recordings.
Well...
I think my family
instilled in me a certain way
of being and of seeing the world.
But it's difficult, because when
you get your first taste of success
it's overwhelming.
It's like this huge monster,
and sometimes
you don't know how to react.
But luckily I have people around me
who I've always been able to lean on.
Plus, being normal
is much easier, right?
ON THE 24TH OF JUNE, 2017,
A ONE-OFF CONCERT WAS HELD
BY MUSICIAN ALEJANDRO SANZ
TO COMMEMORATE
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE RELEASE OF HIS ALBUM MÁS
THE HIGHEST-SELLING ALBUM
IN SPANISH MUSIC HISTORY
Good evening!
My name is Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro.
Native of Madrid and Cadiz
and raised all over the world.
I can't think of anything I'd rather do
than sing for you for the next 20 years.
Have a great night!
This is your concert, enjoy it!
SANZ:
WHAT I WAS IS WHAT I AM
To fill a 50,000-seater stadium,
first you need to empty a small room
and stay there on your own.
It's in that solitude
that interesting things are created.
A MONTH BEFORE THE CONCERT
Everyone knows it's not
just another rehearsal.
It's also a kind of retreat
where we can relax and rehearse
and create that atmosphere:
where we know we're in this together,
and it's not just one singer
with 20 musicians.
Music is the love of my life.
My first guitar belonged to my dad.
I'd wake up at 6:30 in the morning
and start playing it.
I remember my mum broke it
and I had to stick
an ad from a magazine on it
to cover up the hole.
You'll all leave
Time will pass
Moments will go by, you'll see.
When I tried to convince my mum
that I wanted to be a musician,
she'd say: "No, son. Making it as
a musician is a one in a million chance."
And I'd say: "But, Mum, that's me!
I'm the one in a million."
I'm going to sing a song
for my sons Alejandro and Jesús
and dedicate it to my husband.
FAMILY AUDIO RECORDINGS
-Daddy, come on!
-You two help her, go on.
My heart says...
ALEJANDRO'S MOTHER
That...
Stop laughing or I won't sing!
My mum practically raised
my brother and I by herself.
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
Back then,
an artist like my dad would spend
his whole life on the road.
My dad covered a million kilometres
in his Fiat 600
travelling up and down the country.
But then of course
my mum was left alone in Madrid
with two kids and nobody to help,
waiting for her husband to come home
which sometimes he didn't.
I've travelled to many countries,
but I haven't seen anything comparable
to this blessed Spain,
where I was born
And I'm convinced
there's nowhere else like it.
First he was in the Trío Juventud
with two girls from Algeciras.
They split up,
even though they were great...
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
...and he started a band
with two other guys from Algeciras.
They were called Los 3 de la Bahía.
It was impressive knowing someone
whose dad worked in music,
played guitar and had recorded an album.
He came from a musical background
and was starting
to play the guitar, like me,
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
but he had that environment at home
and it really made an impression on me.
Let's see what you can do.
ALEJANDRO'S FIRST RECORDINGS
-Do you want to sing it?
-Yes.
Go on then, sing it.
-Very good, but is that all you know?
-Yes!
There was a school in Cruz de los Caídos
that gave free classes...
ALEJANDRO'S MOTHER
ONDA LUZ INTERVIEW
...to kids that wanted them,
so that's where I took him.
It was free. It didn't matter if it came
to nothing! I took him there every day.
Every single day.
My dad always supported my brother.
My mum was more reluctant
because she knew...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...how hard it was.
My mum was always attentive.
She wanted me to pass my exams
and work in a bank,
like all mothers at that time.
We started out in music together.
We had a heavy metal band!
FIRST AND ONLY PERFORMANCE
There's a bridge which goes from Moratalaz
to La Estrella. It's over the motorway
and it's where me and my friend Carlos
would go.
We imagined the car lights were
our audience waving their lighters!
We'd stand up there imagining
the whole motorway was full of people!
As if we were rock stars!
20 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
OK, so maybe we deserve it
But our voice isn't for sale
And whatever they think of us
Read my lips
I couldn't care less
I have a balm for all kinds of pain
Remedies for all kinds of mistakes
And prescriptions for disappointment
These guys say that
without the piano and all that
it's just over two hours long.
FRIEND AND AUTHOR
OF THE BIOGRAPHY "VIVE"
The way it is right now,
the concert's at least three hours long.
I don't want people to leave
looking at their watches.
Let's time it and if we have
to cut something, we will.
I like it better
when it sounds like that.
It sounds better
than a really good studio recording.
Sure, because it's a live recording.
There it goes...
I liked hard rock and flamenco best.
I listened to Camarón and Paco de Lucía
from a very young age.
Flamenco spoke to me.
It got under my skin.
Lole and Manuel...
Everything my dad used to play
in the car when I was little.
Little boy...
Once upon a time, there was a city...
...that was stranded
in the middle of a luminous bay.
ALEJANDRO'S FATHER
That's why they called it
The bride of the sun.
Take a guess, take a guess!
What town am I from?
Once upon a time...
Alejandro was born in Madrid
and spent many summers
at my mother's house.
I think that there he found
a place to develop his artistic side...
ALEJANDRO'S COUSIN
AND FLAMENCO EXPERT
...and that's stayed
with him his whole career.
We've loved flamenco
since we were born,
so those summers were unforgettable.
From when we woke up in the morning
to when we went to bed,
we'd be playing the guitar non-stop.
My mum would be in the kitchen
preparing the food...
He didn't just bring his guitar
when he came,
he'd also bring some black trousers
and a white shirt,
in case Cuadro Soleá had a show.
He played the guitar
in a lot of our shows.
At that time,
he already had his own songs.
It surprised us,
because they were really good.
I remember Alejandro saying to me:
"We should go
to your uncle's house one day.
I want him to hear me
and see what he thinks."
ALEJANDRO'S FRIEND,
NEPHEW OF PEPE AND PACO DE LUCÍA
We went there a few times
and he played him two or three
of his own songs,
that he'd written himself.
He sang them and my uncle loved them.
PACO DE LUCÍA
AND RAMÓN DE ALGECIRAS
That's when I realised who he was:
a boy who lived and breathed
like a flamenco artist.
FLAMENCO SINGER AND COMPOSER
He had the flair
and charm of a flamenco artist,
as if he'd been born here in Cadiz.
It was his thing.
Once upon a time,
there was a white butterfly,
HOME RECORDING
...who was the queen
of all the dawn butterflies
She would land in the gardens
among the most beautiful flowers
And whisper stories
to the carnation and the violet
THE 80'S
So he could earn some money,
my dad found him gigs
at nightclubs
owned by his friends in Madrid.
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
I used to play in strip clubs
and nightclubs,
earning basically enough
to cover my return taxi fare.
I used to sing
while the girls got changed,
not that they had
many clothes to change!
It was a real learning experience,
because obviously the customers
weren't there to listen to me!
I'm the same to Alejandro
as I could be to any of you.
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
My job is to support talented people
who are just starting out
and have no other support.
Capi was a very atypical producer.
He had a real eye for new talent.
Capi helped me launch my career.
Also Mecano or...
SINGER AND COMPOSER
Los Pecos, Alejandro...
He helped a lot of people.
I knew him through my mum
and from a photo I'd seen.
He was singing at a communion
or something like that
and he was in a Sevillian folk band
with my cousin.
When I saw the picture of them,
I saw that Alejandro had a special aura.
I said: "Bring him to me."
And he said to me:
"Capi, I want to be in this business
even if it's just making coffees."
He started giving me work on recordings,
doing backing vocals.
I also recorded
some stuff on the guitar
as a session musician.
If he needed someone to improvise
on an record, he usually called me,
I think basically
because I had this ballsy approach to it.
I met Alejandro in '88.
And who was on my books then?
Well, I had Fabio,
Luis Miguele, Nacho Canut...
Alejandro was my last signing
of the whole 80s movement.
Cocky guys need looking after
And you're not doing that
Cocky guys need looking after
Don't keep me just for the sake of it
Cocky guys need looking after
I'm out and about all over town
Look after the cocky guys
And they'll look after you
I had a great time making the album,
but the album itself...
wasn't my style at all.
I got to the recording studio
and they were all there,
and basically all high!
I didn't even know what the title meant
when they told me!
This 18-year-old kid
with the biggest gays in Madrid.
"Los chulos son pá cuidarlos"
wasn't what he wanted to do...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...and they didn't promote it either.
In fact, they practically ignored it.
"VIVIENDO DEPRISA" DEMO
He made the demo of "Viviendo Deprisa".
We thought about giving it
to another artist
and I said: "But you sing it
better than anybody."
Today the sunset is so short
DEMO
Our kiss at your front door
Isn't like the one yesterday
When they heard those demos, they said:
"It's really good,
but we need to find a song writer."
So I asked them to let me go
and Javier del Moral asked me
for three million pesetas
or he wouldn't let me go.
So I said:
"How am I supposed to pay that?
I walked here from Moratalaz!
I can't even afford the metro!"
In the end Simone Bosé came down.
Actually he was pretty fair
and said they'd let me go
on the condition that
I'd only record the songs
I'd shown them that they didn't want,
no others.
That's when I went to see
Iñigo Zabala at Warner.
Hi, Maria, it's Marta from Warner.
I'm calling to talk about...
He brought me a cassette
with a few songs on it
and the first one I listened to
really impressed me.
Then I heard the second one,
which was "Se le apagó la luz",
and I was completely...
I realised straight away
that no one was doing that in Spain
or in Spanish music.
Why isn't she talking?
I don't understand
DEMO
She was just telling me:
Don't go so fast, I'm scared.
The ambulance flew by...
Obviously Capi had been
around the block a few times...
I've always been quite tough
when negotiating for the artists.
So, I sent the demo
to José María Cámara,
who was the president of BMG.
I was at my mum's house,
sitting on the floor.
Mum was watching a film,
shouting at the character on the TV:
"Pick up the gun!"
"Mum, I've just been offered
a million pesetas."
"Of course you have, son! A million
pesetas! What are you like, boy?"
The first call... one. Then every ten
minutes it went up, a million at a time.
"Mum, I've been offered two!"
"What a vivid imagination, son!
Shut up, I'm trying to watch the film!"
It turned into a bidding war...
When Iñigo offered ten million,
Ariola offered eleven.
That's when Iñigo Zabala called.
I spoke from the heart and said:
"Look, I don't know what decision
you're going to make in the end,
but I do know that things
are going to go incredibly for you,
and whatever decision you make,
you're going to be a star
and enjoy huge success.
I'd like to be a part of it,
but I know you're going to make it big."
When he hung up, I said:
"So then I guess it's Cámara."
And he said: "No."
"Capi, I want to sign
with the other guy."
-"But he offered a million less!"
-"I know, but...
the reason he gave me
is worth a million."
Viviendo Deprisa
got off to a slow start.
We sent Alejandro
all around Spain in a minibus.
He went on all the local radios,
singing and playing his guitar.
Do you have any other hobbies
aside from music?
Well, besides music, I like... girls!
For all my friends in Algeciras,
this is "Viviendo Deprisa"...
I wasn't scared of anything.
I was used to singing
on the streets of my home town.
Even though in the end
I behaved like a man, I cried
And I seriously thought
That with that guy,
I should have a duel at sunrise
A duel at sunrise
It started off slowly, but you could see
that something was starting to happen.
At that time there was no internet,
no mobile phones,
there was no way to...
Music gained popularity
in other ways,
like when a girl from one town
told her mate from the next town,
and he told his mates,
and so on and so forth...
We're here at the Continente supermarket
with Alejandro Sanz.
The first year was hard work,
PRODUCT MANAGER
...he was slowly making
a name for himself,
but Alejandro didn't get one "no"...
Ever.
On the same night
I'd do a supermarket in Algeciras
and a big show in Seville.
So I'd finish in Algeciras, get in the car
and drive like a fucking maniac,
pardon my French,
to Seville for the concert.
Then the next day I'd go to La Toja,
to be on Moreno's show,
because that's what everyone did.
Remember this name
because soon he'll be a huge star!
Alejandro Sanz!
Today the sunset is so short
Our kiss at your front door
Isn't like the one yesterday
In recent years
it's been all about the bands,
PROMOTING "VIVIENDO DEPRISA"
so for a completely new solo artist
with a new album
and a style that
maybe not everyone's used to,
because they're more used to bands
playing pop-rock, which is harder,
it was pretty complicated.
We had to go on the radio,
on the Top 40 Show
and convince them to play this type
of music they didn't normally play.
They said
Alejandro was old-fashioned.
You can imagine
the things we had to put up with.
The media doesn't realise what it has
until the public start taking notice.
I'm tired of life, improvising for you
I'm tired of following you
I'm staying here
I've wasted my strength, my love,
by living too fast
I can't do it anymore
Don't wait for me, I'm staying here
Back then you knew everyone,
the sales directors, the radio people...
All the Top 40 radio programmers
would meet up
the day before the vote, in Ambigú.
All the artists would be there
and it was like a flea market:
"You're supporting me tomorrow, right?"
"I'm not sure I like the song."
"You can't have heard it properly!
Were you high when you heard it?"
If we sell 20 thousand copies,
they'll want another one next year.
Dreaming is so beautiful
And the truth so violent
I can't take it any more
There was a buzz
around Alejandro in Spain,
but most people didn't know
who he was or who the song was by.
So we had an idea for Alejandro to do
a charity concert.
We asked the kids to bring presents
for deprived children
to put under this huge tree.
And we gave those presents to UNICEF
along with a donation.
Then Television Española suddenly said
they'd show it on Christmas evening.
FROM THE REAL MADRID
SPORTS ARENA
I'd already done a lot of concerts,
lots of parks, car parks and clubs,
but I hadn't really made it yet.
It was going well, but I hadn't made it.
So when I got
to the Real Madrid Arena
and heard everyone screaming my name,
I realised that something was happening.
Hi!
I'm so excited to be here
for two main reasons:
because the tree is full of presents
and 'cos tonight we're all going to make
a lot of kids around the world very happy.
How I feel right now proves to me,
once again, that what I was is who I am.
I'm not ashamed to say
That you were everything to me
But I can't admit
That I'd like to do it again
So much time spent alone
So very alone
Lost out on the streets
There was no sign of you
The street was so deserted
The night was alive
And you speak with such confidence
Like you owned the key to my desire
And you speak with such confidence
Like you owned the key to my desire
Come on!
Everything I was is who I am.
What I brought with me yesterday
is what I take with me today
Everything I was is who I am.
What I brought with me yesterday
is what I take with me today
Everything I was...
There was a moment in that concert
when he played this amazing song
called "Se le apagó la luz."
That was the turning point,
when people said:
"Wow! This guy isn't just
for teeny-boppers."
Her light went out
He trembled
They closed the curtains on her
And he heard life pass him by
And the soft beating of a heart
He understood this was
a clumsy farewell
To the girl of his dreams
Her light went out
He trembled
Alejandro was really crying.
An artist normally releases
three or four albums
before achieving success,
but he got it with his second single.
You've no idea
how much tonight has meant to me.
It was so emotional.
I lay down on the dressing room floor
trying to get my head round it.
My dad was practically
drooling over his son.
Especially as he was an artist himself...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...and had had to struggle and travel
so much just to feed us.
The following day,
Alejandro went to number one
and his albums
started flying off the shelves.
It really took off that Christmas.
We sold a million albums.
I did 120 concerts in three months.
More concerts than there were days!
He went from being a normal kid...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...to a star, and it happened overnight.
MORATALAZ NEIGHBOURHOOD
At one point, I stopped
telling people I was his aunt,
because one time,
I was in the lift in his building
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
with three girls and one said to me:
I LOVE YOU, ALEX
"You're Alejandro's aunt, right?"
And I said: "Yes",
and the one next to me
started stroking my arm
and said: "Oh!" and then fainted!
Suddenly we had 100 or 200 girls outside,
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...all asking for Alejandro.
From then on, when he came to my house,
he had to sneak in...
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
...through the garage,
because he couldn't go outside anymore!
Before we start the interview,
we need you all to take a step back.
We were in the Plaza de Andalucía
and it was total madness.
I could see things were getting
out of hand for all of us.
For the record company,
for the artist...
Come on, don't do that again!
I remember the sound of the barriers
screeching on the ground,
coming towards us.
I felt panicked.
I got up from the interview
and asked the security guys:
"Can you handle this,
or should we leave?"
So we left.
When I started to get
my first taste of success,
and I went from being
just a normal kid
to being really
well-known in this country,
I went to Sanlucar
and shut myself away in a house,
because it was all just so overwhelming.
I had to get used
to the success and the fame,
to everyone having an opinion of you
and not everyone liking you.
That makes you vulnerable, in a way,
because everyone
is giving their opinion of you,
saying you're this or you're that.
Saying: "What a romantic sap!",
Or "that guy's so cheesy!"
Or that you're a bad writer
or a bad singer.
Or that you sing well...
You get the whole range of opinions.
So you have to be open, but at the
same time have this emotional shield up.
It's hard to know what to do.
How can you do both things at once?
It's really difficult.
19 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
It's better if you come in
on the high note.
Like the timid dew on a carnation
And I'll come in low...
I'll be there
Everyone else will leave, I know
I'll be by your side
through all the hard times
Just as the shore stays close to the sea
And the field is one
With the rain that falls upon it
I don't sing in this bit, right?
-Perfect.
-OK?
Let's try it.
REHEARSALS WITH PASTORA SOLER
Hey, if God exists
In whatever shape or form
It's simply love
If God exists
If God exists
That's it.
Sometimes you need time.
It's like a relationship,
sometimes you need time apart
to make the relationship work.
This is the same thing.
-Well, you've been really missed.
-Really?
Yeah, really missed.
You should know
the stage has missed you!
-Well, treat 'em mean..!
-Exactly!
-Now it'll want me even more!
-For sure!
-I'm going to go feed my baby.
-Sure!
-See you later!
-Bye, babe!
Pastora took a break because
she had an episode of stage fright.
For a year or two,
she didn't sing or record an album,
or go on tour... Nothing at all.
The first day she sang again
was the day of the rehearsal.
Watching an artist be reborn like that
is a very beautiful thing.
I've been close to having
something like that happen to me,
but I always keep moving forward,
'cos I don't know where else I'd go.
He put in a lot of hard work
and made his mark in Latin America.
There were only a few artists at that time
who had the opportunity to do the same,
but they decided to focus
mainly on the Spanish market.
Some of them dabbled a bit over there,
but the only one
to really put in the time and effort,
in that moment, was Alejandro.
With a little bit of this
and a little bit of that
And shake your bum!
So, Alejandro, how are you finding Mexico?
Everyone's been so friendly.
PROMOTING VIVIENDO DEPRISA
You're famous for being friendly,
but I didn't know quite how much.
How long have you been here in Mexico?
Not long, about a fortnight,
but on the 24th I'm heading to Argentina.
He's off to Argentina!
I remember him arriving in Argentina
practically by himself.
He had one rep with him, that's all.
PR REP IN ARGENTINA
He showed me a list of radio stations,
so I said: "These are the important ones."
And he said:
"No, I'm going to do all of them."
-"Every single one."
-They took him and his guitar to schools,
cantinas and radio stations.
But actually, it turned out
to be quite unrewarding,
because he didn't achieve
the recognition he had in Spain.
He's well on the road to success,
he's the revelation of the '90s,
here with you all...
VIÑA DEL MAR FESTIVAL
Alejandro Sanz!
The crowd at Viña del Mar
was known as the monster,
and it was a monster that really roared!
People were whistling
booing people off stage,
even world-famous artists!
Good evening, everybody!
We've got a small problem
with the keyboard, but we'll get it fixed
in no time at all.
Can you improvise something
in the meantime?
-Sure!
-This isn't part of the programme,
but it's a talent
we might never have known about!
-Can you hear the guitar?
-Yes.
When the dawn comes,
If I'm not with you,
my soul will be broken in two
He was there, at the gates to America,
where the monster can either kick you out
or welcome you in.
Don't go! Don't go!
If you leave me,
my soul will be broken in two
Don't go! Don't go!
If you leave me
My soul will be broken in two
I was in pieces when I left the stage,
'cos I wanted to do well at the festival.
That was the first time
I saw Alejandro cry like a baby,
when he came into the dressing room
because he'd suffered so much on stage.
But after he went on with Miguel Bosé
and brought the house down.
Alejandro, come up and sing!
Tell me the wind
Will never destroy it...
Hands in the air!
Call it freedom
Sing it loud, brother,
and don't ever, ever stop singing!
LONDON
I'm dreading unpacking my suitcase,
because my mum packed it
and she stuffed so much in!
There's a bit of everything in there!
She thinks I'm going off to war!
The madness of loving you
Like a fugitive...
The madness of loving you...
Alejandro was
more than
what we'd seen on his first album
and we wanted to move away
from this idea of young music
and make a more adult album.
Let's get George Michael's arranger,
the best engineer in the world,
Paul McCartney's drummer...
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
The industry always seduces,
it's the sensuality of success.
We recorded it and it made
a third of the previous album's sales.
This is the room where...
RECORDING "SI TU ME MIRAS"
TOWNHOUSE STUDIO. LONDON, 1993
...the guitars were recorded.
Paco de Lucía recorded here.
I said: "Look, Paco,
this kid from Algeciras...
It's his dream to have you play
on one of his songs."
"The kid's crazy, totally crazy!
You think I'm going to play on your album?
Only your second album!
So I said:
"Just have a listen to the song."
Anyway, Paco came to London
and asked me:
"Who's paying for this,
you or the company?"
Paco was supposed to come
for just a few hours
and ended up staying 15 days,
wearing the same tracksuit!
And a great friendship
blossomed between the two artists.
The second time he joined us, I told him:
"I'm paying for this, Paco."
He said: "There's this thermostat
for a heater I've got
in Xpu-Ha, in Cancun,
and I just can't find it anywhere."
"OK, what model is it?"
"C-301H."
So I bought him a whole bag full!
I said: "Paco, you'll never need
another thermostat again!"
So we became friends and always
had a really good laugh together.
However serious the conversation was,
we'd always round it off
by playing a bulería!
Alejandro,
I heard your album's just been released
and that it's beautiful.
I haven't heard it yet,
but I know what you do and how you do it
and how you compose.
You're an artist and a great singer,
with a wonderful sensibility.
You're creative and a good person,
a really good person.
I wish you all the best
and all the luck in the world
for this new album,
but if it doesn't go well,
don't you worry,
because I know
how well you play flamenco guitar
and there'll always be a place for you
in my group!
Take care!
Who's joining you for the concert
at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid?
My idol my whole life, Paco de Lucía.
The master had to be there.
It's a dream come true for me
to have him on stage
with me and the audience.
-Shall we listen to it?
-Let's do it!
For me it was the first
The most beautiful melody
A captive rose
ALEJANDRO SANZ, PACO DE LUCÍA
AND PRESUNTOS IMPLICADOS
That died when touched
When leaving my mouth
My lips were kissed
By those thankful phrases
My first song
My first song
At that concert,
I went out to dance on stage
and I could see
that people accepted it.
They understood that a pop artist
could also combine other genres.
Life, life, life!
ALEJANDRO SANZ, PACO DE LUCÍA
AND PEPE DE LUCÍA
It's a pastime
That's all life is
Life, life, life!
I think flamenco artists
see Alejandro's music...
ALEJANDRO'S COUSIN
AND FLAMENCO EXPERT
as something that's close to them,
that they can identify with.
And that's because
it's a part of his roots.
It isn't an impersonation,
it's totally real.
"EL SUEÑO" ESTATE,
CARMONA FAMILY ARCHIVES
ALEJANDRO'S FATHER
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
Olé, Auntie!
16 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
-You don't sing here, right?
-No, but it's the same harmony.
OK, then it changes... There.
One, two, three...
Don't cry like that
Don't lose hope
I know it will come
REHEARSAL WITH ANTONIO CARMONA
It will come
Don't cry like that
Don't lose hope
I know it will come
It will come
It all started in Italy.
I got a call to record
the guitars on the album "3".
The tape's finished.
At that time,
I didn't speak a word of Spanish,
but the producer told me they were looking
to form a new ensemble...
GUITARIST -MUSICAL DIRECTOR
...for this highly gifted artist.
RECORDING THE ALBUM3
CONDULME STUDIOS, VENICE, 1993
-This is the part we're changing, right?
-That's right.
Let's hear it.
Alejandro and I
didn't have much in common,
so he said to me:
"Look, instead of doing it the normal way,
PRODUCER
...where the arranger and producer
give me ideas,
let's go into the studio
and work together."
The thing he did with that guitar...
And with the other guy doing it
the Italian way...
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
The result was incredible.
With 3,
we needed substantial sales.
We told him the album was missing
something, another song.
He got mad and went home...
He didn't take it too well.
The next month he brought us five songs:
the five singles from the album!
It was unbelievable!
They all arrived at the party
Who knows what for
REJECTED DEMO
The famous arrived
How sensitive they are
Claiming to fight hunger
They enjoy their feasts
With napkins made
from the Amazon rainforest
It's true that since 3,
FRIEND AND COMPOSER
Alejandro has always, always recorded
what he wanted to record.
I think Alejandro has had
a better understanding of his career
since the label
started respecting his choice of songs.
In the case of Más,
which is the highest-selling album
in this country's music history,
and not only in terms of business,
but also in terms of impact,
PRESIDENT UNIVERSAL MUSIC SPAIN
...is and always will be a reference
for pop music in our language.
-Vicente Amigo is coming.
-Which tracks is he going to play on?
-On "Corazón", right?
-Yup, on "Corazón Partido."
The best thing is to do
what I've always done,
which is simply to write for myself.
When you write for yourself,
everyone gets it.
He's a chronicler of life.
The loves, the losses, the friendships,
the strife, it's all in there.
I've seen him experience real suffering,
because he loves so much.
12 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
Three people to turn on a tap!
This is getting out of hand.
Alejandro says he's a good cook
and actually his rice is good,
FRIEND AND LAWYER
...but it's always the same!
He can't tell if the potato's hard!
When it's ready, he seasons it
and gives everyone a spoonful to try.
He does the same with his albums.
When the song's ready,
he'll give it to you to see
if it's seasoned, if it tastes good,
if the song's finished.
-It has a bitter aftertaste.
-A bit. Maybe it's the vinegar.
Add some coriander.
Alejandro was growing
and growing as a composer,
but with Más he excelled himself.
The album was already incredible.
It had "Y Si fuera Ella",
"Amiga mía"...
The album was going to be huge.
Alejandro called me and said:
"You have to listen to this."
And suddenly,
I was listening to "Corazón Partido".
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in tonight if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
Who will fill this January
with spring?
Who will bring the moon down
so we can play?
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
Some people at my record label
didn't want me to say I liked flamenco,
they wanted me to take diction lessons
to hide that I was Andalusian.
Things like that. Nothing that sounded
like flamenco went on the radio.
That song was a little outside the box,
but it was so good
that we decided to include it.
We recorded that song
with musicians past and present.
And that chorus... It was magical.
That fusion of pop,
Latin and flamenco...
Even though we didn't know
exactly where we were going with it,
Alejandro said: "No, it's too pop,
the song deserves something more."
PRODUCER
So it was really him
who came up with the idea.
One day I picked up the tapes
and said: "OK, let's see...
What's missing here?"
In the end Capi brought in Ludo Pérez,
and he gave it the final touch.
He gave it that extra groove.
He added some Latin percussion
and then the mix was really unique.
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in tonight
if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
Who will fill this January
with spring?
Who will bring the moon down
So we can play?
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
You know the plaster company
wanted to sue me?
They told me to take it out
and I said: "No, I won't."
"Plasters" isn't a brand name.
Just like "Jacuzzi" isn't a brand either.
Plasters for my broken heart.
Oh, my heart!
GUITARIST -MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Is that Ludo?
Ludo, how are you?
Perfect, OK?
I want them all to play together.
We've got such a powerful band,
splitting them up is stupid.
Mike and Ludo.
-We have to organise things.
-I know.
Look.
I've been with him since '98,
when I played on Más...
PERCUSSIONIST
...and now I'm back with my colleagues
from 20 years ago.
It says a lot about Alejandro
that he called us again.
GUITAR
I always had my camera
with me back then,
KEYBOARDS
so now we're doing it again,
I watched the footage back.
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
Yesterday I was rehearsing
and there was Helen...
PIANIST
...from '98,
and then Txell from 2001
and Sara from 2007
next to Victor...
They were all there together.
We've got all the years rolled into one.
9 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
I've put the two bands together,
the one I had in '98
and the one I have now.
PRESS CONFERENCE, +ES+ EVENT
MAY, 2017
It's been a really cool process,
because some of them weren't
even working as musicians anymore.
So it's been a bit like Ocean's Eleven,
when they get the old crew together
for one last job, or something like that!
We ask you, as always,
out of courtesy not only for the artist,
but for all of us here today,
not to smoke
and to turn off your mobile phones,
so as not to be a nuisance
or to interfere with the sound people.
PRESS CONFERENCE,
MÁS ALBUM SALES May, 1998
Artists with the one million trophy
can be counted on two hands,
but artists with the trophy for 1,300,000
EX-PRESIDENT WARNER MUSIC
can't be counted, because
there's only one: Alejandro Sanz.
The album went to number one
and I think it stayed there
for two years straight.
That had never happened before in Spain.
The title is fitting for sure!
It looks like
the album is going well,
so when's the tour going to start?
The tour starts... I've got it
written down, because otherwise,
as I'm sure you can imagine...
People ask me if I believe in destiny.
Why wouldn't I?
My destiny's sorted until December!
The tour starts...
-It starts on the 11th of June in Murcia.
-Ah.
-Thank you!
-That was funny!
-How did I do?
-Fantastically, as always!
Discreet as well as elegant,
simple and youthful!
MÁS TOUR
SPAIN, 1998
The first concert on the Más tour.
I only know that...
GUITARIST
...the curtain went up,
my equipment was there on the floor...
I looked over and saw him
and then we started playing.
I can't remember anything else!
It was like a dream
that starts, then ends
and you're not aware of it
until it's over.
My friend
Maybe one of these days
I'll finally learn
To speak
without going round in circles
All of this matters to me
Because you're my friend
When we did the first concert
it was like, wow!
PERCUSSIONIST
It was like, where am I? What is this?
Being in a stadium...
The audience gives off
this avalanche of energy
that's like being hit by a brick wall!
I'd never before experienced the sound
KEYBOARD
...of girls screaming non-stop at 126dB!
Thank you! Thank you so much!
There were always the same fans
in the front row.
One day they'd have a banner for you,
the next day for Alejandro...
So we had
this kind of visual connection.
There was one fan
who hated my guts.
BACKING VOCALS
She would give me the finger.
It was horrible!
Alejandro started saying
that I was his cousin,
because the girls
would throw things at me. Seriously!
You'd see the girls in the front row...
GUITARIST
...and they'd all be fainting constantly!
The newspapers,
instead of reviewing the concert,
BASS PLAYER
...would say: "Alejandro Sanz's record!
200 and something girls fainted!"
No more reasonable doubts
There's no comparison for me
That final moment robbed me
Of the miracle of having you
all the time
Let's get this over with
A century should be long enough
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well they can wait
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well, they can wait
And no more reasonable doubts
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well they can wait
And the others...
When we were on tour with Más,
the exact same final was on:
Real Madrid -Juventus.
Isn't that crazy?
It's incredible we're all together,
20 years on, and the same final is on.
And the big final is underway...
EUROPEAN CUP FINAL
Guitar!
Let's go! Let's go!
I think it'll be...
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, 2017
...4-1.
He's going to miss it...
I reckon so.
-That fucking English what's-his-name!
-I'm so sorry!
I'm happy Madrid lost too!
Josep! In the pool!
Look, look!
Juve got fucked this year!
Arriving at airports was...
PERCUSSIONIST
They had to rush Alejandro through.
But him being him, he wanted
to sign autographs for everyone.
So they'd have to drag him away:
"Come on! Let's go!"
Or we'd never have got out of there!
I haven't done anything, I swear!
I haven't done anything!
Frisk me then!
-Wait.
-Frisk him.
The '98 programme, for example,
didn't look too bad,
but we had gigs in Guatemala,
then New York,
then Washington, Chicago...
"Alejandro-mania" had reached Mexico.
One day, we had a reporter
NATIONAL AUDITORIUM
MEXICO. MARCH 1998
from El País coming
to cover the concert.
He was quite a tough critic
and the guys from the label
were a bit nervous he was coming.
I'd sung the previous night
and it had gone down a storm.
So the night before
this guy was due to come,
I stayed up with Pancho Céspedes
and the musicians in the room
singing and drinking tequila
until the crack of dawn.
We like having fun.
The next day I woke up
and I'd completely lost my voice!
So I went on stage,
went to sing the first line
and I had no voice!
What else could I do
but go back inside
and leave my musicians playing the song?
BASS PLAYER
He locked himself in the dressing room
and wouldn't come out.
Iñigo Zabala was there so I said:
"Iñigo, what am I going to do?"
I went into the dressing room and said:
"Alejandro, we can't cancel.
You can't do that to your fans.
Go out there
and tell them to sing with you.
Tell them you need their help."
So I went back out and said:
"Look, I've obviously lost my voice.
If you want to leave,
you'll get your money back.
But if you stay, you're going to see
the best concert of the whole tour!"
I've been distracted lately
I'm doing everything wrong
I'm a disaster
And I don't know what's going on
The crowd sang the first few songs
and Alejandro sang the ends of the lines.
By the middle of the concert,
he was managing to sing
about half the songs.
And by the end
Alejandro was sounding like Pavarotti!
You're that woman
I feel this man can love
I live each second
As if it were the first time
Knowing that you loved me
Everything you gave me
When we finished the concert,
the musicians lifted me up
on their shoulders like a hero.
And the crowd...
It was really emotional.
The next day, the guy from El País
wrote a rave review.
I've cancelled
very few concerts in my life.
You have to do everything
in your power for the show to go on.
I mean, I was born to be on stage,
it's what I do.
-Thanks, Alejandro! Look what we've got!
-Get well soon, Alejandro!
That's right.
First let me just say, I got married!
Now we can start the press conference!
Alejandro got back from Bali,
a newlywed,
and started getting harassed
by the press and the media.
He came to my house
and I said: "You can stay here
for as long as you want, no problem."
SINGER AND COMPOSER
A year and a half!
He brought his piano over,
got settled in,
and started composing El alma al aire.
A WEEK BEFORE THE CONCERT
I write a lot of my songs
in 12/8 or 6/8 time.
I write them in the bulería
or alegría style
and then I translate them,
so to speak, into pop,
but I leave that time hidden in the songs
so that whoever needs to hear it will.
For example, "Cuando nadie me ve..."
People hear the song like this...
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
Sometimes I lock myself away
behind open doors
But really it's like this...
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
Sometimes I lock myself away
behind open doors
Sometimes I explain this silence to you
Sometimes I'm yours
And sometimes I belong to the wind
I mean, that's the tempo.
That's why in the video
I'm walking with that rhythm.
When nobody sees me
MUSIC VIDEO RECORDING. 2000
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I look like your skin
When nobody sees me
I think about her too
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I'm not confined to my skin
With Más came recognition,
with El alma al aire
came confirmation.
The winner is... Alejandro Sanz.
I'd like to dedicate this award to my dad,
who's sitting right there.
LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS
2nd EDITION, LOS ANGELES
El alma al aire!
Who said "Me vale madre"?
That's a lot of gold!
My friend, 55,000 tickets sold,
plus the 5,000 who sneak into each gig
and the 5,000 who get in free, that's more
than 60,000 people watching you.
Is this the biggest crowd
you've ever performed for?
Yes, I think so.
It's also symbolic,
because this is a place
where all the best artists have played
and which no Spaniard
has ever filled before.
She slides in and bowls me over
VICENTE CALDERÓN STADIUM
MADRID 2001
And although sometimes I don't care
I know the day I lose her
I will suffer again
Because of her
Who appears and then hides away
Who leaves and then stays
Who is both the question and the answer
Who is my darkness
My star
El alma al aire gave us
the Alejandro who performed in stadiums
with an amazing band, amazing lights,
putting on incredible show.
How do you measure your success?
On awards? On ticket sales?
Not me. My prize is going on stage
and hearing 40,000 or 50,000 people
singing one of my songs.
Six?
5 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
-You know what?
-What are you doing?
We've got a cheating pianist!
-No!
-Hey!
Go on then!
Take your five points!
I thought they were my points!
-The pianist.
-Where is it?
I didn't touch anything!
-He had one and now he has two!
-Short memory!
-A short memory is worthless.
-Sure.
A long-term memory,
that's the one...
-Do you remember the unplugged gig?
-My memory's not that bad!
MTV was the logical result
of everything that was happening.
The Grammys, an international career...
No Spanish artist had ever done
MTV Unplugged before.
I had rehearsal at 8:00 a.m.
I woke up to the news of 9/11.
The Grammys got cancelled
and I couldn't do
the Unplugged concert in Miami either.
So...
We interrupt the MTV scheduled broadcast
to bring you news of the attack on the US.
The title of the song reflects
what people are probably wondering:
"What can I do for others?
How can I help others?"
We've suddenly realised that terrorism
isn't as far removed from us
as we thought.
But there are many other things
we should also take into account,
so I think asking that question
is the best that a person can give.
From the top!
When I'd finished the song
my producer said: "Michael Jackson
wants to talk to you. Call him."
I wanted to tell Michael Jackson,
as a joke:
"Don't go saying we're mates now,
just because we spoke on the phone."
Just a little joke, you know?
But in English...
it's tricky!
You know the day Más came out,
he died?
Are we playing or talking here?
MTV UNPLUGGED TONIGHT
PRESENTS ALEJANDRO SANZ
RECORDING "MTV UNPLUGGED"
GUSMAN CENTER, 2001
Lord of infinite spaces
You that holds peace in your hands
Let it spill out Lord
I'm begging you
And teach my brothers how to love
And teach them how beautiful life is
And how to heal all wounds
And to show pure love to the whole world
And always seek out love, Lord
And hate war
I'd like to be the air
That escapes from your laugh
I'd like to be salt
That stings in your wounds
ALEJANDRO SANZ AND DESTINY’S CHILD
I'd like to be the blood
That your life wraps around
OK, so maybe we deserve it
But our voice isn't for sale
And whatever they think of us
Read my lips, I couldn't care less
El alma al aire marked the beginning
of the "Miami" period
and "No es lo mismo"
is totally the Miami-style Alejandro
and I think that really shines through.
RECORDING "NO ES LO MISMO"
MIAMI, 2003
Stop, stop, stop!
He went to work with Lulo Pérez...
FRIEND AND AUTHOR OF "VIVE"
...and made
his first fully American album.
He stopped working with a lot of people
he'd been with for years.
He stopped working
with Emanuele Ruffinengo,
he stopped working with Capi.
Alejandro reinvented himself.
He took on Latin music, Cuban music...
Miami was a great influence for him
and then he reinvented himself
once again.
-I'm knackered!
-I said: "I can't go on like this.
I've got nothing left to contribute,
I'm out."
I even broke the contracts
we had together.
Now, I'd like to invite on stage...
CHARITY CONCERT
...somebody who has helped me
and has helped all us artists
and the "Alas movement"...
Alejandro Sanz!
Alejandro has always been a pioneer.
The urban phenomenon
might seem like something new,
but "La Tortura" became
the most played Spanish song in history.
It sold more than 12 million singles.
It was number one in the USA.
And it's undoubtedly
a song that was ahead of its time.
It also coincided with the most
charitable moment of his career.
I know I haven't been a saint
ALEJANDRO SANZ AND SHAKIRA
But I can fix that my love
A man can't live on bread alone
And I can't live on excuses
You learn from your mistakes
And I know that my heart is yours
Better keep it for yourself
Give the bone to another dog
And let's say goodbye
I think we're at a time
where everyone is very conformist
and I don't think that's good for anybody.
If at this point in my life,
when professionally
I'm in this privileged situation,
GREENPEACE EXPEDITION
THE ARCTIC
...I don't take risks, then when will I?
I don't understand this hunger.
The hunger of people
who have it all. I don't get it.
The way our society is conceived,
economically and socially,
we're losing more and more democracy.
-What's your name?
-Alejandro.
Companies and large corporations
are now the ones with the power
and that's very dangerous.
3 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
Nice to meet you all!
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
CHOIR REHEARSAL "SAFARI CHILDREN"
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
In "La Margarita dijo no",
the kids come out with flags.
-Do we have the flags?
-Yes.
-They have to enter from both sides.
-Yes, in two lines.
-They enter in two lines and spread out.
-That's already choreographed.
-There's no problem with that.
-Sure.
What may seem marvellous to you today
can seem horrible tomorrow.
And the day after
you think it's sublime.
So you always need
somebody you can trust
who'll tell you: "Stop there,
that's enough, leave it like that."
Alejandro's dad, Jesús,
had that someone too.
He was more than a friend.
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
He was at all his concerts
and on all his tours.
It was like he was
an extension of Alejandro!
I'd say:
"Alejandro, watch out with him.
Careful with this one, that one."
FRIEND AND COMPOSER
Those truths
that people
don't often tell an artist.
My dream is for everyone to be happy,
INTERVIEW BY MONIKA BELLIDO
(COUSIN) OF JESÚS SÁNCHEZ (FATHER)
...for there to be no wars or diseases
and for everybody to be OK.
-What's your favourite dish?
-Stew.
Are you superstitious?
I'm not superstitious, it's bad luck!
With your sideways smile
DEMO
How many I love yous
Did you keep inside?
How many of your boyhood things
Do you still keep in your pockets?
With your eternal cigarette
The bags under your eyes
And your carelessness
The most beautiful of dances
Is your limp when you walk
I imagine you put on weight
To make room for your soul
You are that friend
Who gave me life
I think he felt that
he'd left him too soon...
SINGER AND FRIEND
...and it really affected him.
When he lost his dad,
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
...it was really hard for him.
Especially because he'd just
separated from Jaydy as well,
so it was a really tough time for him.
He called me up and said:
"Why don't you come over to Miami?
For a month or however long you want."
ALEJANDRO'S UNCLE
I said: "OK, I'll come. Something must
be up if you're calling me like this."
And so I went over there.
Paco was there.
He was telling me
that the boy was in a bad way.
I'd been in the house
by myself for six years
and the people I had around me
were trying to stitch me up.
They were blackmailing me
with things from my private life.
They had my divorce settlement,
SANZ'S EMPLOYEES BLACKMAILED HIM
FOR HALF A MILLION DOLLARS
...photos and stuff they'd found
on my computer
that they said
they were going to make public
unless I gave them
half a million dollars.
And I said: "That's not going to happen.
That's not going to happen."
We've seen people try...
THE TREACHEROUS EMPLOYEES
...to take advantage of his good heart
and his good faith
and we've had to go to court.
SANZ'S TESTIFIES FOR 5 HOURS
AGAINST HIS EMPLOYEES
We had to release a statement
in November, 2006,
about a son he had,
whose identity he wanted to protect.
We've been through a lot.
I think it's the darkest stage
Alejandro has been through.
We all have skeletons in our closets.
Why should he be any different?
My favourite album is
El tren de los momentos.
I'd locked myself away. My inner world
had taken over my outer world.
My house was chaos, a complete mess.
I painted the walls, hung photos...
All my drunk muses were there,
strewn around the house.
My inner world is my refuge,
but it can also be my hell.
RECORDING
"EL TREN DE LOS MOMENTOS"
It's where I've fought my battles
and some I win, some I lose.
He recorded it in a room in his house
in Miami where he also...
had a canvas and where he painted
compulsively.
I don't think it was his happiest time.
It's a very sincere album.
It was a kind of scream of desperation.
To the first person
Who helps me get out
Of this hell
I myself chose to live in
ONDAS AWARDS, 2006
I'll give us any afternoon
What I'm saying is that
Right now I have no place to be
Whoever wants gold can have it
But if we talk about yesterday
I have drunk so much
And yet I am still thirsty
At least you knew
At least I didn't tell you
That things weren't as they seemed
But to the first person
Who helps me to feel again
I intend to give them my life
I intend to give them my faith
But if you're not the person
I dreamt of, then what for?
What can I do?
Nothing
What will I do with the dreams?
What will I do with those kisses?
What can I do
With everything we dreamt about?
Tell me
where can we put it?
Where do I keep
that look you once gave me?
Where do I keep the promises?
Where do I keep yesterday?
Baby, where do I keep
the way you touched me?
Where do I keep my faith?
Even though people say it
I don't want to hear it
There's nothing so frightening
as when you feel nothing
Baby, you think it's so easy
Oh, my love!
But the easier you see it
The more difficult it is for me
To the first person who helps me to walk
I intend to give you my time
I'll even give you the sea
I'm not saying it's easy
But baby
Right now I have no place to be
1 DAY BEFORE THE CONCERT
When I started working with Alejandro
he'd just released
El tren de los momentos.
I suddenly saw this van drive up
and stop in front of me.
I got in and sat down
and it was really dark inside.
We couldn't barely see each other!
ALEJANDRO'S WIFE
We said: "Hi", "Hi"...
-"How are you?"
-"Fine."
"You're gorgeous". But he couldn't see me!
I knew he had a good sense of humour
and that he was very charming.
That was the first time
I spoke to Alejandro.
We liked each other straight away.
We got on really well.
Various circumstances came together
at that time in Alejandro's life.
He had to overcome many things
and that's exactly what he did.
Sara likes snails!
Sometimes I feel lost
Restless, alone and confused
So I tie myself to the stars
And circle the whole world
To this wounded heart
REHEARSAL
Music makes sense
We give you wings with this voice
We help your feet to walk
I'm singing for somebody like you
These are chestnuts.
Alejandro's whole family
is like a family to me.
His mum has always
been very sweet to me.
She is so much fun.
She has six brothers
and she's the only girl,
so she had to develop
a strong character.
She never has her ID or any money on her!
His mum was a real family person.
When she came to visit,
we'd spend all our time together.
She never organised anything
outside of the family.
ALEJANDRO'S UNCLE
This is my uncle. He's always
the best informed about everything.
-And my cousin. He's not bad at cards.
-Yeah, right!
You're terrible!
And I'm always there next to you,
trying to...
And you can always tell
what hand he's got!
Yeah 'cos when he's got a bad hand,
he goes like this!
-You move it around the pan.
-Move it round and round.
Turn it over, leave it to brown
and pim pim, that's that!
And that's that!
No! I look awful!
-You look beautiful!
-Don't be silly!
Beauties are always beautiful.
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
I've spent my life
with my sister-in-law.
She was happy with me and with Manolo,
just as I was with her.
Alejandro said to me: "Aunty,
will you come and live here?
It's what mum would've wanted."
It had been his mum's plan,
so that's what he wanted,
for us to be here all together,
and we've been here five years now.
When you have the life of an artist,
you find yourself within
a small group you can't get out of,
so that group has to be fun
or it has to be full of something,
because you live somewhat
isolated from the rest of the world.
I have a lot of cousins.
We all get together at Christmas,
there's between 60 and 90 people.
That's why I bought this place,
so we could to get together here
like I did with my family as a boy.
We'd kind of got out of the habit,
as we had nowhere to all meet up.
My children will inherit this place,
on one condition:
they can't sell it.
This is for the family.
A place where the whole family can...
You know?
Be together for generations to come
and have a place that is just ours.
And this is it.
-It's beautiful.
-Yeah! The wall's really changed.
Before it was just a wall,
now you have colours and life.
It's been incredible working for you.
You're quite something, mate! I love it!
-I'm happy to hear that.
-Thank you.
Really.
HOME RECORDINGS
Painter
Born in my land
With a foreign brush
Painter who follows in the steps
Of so many painters gone before
Although the Virgin is white
Paint me black angels
I can feel you here with me.
I need your support on the day.
This is for you.
That's what I love about forests,
it's like entering into a promise.
It's like you're experiencing
an emotion.
That's the thing about forests.
Twenty years, we drank from the same cup
DAY OF THE CONCERT
MADRID, 24th JUNE, 2017
Sharing emotions
So many things we still do together
Twenty years
We are lives that touched each other
VICENTE CALDERÓN STADIUM
We don't even think about it anymore
I could caress your words
We walk together
Without resting our lips
And we let time go by
And the sound of uncertainty
When something new is coming our way
But our love is bulletproof
And the battles only make it stronger
I bring to you
The memories that you and I create
Emotions
There's a fire inside me for you
What I learnt
What I dreamt
The twenty times
we've been around this sun
I bring to you
Don't forget what we said to each other
Even if time has erased
A million of my verses
There's nothing that can
Take that taste away from me
Twenty years
Twenty years
Twenty years
Twenty years
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
In the end, success isn't about
trends or the market, none of that.
It's about showing an artist's heart.
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
I lock you away in my eyes
Behind open doors
Sometimes I explain this silence to you
At times I'm yours
I guess this nostalgic celebration
has been quite natural for him.
Like someone inviting
all their friends over for dinner.
It happened spontaneously.
But I think that everyone sees it
as a gift to all of his fans.
Yeah! Algeciras in the house!
Take a guess!
What town am I from?
Take a guess
Take a guess
I'll give you a kiss
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in
tonight if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
The first time I played at Calderón,
I told people: "I was sat there once
wondering when it would be
my turn to play in a place like this."
I was dreaming big,
but that's the only way to dream.
One...
There in a dark patio...
-Alejandro, get your guitar.
-Do you know the words, Alejandro?
I want to sing...
Come on then!
You always say the same thing!
-I always dream about a balloon.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Good evening ladies and gentlemen!
Here for your delight,
a genius of the modern song...
Jury Venturi!
Jury Venturi, please, tell us,
how long will you be in Spain for?
Twenty years!
I AM WHAT I WAS
This is an honour
I find it hard to believe I deserve,
as I still see myself as that little boy
sitting next to his dad,
trying to imitate his chords.
My fingers couldn't reach
a lot of the positions,
just as my heart couldn't be filled
with more gratitude for this recognition.
I present this award
for the Latin Recording Academy's
person of the year, 2017,
to my friend, Alejandro Sanz!
Music is untouchable
Music's always there, you'll see.
Long live music!
Tell us what the song is about.
When an artist writes a song,
we call it composing,
and when they mess up,
can we call it decomposing?
For sure!
That's exactly it!
His attitude is that of a musician,
not of a star,
which is what most singers have.
Nice! Really nice!
...and mysteries, six by six
The centuries, the dead
And the restless that cry out
We'll all go, yet it will still remain
Remember it
A song
Music is untouchable
And what the wind blows away
Is the safest thing
Have no doubt
It grabs hold of time
And lasts forever in our hearts
We'll all go, yet it will still remain
Remember it
A song
Music is untouchable
There's no law
A powerful emotion
That not even time can defeat
There's no law
Whatever you love
Will remain in time
It will still be here
When we're gone
It will still be here when you're gone
Music will remain
Music's always there, you'll see
Long live the music
Your Majesty
God save the music
In all its splendour
Music will remain
When there's nobody to love
Music will remain
Like an awakening
Music will remain
Long live music
The music will remain...
Chile! Let me hear you!
Viña!
The Golden Music Award, 2017,
in recognition of his whole career,
goes to the master, Alejandro Sanz!
Music will remain
It's all about the music
Time to wake up
Long live music
Your Majesty
God save the music
In all its splendour
Music will remain
When there's nobody to love
Music will remain
Like an awakening
We'll still have the music
It's our truth
Music is untouchable
It's the main event
To finish, a very well-known tune.
That's it!
those who strive to remain humble
even when they're at the height
of their artistic career?
People like that...
You know what it is?
I'm just changing someone's tape here!
-It's mine.
-Yours? I'll change it for you.
-Thanks.
-Don't mention it!
This is what I use for composing...
I bought a computer and now
it's where I do my best recordings.
Well...
I think my family
instilled in me a certain way
of being and of seeing the world.
But it's difficult, because when
you get your first taste of success
it's overwhelming.
It's like this huge monster,
and sometimes
you don't know how to react.
But luckily I have people around me
who I've always been able to lean on.
Plus, being normal
is much easier, right?
ON THE 24TH OF JUNE, 2017,
A ONE-OFF CONCERT WAS HELD
BY MUSICIAN ALEJANDRO SANZ
TO COMMEMORATE
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE RELEASE OF HIS ALBUM MÁS
THE HIGHEST-SELLING ALBUM
IN SPANISH MUSIC HISTORY
Good evening!
My name is Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro.
Native of Madrid and Cadiz
and raised all over the world.
I can't think of anything I'd rather do
than sing for you for the next 20 years.
Have a great night!
This is your concert, enjoy it!
SANZ:
WHAT I WAS IS WHAT I AM
To fill a 50,000-seater stadium,
first you need to empty a small room
and stay there on your own.
It's in that solitude
that interesting things are created.
A MONTH BEFORE THE CONCERT
Everyone knows it's not
just another rehearsal.
It's also a kind of retreat
where we can relax and rehearse
and create that atmosphere:
where we know we're in this together,
and it's not just one singer
with 20 musicians.
Music is the love of my life.
My first guitar belonged to my dad.
I'd wake up at 6:30 in the morning
and start playing it.
I remember my mum broke it
and I had to stick
an ad from a magazine on it
to cover up the hole.
You'll all leave
Time will pass
Moments will go by, you'll see.
When I tried to convince my mum
that I wanted to be a musician,
she'd say: "No, son. Making it as
a musician is a one in a million chance."
And I'd say: "But, Mum, that's me!
I'm the one in a million."
I'm going to sing a song
for my sons Alejandro and Jesús
and dedicate it to my husband.
FAMILY AUDIO RECORDINGS
-Daddy, come on!
-You two help her, go on.
My heart says...
ALEJANDRO'S MOTHER
That...
Stop laughing or I won't sing!
My mum practically raised
my brother and I by herself.
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
Back then,
an artist like my dad would spend
his whole life on the road.
My dad covered a million kilometres
in his Fiat 600
travelling up and down the country.
But then of course
my mum was left alone in Madrid
with two kids and nobody to help,
waiting for her husband to come home
which sometimes he didn't.
I've travelled to many countries,
but I haven't seen anything comparable
to this blessed Spain,
where I was born
And I'm convinced
there's nowhere else like it.
First he was in the Trío Juventud
with two girls from Algeciras.
They split up,
even though they were great...
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
...and he started a band
with two other guys from Algeciras.
They were called Los 3 de la Bahía.
It was impressive knowing someone
whose dad worked in music,
played guitar and had recorded an album.
He came from a musical background
and was starting
to play the guitar, like me,
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
but he had that environment at home
and it really made an impression on me.
Let's see what you can do.
ALEJANDRO'S FIRST RECORDINGS
-Do you want to sing it?
-Yes.
Go on then, sing it.
-Very good, but is that all you know?
-Yes!
There was a school in Cruz de los Caídos
that gave free classes...
ALEJANDRO'S MOTHER
ONDA LUZ INTERVIEW
...to kids that wanted them,
so that's where I took him.
It was free. It didn't matter if it came
to nothing! I took him there every day.
Every single day.
My dad always supported my brother.
My mum was more reluctant
because she knew...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...how hard it was.
My mum was always attentive.
She wanted me to pass my exams
and work in a bank,
like all mothers at that time.
We started out in music together.
We had a heavy metal band!
FIRST AND ONLY PERFORMANCE
There's a bridge which goes from Moratalaz
to La Estrella. It's over the motorway
and it's where me and my friend Carlos
would go.
We imagined the car lights were
our audience waving their lighters!
We'd stand up there imagining
the whole motorway was full of people!
As if we were rock stars!
20 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
OK, so maybe we deserve it
But our voice isn't for sale
And whatever they think of us
Read my lips
I couldn't care less
I have a balm for all kinds of pain
Remedies for all kinds of mistakes
And prescriptions for disappointment
These guys say that
without the piano and all that
it's just over two hours long.
FRIEND AND AUTHOR
OF THE BIOGRAPHY "VIVE"
The way it is right now,
the concert's at least three hours long.
I don't want people to leave
looking at their watches.
Let's time it and if we have
to cut something, we will.
I like it better
when it sounds like that.
It sounds better
than a really good studio recording.
Sure, because it's a live recording.
There it goes...
I liked hard rock and flamenco best.
I listened to Camarón and Paco de Lucía
from a very young age.
Flamenco spoke to me.
It got under my skin.
Lole and Manuel...
Everything my dad used to play
in the car when I was little.
Little boy...
Once upon a time, there was a city...
...that was stranded
in the middle of a luminous bay.
ALEJANDRO'S FATHER
That's why they called it
The bride of the sun.
Take a guess, take a guess!
What town am I from?
Once upon a time...
Alejandro was born in Madrid
and spent many summers
at my mother's house.
I think that there he found
a place to develop his artistic side...
ALEJANDRO'S COUSIN
AND FLAMENCO EXPERT
...and that's stayed
with him his whole career.
We've loved flamenco
since we were born,
so those summers were unforgettable.
From when we woke up in the morning
to when we went to bed,
we'd be playing the guitar non-stop.
My mum would be in the kitchen
preparing the food...
He didn't just bring his guitar
when he came,
he'd also bring some black trousers
and a white shirt,
in case Cuadro Soleá had a show.
He played the guitar
in a lot of our shows.
At that time,
he already had his own songs.
It surprised us,
because they were really good.
I remember Alejandro saying to me:
"We should go
to your uncle's house one day.
I want him to hear me
and see what he thinks."
ALEJANDRO'S FRIEND,
NEPHEW OF PEPE AND PACO DE LUCÍA
We went there a few times
and he played him two or three
of his own songs,
that he'd written himself.
He sang them and my uncle loved them.
PACO DE LUCÍA
AND RAMÓN DE ALGECIRAS
That's when I realised who he was:
a boy who lived and breathed
like a flamenco artist.
FLAMENCO SINGER AND COMPOSER
He had the flair
and charm of a flamenco artist,
as if he'd been born here in Cadiz.
It was his thing.
Once upon a time,
there was a white butterfly,
HOME RECORDING
...who was the queen
of all the dawn butterflies
She would land in the gardens
among the most beautiful flowers
And whisper stories
to the carnation and the violet
THE 80'S
So he could earn some money,
my dad found him gigs
at nightclubs
owned by his friends in Madrid.
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
I used to play in strip clubs
and nightclubs,
earning basically enough
to cover my return taxi fare.
I used to sing
while the girls got changed,
not that they had
many clothes to change!
It was a real learning experience,
because obviously the customers
weren't there to listen to me!
I'm the same to Alejandro
as I could be to any of you.
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
My job is to support talented people
who are just starting out
and have no other support.
Capi was a very atypical producer.
He had a real eye for new talent.
Capi helped me launch my career.
Also Mecano or...
SINGER AND COMPOSER
Los Pecos, Alejandro...
He helped a lot of people.
I knew him through my mum
and from a photo I'd seen.
He was singing at a communion
or something like that
and he was in a Sevillian folk band
with my cousin.
When I saw the picture of them,
I saw that Alejandro had a special aura.
I said: "Bring him to me."
And he said to me:
"Capi, I want to be in this business
even if it's just making coffees."
He started giving me work on recordings,
doing backing vocals.
I also recorded
some stuff on the guitar
as a session musician.
If he needed someone to improvise
on an record, he usually called me,
I think basically
because I had this ballsy approach to it.
I met Alejandro in '88.
And who was on my books then?
Well, I had Fabio,
Luis Miguele, Nacho Canut...
Alejandro was my last signing
of the whole 80s movement.
Cocky guys need looking after
And you're not doing that
Cocky guys need looking after
Don't keep me just for the sake of it
Cocky guys need looking after
I'm out and about all over town
Look after the cocky guys
And they'll look after you
I had a great time making the album,
but the album itself...
wasn't my style at all.
I got to the recording studio
and they were all there,
and basically all high!
I didn't even know what the title meant
when they told me!
This 18-year-old kid
with the biggest gays in Madrid.
"Los chulos son pá cuidarlos"
wasn't what he wanted to do...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...and they didn't promote it either.
In fact, they practically ignored it.
"VIVIENDO DEPRISA" DEMO
He made the demo of "Viviendo Deprisa".
We thought about giving it
to another artist
and I said: "But you sing it
better than anybody."
Today the sunset is so short
DEMO
Our kiss at your front door
Isn't like the one yesterday
When they heard those demos, they said:
"It's really good,
but we need to find a song writer."
So I asked them to let me go
and Javier del Moral asked me
for three million pesetas
or he wouldn't let me go.
So I said:
"How am I supposed to pay that?
I walked here from Moratalaz!
I can't even afford the metro!"
In the end Simone Bosé came down.
Actually he was pretty fair
and said they'd let me go
on the condition that
I'd only record the songs
I'd shown them that they didn't want,
no others.
That's when I went to see
Iñigo Zabala at Warner.
Hi, Maria, it's Marta from Warner.
I'm calling to talk about...
He brought me a cassette
with a few songs on it
and the first one I listened to
really impressed me.
Then I heard the second one,
which was "Se le apagó la luz",
and I was completely...
I realised straight away
that no one was doing that in Spain
or in Spanish music.
Why isn't she talking?
I don't understand
DEMO
She was just telling me:
Don't go so fast, I'm scared.
The ambulance flew by...
Obviously Capi had been
around the block a few times...
I've always been quite tough
when negotiating for the artists.
So, I sent the demo
to José María Cámara,
who was the president of BMG.
I was at my mum's house,
sitting on the floor.
Mum was watching a film,
shouting at the character on the TV:
"Pick up the gun!"
"Mum, I've just been offered
a million pesetas."
"Of course you have, son! A million
pesetas! What are you like, boy?"
The first call... one. Then every ten
minutes it went up, a million at a time.
"Mum, I've been offered two!"
"What a vivid imagination, son!
Shut up, I'm trying to watch the film!"
It turned into a bidding war...
When Iñigo offered ten million,
Ariola offered eleven.
That's when Iñigo Zabala called.
I spoke from the heart and said:
"Look, I don't know what decision
you're going to make in the end,
but I do know that things
are going to go incredibly for you,
and whatever decision you make,
you're going to be a star
and enjoy huge success.
I'd like to be a part of it,
but I know you're going to make it big."
When he hung up, I said:
"So then I guess it's Cámara."
And he said: "No."
"Capi, I want to sign
with the other guy."
-"But he offered a million less!"
-"I know, but...
the reason he gave me
is worth a million."
Viviendo Deprisa
got off to a slow start.
We sent Alejandro
all around Spain in a minibus.
He went on all the local radios,
singing and playing his guitar.
Do you have any other hobbies
aside from music?
Well, besides music, I like... girls!
For all my friends in Algeciras,
this is "Viviendo Deprisa"...
I wasn't scared of anything.
I was used to singing
on the streets of my home town.
Even though in the end
I behaved like a man, I cried
And I seriously thought
That with that guy,
I should have a duel at sunrise
A duel at sunrise
It started off slowly, but you could see
that something was starting to happen.
At that time there was no internet,
no mobile phones,
there was no way to...
Music gained popularity
in other ways,
like when a girl from one town
told her mate from the next town,
and he told his mates,
and so on and so forth...
We're here at the Continente supermarket
with Alejandro Sanz.
The first year was hard work,
PRODUCT MANAGER
...he was slowly making
a name for himself,
but Alejandro didn't get one "no"...
Ever.
On the same night
I'd do a supermarket in Algeciras
and a big show in Seville.
So I'd finish in Algeciras, get in the car
and drive like a fucking maniac,
pardon my French,
to Seville for the concert.
Then the next day I'd go to La Toja,
to be on Moreno's show,
because that's what everyone did.
Remember this name
because soon he'll be a huge star!
Alejandro Sanz!
Today the sunset is so short
Our kiss at your front door
Isn't like the one yesterday
In recent years
it's been all about the bands,
PROMOTING "VIVIENDO DEPRISA"
so for a completely new solo artist
with a new album
and a style that
maybe not everyone's used to,
because they're more used to bands
playing pop-rock, which is harder,
it was pretty complicated.
We had to go on the radio,
on the Top 40 Show
and convince them to play this type
of music they didn't normally play.
They said
Alejandro was old-fashioned.
You can imagine
the things we had to put up with.
The media doesn't realise what it has
until the public start taking notice.
I'm tired of life, improvising for you
I'm tired of following you
I'm staying here
I've wasted my strength, my love,
by living too fast
I can't do it anymore
Don't wait for me, I'm staying here
Back then you knew everyone,
the sales directors, the radio people...
All the Top 40 radio programmers
would meet up
the day before the vote, in Ambigú.
All the artists would be there
and it was like a flea market:
"You're supporting me tomorrow, right?"
"I'm not sure I like the song."
"You can't have heard it properly!
Were you high when you heard it?"
If we sell 20 thousand copies,
they'll want another one next year.
Dreaming is so beautiful
And the truth so violent
I can't take it any more
There was a buzz
around Alejandro in Spain,
but most people didn't know
who he was or who the song was by.
So we had an idea for Alejandro to do
a charity concert.
We asked the kids to bring presents
for deprived children
to put under this huge tree.
And we gave those presents to UNICEF
along with a donation.
Then Television Española suddenly said
they'd show it on Christmas evening.
FROM THE REAL MADRID
SPORTS ARENA
I'd already done a lot of concerts,
lots of parks, car parks and clubs,
but I hadn't really made it yet.
It was going well, but I hadn't made it.
So when I got
to the Real Madrid Arena
and heard everyone screaming my name,
I realised that something was happening.
Hi!
I'm so excited to be here
for two main reasons:
because the tree is full of presents
and 'cos tonight we're all going to make
a lot of kids around the world very happy.
How I feel right now proves to me,
once again, that what I was is who I am.
I'm not ashamed to say
That you were everything to me
But I can't admit
That I'd like to do it again
So much time spent alone
So very alone
Lost out on the streets
There was no sign of you
The street was so deserted
The night was alive
And you speak with such confidence
Like you owned the key to my desire
And you speak with such confidence
Like you owned the key to my desire
Come on!
Everything I was is who I am.
What I brought with me yesterday
is what I take with me today
Everything I was is who I am.
What I brought with me yesterday
is what I take with me today
Everything I was...
There was a moment in that concert
when he played this amazing song
called "Se le apagó la luz."
That was the turning point,
when people said:
"Wow! This guy isn't just
for teeny-boppers."
Her light went out
He trembled
They closed the curtains on her
And he heard life pass him by
And the soft beating of a heart
He understood this was
a clumsy farewell
To the girl of his dreams
Her light went out
He trembled
Alejandro was really crying.
An artist normally releases
three or four albums
before achieving success,
but he got it with his second single.
You've no idea
how much tonight has meant to me.
It was so emotional.
I lay down on the dressing room floor
trying to get my head round it.
My dad was practically
drooling over his son.
Especially as he was an artist himself...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...and had had to struggle and travel
so much just to feed us.
The following day,
Alejandro went to number one
and his albums
started flying off the shelves.
It really took off that Christmas.
We sold a million albums.
I did 120 concerts in three months.
More concerts than there were days!
He went from being a normal kid...
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...to a star, and it happened overnight.
MORATALAZ NEIGHBOURHOOD
At one point, I stopped
telling people I was his aunt,
because one time,
I was in the lift in his building
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
with three girls and one said to me:
I LOVE YOU, ALEX
"You're Alejandro's aunt, right?"
And I said: "Yes",
and the one next to me
started stroking my arm
and said: "Oh!" and then fainted!
Suddenly we had 100 or 200 girls outside,
ALEJANDRO'S BROTHER
...all asking for Alejandro.
From then on, when he came to my house,
he had to sneak in...
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
...through the garage,
because he couldn't go outside anymore!
Before we start the interview,
we need you all to take a step back.
We were in the Plaza de Andalucía
and it was total madness.
I could see things were getting
out of hand for all of us.
For the record company,
for the artist...
Come on, don't do that again!
I remember the sound of the barriers
screeching on the ground,
coming towards us.
I felt panicked.
I got up from the interview
and asked the security guys:
"Can you handle this,
or should we leave?"
So we left.
When I started to get
my first taste of success,
and I went from being
just a normal kid
to being really
well-known in this country,
I went to Sanlucar
and shut myself away in a house,
because it was all just so overwhelming.
I had to get used
to the success and the fame,
to everyone having an opinion of you
and not everyone liking you.
That makes you vulnerable, in a way,
because everyone
is giving their opinion of you,
saying you're this or you're that.
Saying: "What a romantic sap!",
Or "that guy's so cheesy!"
Or that you're a bad writer
or a bad singer.
Or that you sing well...
You get the whole range of opinions.
So you have to be open, but at the
same time have this emotional shield up.
It's hard to know what to do.
How can you do both things at once?
It's really difficult.
19 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
It's better if you come in
on the high note.
Like the timid dew on a carnation
And I'll come in low...
I'll be there
Everyone else will leave, I know
I'll be by your side
through all the hard times
Just as the shore stays close to the sea
And the field is one
With the rain that falls upon it
I don't sing in this bit, right?
-Perfect.
-OK?
Let's try it.
REHEARSALS WITH PASTORA SOLER
Hey, if God exists
In whatever shape or form
It's simply love
If God exists
If God exists
That's it.
Sometimes you need time.
It's like a relationship,
sometimes you need time apart
to make the relationship work.
This is the same thing.
-Well, you've been really missed.
-Really?
Yeah, really missed.
You should know
the stage has missed you!
-Well, treat 'em mean..!
-Exactly!
-Now it'll want me even more!
-For sure!
-I'm going to go feed my baby.
-Sure!
-See you later!
-Bye, babe!
Pastora took a break because
she had an episode of stage fright.
For a year or two,
she didn't sing or record an album,
or go on tour... Nothing at all.
The first day she sang again
was the day of the rehearsal.
Watching an artist be reborn like that
is a very beautiful thing.
I've been close to having
something like that happen to me,
but I always keep moving forward,
'cos I don't know where else I'd go.
He put in a lot of hard work
and made his mark in Latin America.
There were only a few artists at that time
who had the opportunity to do the same,
but they decided to focus
mainly on the Spanish market.
Some of them dabbled a bit over there,
but the only one
to really put in the time and effort,
in that moment, was Alejandro.
With a little bit of this
and a little bit of that
And shake your bum!
So, Alejandro, how are you finding Mexico?
Everyone's been so friendly.
PROMOTING VIVIENDO DEPRISA
You're famous for being friendly,
but I didn't know quite how much.
How long have you been here in Mexico?
Not long, about a fortnight,
but on the 24th I'm heading to Argentina.
He's off to Argentina!
I remember him arriving in Argentina
practically by himself.
He had one rep with him, that's all.
PR REP IN ARGENTINA
He showed me a list of radio stations,
so I said: "These are the important ones."
And he said:
"No, I'm going to do all of them."
-"Every single one."
-They took him and his guitar to schools,
cantinas and radio stations.
But actually, it turned out
to be quite unrewarding,
because he didn't achieve
the recognition he had in Spain.
He's well on the road to success,
he's the revelation of the '90s,
here with you all...
VIÑA DEL MAR FESTIVAL
Alejandro Sanz!
The crowd at Viña del Mar
was known as the monster,
and it was a monster that really roared!
People were whistling
booing people off stage,
even world-famous artists!
Good evening, everybody!
We've got a small problem
with the keyboard, but we'll get it fixed
in no time at all.
Can you improvise something
in the meantime?
-Sure!
-This isn't part of the programme,
but it's a talent
we might never have known about!
-Can you hear the guitar?
-Yes.
When the dawn comes,
If I'm not with you,
my soul will be broken in two
He was there, at the gates to America,
where the monster can either kick you out
or welcome you in.
Don't go! Don't go!
If you leave me,
my soul will be broken in two
Don't go! Don't go!
If you leave me
My soul will be broken in two
I was in pieces when I left the stage,
'cos I wanted to do well at the festival.
That was the first time
I saw Alejandro cry like a baby,
when he came into the dressing room
because he'd suffered so much on stage.
But after he went on with Miguel Bosé
and brought the house down.
Alejandro, come up and sing!
Tell me the wind
Will never destroy it...
Hands in the air!
Call it freedom
Sing it loud, brother,
and don't ever, ever stop singing!
LONDON
I'm dreading unpacking my suitcase,
because my mum packed it
and she stuffed so much in!
There's a bit of everything in there!
She thinks I'm going off to war!
The madness of loving you
Like a fugitive...
The madness of loving you...
Alejandro was
more than
what we'd seen on his first album
and we wanted to move away
from this idea of young music
and make a more adult album.
Let's get George Michael's arranger,
the best engineer in the world,
Paul McCartney's drummer...
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
The industry always seduces,
it's the sensuality of success.
We recorded it and it made
a third of the previous album's sales.
This is the room where...
RECORDING "SI TU ME MIRAS"
TOWNHOUSE STUDIO. LONDON, 1993
...the guitars were recorded.
Paco de Lucía recorded here.
I said: "Look, Paco,
this kid from Algeciras...
It's his dream to have you play
on one of his songs."
"The kid's crazy, totally crazy!
You think I'm going to play on your album?
Only your second album!
So I said:
"Just have a listen to the song."
Anyway, Paco came to London
and asked me:
"Who's paying for this,
you or the company?"
Paco was supposed to come
for just a few hours
and ended up staying 15 days,
wearing the same tracksuit!
And a great friendship
blossomed between the two artists.
The second time he joined us, I told him:
"I'm paying for this, Paco."
He said: "There's this thermostat
for a heater I've got
in Xpu-Ha, in Cancun,
and I just can't find it anywhere."
"OK, what model is it?"
"C-301H."
So I bought him a whole bag full!
I said: "Paco, you'll never need
another thermostat again!"
So we became friends and always
had a really good laugh together.
However serious the conversation was,
we'd always round it off
by playing a bulería!
Alejandro,
I heard your album's just been released
and that it's beautiful.
I haven't heard it yet,
but I know what you do and how you do it
and how you compose.
You're an artist and a great singer,
with a wonderful sensibility.
You're creative and a good person,
a really good person.
I wish you all the best
and all the luck in the world
for this new album,
but if it doesn't go well,
don't you worry,
because I know
how well you play flamenco guitar
and there'll always be a place for you
in my group!
Take care!
Who's joining you for the concert
at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid?
My idol my whole life, Paco de Lucía.
The master had to be there.
It's a dream come true for me
to have him on stage
with me and the audience.
-Shall we listen to it?
-Let's do it!
For me it was the first
The most beautiful melody
A captive rose
ALEJANDRO SANZ, PACO DE LUCÍA
AND PRESUNTOS IMPLICADOS
That died when touched
When leaving my mouth
My lips were kissed
By those thankful phrases
My first song
My first song
At that concert,
I went out to dance on stage
and I could see
that people accepted it.
They understood that a pop artist
could also combine other genres.
Life, life, life!
ALEJANDRO SANZ, PACO DE LUCÍA
AND PEPE DE LUCÍA
It's a pastime
That's all life is
Life, life, life!
I think flamenco artists
see Alejandro's music...
ALEJANDRO'S COUSIN
AND FLAMENCO EXPERT
as something that's close to them,
that they can identify with.
And that's because
it's a part of his roots.
It isn't an impersonation,
it's totally real.
"EL SUEÑO" ESTATE,
CARMONA FAMILY ARCHIVES
ALEJANDRO'S FATHER
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
Olé, Auntie!
16 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
-You don't sing here, right?
-No, but it's the same harmony.
OK, then it changes... There.
One, two, three...
Don't cry like that
Don't lose hope
I know it will come
REHEARSAL WITH ANTONIO CARMONA
It will come
Don't cry like that
Don't lose hope
I know it will come
It will come
It all started in Italy.
I got a call to record
the guitars on the album "3".
The tape's finished.
At that time,
I didn't speak a word of Spanish,
but the producer told me they were looking
to form a new ensemble...
GUITARIST -MUSICAL DIRECTOR
...for this highly gifted artist.
RECORDING THE ALBUM3
CONDULME STUDIOS, VENICE, 1993
-This is the part we're changing, right?
-That's right.
Let's hear it.
Alejandro and I
didn't have much in common,
so he said to me:
"Look, instead of doing it the normal way,
PRODUCER
...where the arranger and producer
give me ideas,
let's go into the studio
and work together."
The thing he did with that guitar...
And with the other guy doing it
the Italian way...
STAR MAKER AND PRODUCER
The result was incredible.
With 3,
we needed substantial sales.
We told him the album was missing
something, another song.
He got mad and went home...
He didn't take it too well.
The next month he brought us five songs:
the five singles from the album!
It was unbelievable!
They all arrived at the party
Who knows what for
REJECTED DEMO
The famous arrived
How sensitive they are
Claiming to fight hunger
They enjoy their feasts
With napkins made
from the Amazon rainforest
It's true that since 3,
FRIEND AND COMPOSER
Alejandro has always, always recorded
what he wanted to record.
I think Alejandro has had
a better understanding of his career
since the label
started respecting his choice of songs.
In the case of Más,
which is the highest-selling album
in this country's music history,
and not only in terms of business,
but also in terms of impact,
PRESIDENT UNIVERSAL MUSIC SPAIN
...is and always will be a reference
for pop music in our language.
-Vicente Amigo is coming.
-Which tracks is he going to play on?
-On "Corazón", right?
-Yup, on "Corazón Partido."
The best thing is to do
what I've always done,
which is simply to write for myself.
When you write for yourself,
everyone gets it.
He's a chronicler of life.
The loves, the losses, the friendships,
the strife, it's all in there.
I've seen him experience real suffering,
because he loves so much.
12 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
Three people to turn on a tap!
This is getting out of hand.
Alejandro says he's a good cook
and actually his rice is good,
FRIEND AND LAWYER
...but it's always the same!
He can't tell if the potato's hard!
When it's ready, he seasons it
and gives everyone a spoonful to try.
He does the same with his albums.
When the song's ready,
he'll give it to you to see
if it's seasoned, if it tastes good,
if the song's finished.
-It has a bitter aftertaste.
-A bit. Maybe it's the vinegar.
Add some coriander.
Alejandro was growing
and growing as a composer,
but with Más he excelled himself.
The album was already incredible.
It had "Y Si fuera Ella",
"Amiga mía"...
The album was going to be huge.
Alejandro called me and said:
"You have to listen to this."
And suddenly,
I was listening to "Corazón Partido".
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in tonight if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
Who will fill this January
with spring?
Who will bring the moon down
so we can play?
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
Some people at my record label
didn't want me to say I liked flamenco,
they wanted me to take diction lessons
to hide that I was Andalusian.
Things like that. Nothing that sounded
like flamenco went on the radio.
That song was a little outside the box,
but it was so good
that we decided to include it.
We recorded that song
with musicians past and present.
And that chorus... It was magical.
That fusion of pop,
Latin and flamenco...
Even though we didn't know
exactly where we were going with it,
Alejandro said: "No, it's too pop,
the song deserves something more."
PRODUCER
So it was really him
who came up with the idea.
One day I picked up the tapes
and said: "OK, let's see...
What's missing here?"
In the end Capi brought in Ludo Pérez,
and he gave it the final touch.
He gave it that extra groove.
He added some Latin percussion
and then the mix was really unique.
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in tonight
if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
Who will fill this January
with spring?
Who will bring the moon down
So we can play?
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
You know the plaster company
wanted to sue me?
They told me to take it out
and I said: "No, I won't."
"Plasters" isn't a brand name.
Just like "Jacuzzi" isn't a brand either.
Plasters for my broken heart.
Oh, my heart!
GUITARIST -MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Is that Ludo?
Ludo, how are you?
Perfect, OK?
I want them all to play together.
We've got such a powerful band,
splitting them up is stupid.
Mike and Ludo.
-We have to organise things.
-I know.
Look.
I've been with him since '98,
when I played on Más...
PERCUSSIONIST
...and now I'm back with my colleagues
from 20 years ago.
It says a lot about Alejandro
that he called us again.
GUITAR
I always had my camera
with me back then,
KEYBOARDS
so now we're doing it again,
I watched the footage back.
Tell me, if you leave
Tell me, my love
Who will mend my broken heart?
Yesterday I was rehearsing
and there was Helen...
PIANIST
...from '98,
and then Txell from 2001
and Sara from 2007
next to Victor...
They were all there together.
We've got all the years rolled into one.
9 DAYS UNTIL THE CONCERT
I've put the two bands together,
the one I had in '98
and the one I have now.
PRESS CONFERENCE, +ES+ EVENT
MAY, 2017
It's been a really cool process,
because some of them weren't
even working as musicians anymore.
So it's been a bit like Ocean's Eleven,
when they get the old crew together
for one last job, or something like that!
We ask you, as always,
out of courtesy not only for the artist,
but for all of us here today,
not to smoke
and to turn off your mobile phones,
so as not to be a nuisance
or to interfere with the sound people.
PRESS CONFERENCE,
MÁS ALBUM SALES May, 1998
Artists with the one million trophy
can be counted on two hands,
but artists with the trophy for 1,300,000
EX-PRESIDENT WARNER MUSIC
can't be counted, because
there's only one: Alejandro Sanz.
The album went to number one
and I think it stayed there
for two years straight.
That had never happened before in Spain.
The title is fitting for sure!
It looks like
the album is going well,
so when's the tour going to start?
The tour starts... I've got it
written down, because otherwise,
as I'm sure you can imagine...
People ask me if I believe in destiny.
Why wouldn't I?
My destiny's sorted until December!
The tour starts...
-It starts on the 11th of June in Murcia.
-Ah.
-Thank you!
-That was funny!
-How did I do?
-Fantastically, as always!
Discreet as well as elegant,
simple and youthful!
MÁS TOUR
SPAIN, 1998
The first concert on the Más tour.
I only know that...
GUITARIST
...the curtain went up,
my equipment was there on the floor...
I looked over and saw him
and then we started playing.
I can't remember anything else!
It was like a dream
that starts, then ends
and you're not aware of it
until it's over.
My friend
Maybe one of these days
I'll finally learn
To speak
without going round in circles
All of this matters to me
Because you're my friend
When we did the first concert
it was like, wow!
PERCUSSIONIST
It was like, where am I? What is this?
Being in a stadium...
The audience gives off
this avalanche of energy
that's like being hit by a brick wall!
I'd never before experienced the sound
KEYBOARD
...of girls screaming non-stop at 126dB!
Thank you! Thank you so much!
There were always the same fans
in the front row.
One day they'd have a banner for you,
the next day for Alejandro...
So we had
this kind of visual connection.
There was one fan
who hated my guts.
BACKING VOCALS
She would give me the finger.
It was horrible!
Alejandro started saying
that I was his cousin,
because the girls
would throw things at me. Seriously!
You'd see the girls in the front row...
GUITARIST
...and they'd all be fainting constantly!
The newspapers,
instead of reviewing the concert,
BASS PLAYER
...would say: "Alejandro Sanz's record!
200 and something girls fainted!"
No more reasonable doubts
There's no comparison for me
That final moment robbed me
Of the miracle of having you
all the time
Let's get this over with
A century should be long enough
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well they can wait
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well, they can wait
And no more reasonable doubts
This final moment belongs to us both
And the others, well they can wait
And the others...
When we were on tour with Más,
the exact same final was on:
Real Madrid -Juventus.
Isn't that crazy?
It's incredible we're all together,
20 years on, and the same final is on.
And the big final is underway...
EUROPEAN CUP FINAL
Guitar!
Let's go! Let's go!
I think it'll be...
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, 2017
...4-1.
He's going to miss it...
I reckon so.
-That fucking English what's-his-name!
-I'm so sorry!
I'm happy Madrid lost too!
Josep! In the pool!
Look, look!
Juve got fucked this year!
Arriving at airports was...
PERCUSSIONIST
They had to rush Alejandro through.
But him being him, he wanted
to sign autographs for everyone.
So they'd have to drag him away:
"Come on! Let's go!"
Or we'd never have got out of there!
I haven't done anything, I swear!
I haven't done anything!
Frisk me then!
-Wait.
-Frisk him.
The '98 programme, for example,
didn't look too bad,
but we had gigs in Guatemala,
then New York,
then Washington, Chicago...
"Alejandro-mania" had reached Mexico.
One day, we had a reporter
NATIONAL AUDITORIUM
MEXICO. MARCH 1998
from El País coming
to cover the concert.
He was quite a tough critic
and the guys from the label
were a bit nervous he was coming.
I'd sung the previous night
and it had gone down a storm.
So the night before
this guy was due to come,
I stayed up with Pancho Céspedes
and the musicians in the room
singing and drinking tequila
until the crack of dawn.
We like having fun.
The next day I woke up
and I'd completely lost my voice!
So I went on stage,
went to sing the first line
and I had no voice!
What else could I do
but go back inside
and leave my musicians playing the song?
BASS PLAYER
He locked himself in the dressing room
and wouldn't come out.
Iñigo Zabala was there so I said:
"Iñigo, what am I going to do?"
I went into the dressing room and said:
"Alejandro, we can't cancel.
You can't do that to your fans.
Go out there
and tell them to sing with you.
Tell them you need their help."
So I went back out and said:
"Look, I've obviously lost my voice.
If you want to leave,
you'll get your money back.
But if you stay, you're going to see
the best concert of the whole tour!"
I've been distracted lately
I'm doing everything wrong
I'm a disaster
And I don't know what's going on
The crowd sang the first few songs
and Alejandro sang the ends of the lines.
By the middle of the concert,
he was managing to sing
about half the songs.
And by the end
Alejandro was sounding like Pavarotti!
You're that woman
I feel this man can love
I live each second
As if it were the first time
Knowing that you loved me
Everything you gave me
When we finished the concert,
the musicians lifted me up
on their shoulders like a hero.
And the crowd...
It was really emotional.
The next day, the guy from El País
wrote a rave review.
I've cancelled
very few concerts in my life.
You have to do everything
in your power for the show to go on.
I mean, I was born to be on stage,
it's what I do.
-Thanks, Alejandro! Look what we've got!
-Get well soon, Alejandro!
That's right.
First let me just say, I got married!
Now we can start the press conference!
Alejandro got back from Bali,
a newlywed,
and started getting harassed
by the press and the media.
He came to my house
and I said: "You can stay here
for as long as you want, no problem."
SINGER AND COMPOSER
A year and a half!
He brought his piano over,
got settled in,
and started composing El alma al aire.
A WEEK BEFORE THE CONCERT
I write a lot of my songs
in 12/8 or 6/8 time.
I write them in the bulería
or alegría style
and then I translate them,
so to speak, into pop,
but I leave that time hidden in the songs
so that whoever needs to hear it will.
For example, "Cuando nadie me ve..."
People hear the song like this...
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
Sometimes I lock myself away
behind open doors
But really it's like this...
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
Sometimes I lock myself away
behind open doors
Sometimes I explain this silence to you
Sometimes I'm yours
And sometimes I belong to the wind
I mean, that's the tempo.
That's why in the video
I'm walking with that rhythm.
When nobody sees me
MUSIC VIDEO RECORDING. 2000
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I look like your skin
When nobody sees me
I think about her too
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
I'm not confined to my skin
With Más came recognition,
with El alma al aire
came confirmation.
The winner is... Alejandro Sanz.
I'd like to dedicate this award to my dad,
who's sitting right there.
LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS
2nd EDITION, LOS ANGELES
El alma al aire!
Who said "Me vale madre"?
That's a lot of gold!
My friend, 55,000 tickets sold,
plus the 5,000 who sneak into each gig
and the 5,000 who get in free, that's more
than 60,000 people watching you.
Is this the biggest crowd
you've ever performed for?
Yes, I think so.
It's also symbolic,
because this is a place
where all the best artists have played
and which no Spaniard
has ever filled before.
She slides in and bowls me over
VICENTE CALDERÓN STADIUM
MADRID 2001
And although sometimes I don't care
I know the day I lose her
I will suffer again
Because of her
Who appears and then hides away
Who leaves and then stays
Who is both the question and the answer
Who is my darkness
My star
El alma al aire gave us
the Alejandro who performed in stadiums
with an amazing band, amazing lights,
putting on incredible show.
How do you measure your success?
On awards? On ticket sales?
Not me. My prize is going on stage
and hearing 40,000 or 50,000 people
singing one of my songs.
Six?
5 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
-You know what?
-What are you doing?
We've got a cheating pianist!
-No!
-Hey!
Go on then!
Take your five points!
I thought they were my points!
-The pianist.
-Where is it?
I didn't touch anything!
-He had one and now he has two!
-Short memory!
-A short memory is worthless.
-Sure.
A long-term memory,
that's the one...
-Do you remember the unplugged gig?
-My memory's not that bad!
MTV was the logical result
of everything that was happening.
The Grammys, an international career...
No Spanish artist had ever done
MTV Unplugged before.
I had rehearsal at 8:00 a.m.
I woke up to the news of 9/11.
The Grammys got cancelled
and I couldn't do
the Unplugged concert in Miami either.
So...
We interrupt the MTV scheduled broadcast
to bring you news of the attack on the US.
The title of the song reflects
what people are probably wondering:
"What can I do for others?
How can I help others?"
We've suddenly realised that terrorism
isn't as far removed from us
as we thought.
But there are many other things
we should also take into account,
so I think asking that question
is the best that a person can give.
From the top!
When I'd finished the song
my producer said: "Michael Jackson
wants to talk to you. Call him."
I wanted to tell Michael Jackson,
as a joke:
"Don't go saying we're mates now,
just because we spoke on the phone."
Just a little joke, you know?
But in English...
it's tricky!
You know the day Más came out,
he died?
Are we playing or talking here?
MTV UNPLUGGED TONIGHT
PRESENTS ALEJANDRO SANZ
RECORDING "MTV UNPLUGGED"
GUSMAN CENTER, 2001
Lord of infinite spaces
You that holds peace in your hands
Let it spill out Lord
I'm begging you
And teach my brothers how to love
And teach them how beautiful life is
And how to heal all wounds
And to show pure love to the whole world
And always seek out love, Lord
And hate war
I'd like to be the air
That escapes from your laugh
I'd like to be salt
That stings in your wounds
ALEJANDRO SANZ AND DESTINY’S CHILD
I'd like to be the blood
That your life wraps around
OK, so maybe we deserve it
But our voice isn't for sale
And whatever they think of us
Read my lips, I couldn't care less
El alma al aire marked the beginning
of the "Miami" period
and "No es lo mismo"
is totally the Miami-style Alejandro
and I think that really shines through.
RECORDING "NO ES LO MISMO"
MIAMI, 2003
Stop, stop, stop!
He went to work with Lulo Pérez...
FRIEND AND AUTHOR OF "VIVE"
...and made
his first fully American album.
He stopped working with a lot of people
he'd been with for years.
He stopped working
with Emanuele Ruffinengo,
he stopped working with Capi.
Alejandro reinvented himself.
He took on Latin music, Cuban music...
Miami was a great influence for him
and then he reinvented himself
once again.
-I'm knackered!
-I said: "I can't go on like this.
I've got nothing left to contribute,
I'm out."
I even broke the contracts
we had together.
Now, I'd like to invite on stage...
CHARITY CONCERT
...somebody who has helped me
and has helped all us artists
and the "Alas movement"...
Alejandro Sanz!
Alejandro has always been a pioneer.
The urban phenomenon
might seem like something new,
but "La Tortura" became
the most played Spanish song in history.
It sold more than 12 million singles.
It was number one in the USA.
And it's undoubtedly
a song that was ahead of its time.
It also coincided with the most
charitable moment of his career.
I know I haven't been a saint
ALEJANDRO SANZ AND SHAKIRA
But I can fix that my love
A man can't live on bread alone
And I can't live on excuses
You learn from your mistakes
And I know that my heart is yours
Better keep it for yourself
Give the bone to another dog
And let's say goodbye
I think we're at a time
where everyone is very conformist
and I don't think that's good for anybody.
If at this point in my life,
when professionally
I'm in this privileged situation,
GREENPEACE EXPEDITION
THE ARCTIC
...I don't take risks, then when will I?
I don't understand this hunger.
The hunger of people
who have it all. I don't get it.
The way our society is conceived,
economically and socially,
we're losing more and more democracy.
-What's your name?
-Alejandro.
Companies and large corporations
are now the ones with the power
and that's very dangerous.
3 DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT
Nice to meet you all!
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
CHOIR REHEARSAL "SAFARI CHILDREN"
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
Under the rain and under the sun
The daisy said no
In "La Margarita dijo no",
the kids come out with flags.
-Do we have the flags?
-Yes.
-They have to enter from both sides.
-Yes, in two lines.
-They enter in two lines and spread out.
-That's already choreographed.
-There's no problem with that.
-Sure.
What may seem marvellous to you today
can seem horrible tomorrow.
And the day after
you think it's sublime.
So you always need
somebody you can trust
who'll tell you: "Stop there,
that's enough, leave it like that."
Alejandro's dad, Jesús,
had that someone too.
He was more than a friend.
FRIEND AND MUSICIAN
He was at all his concerts
and on all his tours.
It was like he was
an extension of Alejandro!
I'd say:
"Alejandro, watch out with him.
Careful with this one, that one."
FRIEND AND COMPOSER
Those truths
that people
don't often tell an artist.
My dream is for everyone to be happy,
INTERVIEW BY MONIKA BELLIDO
(COUSIN) OF JESÚS SÁNCHEZ (FATHER)
...for there to be no wars or diseases
and for everybody to be OK.
-What's your favourite dish?
-Stew.
Are you superstitious?
I'm not superstitious, it's bad luck!
With your sideways smile
DEMO
How many I love yous
Did you keep inside?
How many of your boyhood things
Do you still keep in your pockets?
With your eternal cigarette
The bags under your eyes
And your carelessness
The most beautiful of dances
Is your limp when you walk
I imagine you put on weight
To make room for your soul
You are that friend
Who gave me life
I think he felt that
he'd left him too soon...
SINGER AND FRIEND
...and it really affected him.
When he lost his dad,
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
...it was really hard for him.
Especially because he'd just
separated from Jaydy as well,
so it was a really tough time for him.
He called me up and said:
"Why don't you come over to Miami?
For a month or however long you want."
ALEJANDRO'S UNCLE
I said: "OK, I'll come. Something must
be up if you're calling me like this."
And so I went over there.
Paco was there.
He was telling me
that the boy was in a bad way.
I'd been in the house
by myself for six years
and the people I had around me
were trying to stitch me up.
They were blackmailing me
with things from my private life.
They had my divorce settlement,
SANZ'S EMPLOYEES BLACKMAILED HIM
FOR HALF A MILLION DOLLARS
...photos and stuff they'd found
on my computer
that they said
they were going to make public
unless I gave them
half a million dollars.
And I said: "That's not going to happen.
That's not going to happen."
We've seen people try...
THE TREACHEROUS EMPLOYEES
...to take advantage of his good heart
and his good faith
and we've had to go to court.
SANZ'S TESTIFIES FOR 5 HOURS
AGAINST HIS EMPLOYEES
We had to release a statement
in November, 2006,
about a son he had,
whose identity he wanted to protect.
We've been through a lot.
I think it's the darkest stage
Alejandro has been through.
We all have skeletons in our closets.
Why should he be any different?
My favourite album is
El tren de los momentos.
I'd locked myself away. My inner world
had taken over my outer world.
My house was chaos, a complete mess.
I painted the walls, hung photos...
All my drunk muses were there,
strewn around the house.
My inner world is my refuge,
but it can also be my hell.
RECORDING
"EL TREN DE LOS MOMENTOS"
It's where I've fought my battles
and some I win, some I lose.
He recorded it in a room in his house
in Miami where he also...
had a canvas and where he painted
compulsively.
I don't think it was his happiest time.
It's a very sincere album.
It was a kind of scream of desperation.
To the first person
Who helps me get out
Of this hell
I myself chose to live in
ONDAS AWARDS, 2006
I'll give us any afternoon
What I'm saying is that
Right now I have no place to be
Whoever wants gold can have it
But if we talk about yesterday
I have drunk so much
And yet I am still thirsty
At least you knew
At least I didn't tell you
That things weren't as they seemed
But to the first person
Who helps me to feel again
I intend to give them my life
I intend to give them my faith
But if you're not the person
I dreamt of, then what for?
What can I do?
Nothing
What will I do with the dreams?
What will I do with those kisses?
What can I do
With everything we dreamt about?
Tell me
where can we put it?
Where do I keep
that look you once gave me?
Where do I keep the promises?
Where do I keep yesterday?
Baby, where do I keep
the way you touched me?
Where do I keep my faith?
Even though people say it
I don't want to hear it
There's nothing so frightening
as when you feel nothing
Baby, you think it's so easy
Oh, my love!
But the easier you see it
The more difficult it is for me
To the first person who helps me to walk
I intend to give you my time
I'll even give you the sea
I'm not saying it's easy
But baby
Right now I have no place to be
1 DAY BEFORE THE CONCERT
When I started working with Alejandro
he'd just released
El tren de los momentos.
I suddenly saw this van drive up
and stop in front of me.
I got in and sat down
and it was really dark inside.
We couldn't barely see each other!
ALEJANDRO'S WIFE
We said: "Hi", "Hi"...
-"How are you?"
-"Fine."
"You're gorgeous". But he couldn't see me!
I knew he had a good sense of humour
and that he was very charming.
That was the first time
I spoke to Alejandro.
We liked each other straight away.
We got on really well.
Various circumstances came together
at that time in Alejandro's life.
He had to overcome many things
and that's exactly what he did.
Sara likes snails!
Sometimes I feel lost
Restless, alone and confused
So I tie myself to the stars
And circle the whole world
To this wounded heart
REHEARSAL
Music makes sense
We give you wings with this voice
We help your feet to walk
I'm singing for somebody like you
These are chestnuts.
Alejandro's whole family
is like a family to me.
His mum has always
been very sweet to me.
She is so much fun.
She has six brothers
and she's the only girl,
so she had to develop
a strong character.
She never has her ID or any money on her!
His mum was a real family person.
When she came to visit,
we'd spend all our time together.
She never organised anything
outside of the family.
ALEJANDRO'S UNCLE
This is my uncle. He's always
the best informed about everything.
-And my cousin. He's not bad at cards.
-Yeah, right!
You're terrible!
And I'm always there next to you,
trying to...
And you can always tell
what hand he's got!
Yeah 'cos when he's got a bad hand,
he goes like this!
-You move it around the pan.
-Move it round and round.
Turn it over, leave it to brown
and pim pim, that's that!
And that's that!
No! I look awful!
-You look beautiful!
-Don't be silly!
Beauties are always beautiful.
ALEJANDRO'S AUNT
I've spent my life
with my sister-in-law.
She was happy with me and with Manolo,
just as I was with her.
Alejandro said to me: "Aunty,
will you come and live here?
It's what mum would've wanted."
It had been his mum's plan,
so that's what he wanted,
for us to be here all together,
and we've been here five years now.
When you have the life of an artist,
you find yourself within
a small group you can't get out of,
so that group has to be fun
or it has to be full of something,
because you live somewhat
isolated from the rest of the world.
I have a lot of cousins.
We all get together at Christmas,
there's between 60 and 90 people.
That's why I bought this place,
so we could to get together here
like I did with my family as a boy.
We'd kind of got out of the habit,
as we had nowhere to all meet up.
My children will inherit this place,
on one condition:
they can't sell it.
This is for the family.
A place where the whole family can...
You know?
Be together for generations to come
and have a place that is just ours.
And this is it.
-It's beautiful.
-Yeah! The wall's really changed.
Before it was just a wall,
now you have colours and life.
It's been incredible working for you.
You're quite something, mate! I love it!
-I'm happy to hear that.
-Thank you.
Really.
HOME RECORDINGS
Painter
Born in my land
With a foreign brush
Painter who follows in the steps
Of so many painters gone before
Although the Virgin is white
Paint me black angels
I can feel you here with me.
I need your support on the day.
This is for you.
That's what I love about forests,
it's like entering into a promise.
It's like you're experiencing
an emotion.
That's the thing about forests.
Twenty years, we drank from the same cup
DAY OF THE CONCERT
MADRID, 24th JUNE, 2017
Sharing emotions
So many things we still do together
Twenty years
We are lives that touched each other
VICENTE CALDERÓN STADIUM
We don't even think about it anymore
I could caress your words
We walk together
Without resting our lips
And we let time go by
And the sound of uncertainty
When something new is coming our way
But our love is bulletproof
And the battles only make it stronger
I bring to you
The memories that you and I create
Emotions
There's a fire inside me for you
What I learnt
What I dreamt
The twenty times
we've been around this sun
I bring to you
Don't forget what we said to each other
Even if time has erased
A million of my verses
There's nothing that can
Take that taste away from me
Twenty years
Twenty years
Twenty years
Twenty years
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
I bring to you
In the end, success isn't about
trends or the market, none of that.
It's about showing an artist's heart.
When nobody sees me
I can be or be nothing
When nobody sees me
Sometimes I rise up
Do a thousand cartwheels
I lock you away in my eyes
Behind open doors
Sometimes I explain this silence to you
At times I'm yours
I guess this nostalgic celebration
has been quite natural for him.
Like someone inviting
all their friends over for dinner.
It happened spontaneously.
But I think that everyone sees it
as a gift to all of his fans.
Yeah! Algeciras in the house!
Take a guess!
What town am I from?
Take a guess
Take a guess
I'll give you a kiss
Who will give me their emotions?
Who will ask me to never leave them?
Who will tuck me in
tonight if I'm cold?
Who will mend my broken heart?
The first time I played at Calderón,
I told people: "I was sat there once
wondering when it would be
my turn to play in a place like this."
I was dreaming big,
but that's the only way to dream.
One...
There in a dark patio...
-Alejandro, get your guitar.
-Do you know the words, Alejandro?
I want to sing...
Come on then!
You always say the same thing!
-I always dream about a balloon.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Good evening ladies and gentlemen!
Here for your delight,
a genius of the modern song...
Jury Venturi!
Jury Venturi, please, tell us,
how long will you be in Spain for?
Twenty years!
I AM WHAT I WAS
This is an honour
I find it hard to believe I deserve,
as I still see myself as that little boy
sitting next to his dad,
trying to imitate his chords.
My fingers couldn't reach
a lot of the positions,
just as my heart couldn't be filled
with more gratitude for this recognition.
I present this award
for the Latin Recording Academy's
person of the year, 2017,
to my friend, Alejandro Sanz!
Music is untouchable
Music's always there, you'll see.
Long live music!
Tell us what the song is about.
When an artist writes a song,
we call it composing,
and when they mess up,
can we call it decomposing?
For sure!
That's exactly it!
His attitude is that of a musician,
not of a star,
which is what most singers have.
Nice! Really nice!
...and mysteries, six by six
The centuries, the dead
And the restless that cry out
We'll all go, yet it will still remain
Remember it
A song
Music is untouchable
And what the wind blows away
Is the safest thing
Have no doubt
It grabs hold of time
And lasts forever in our hearts
We'll all go, yet it will still remain
Remember it
A song
Music is untouchable
There's no law
A powerful emotion
That not even time can defeat
There's no law
Whatever you love
Will remain in time
It will still be here
When we're gone
It will still be here when you're gone
Music will remain
Music's always there, you'll see
Long live the music
Your Majesty
God save the music
In all its splendour
Music will remain
When there's nobody to love
Music will remain
Like an awakening
Music will remain
Long live music
The music will remain...
Chile! Let me hear you!
Viña!
The Golden Music Award, 2017,
in recognition of his whole career,
goes to the master, Alejandro Sanz!
Music will remain
It's all about the music
Time to wake up
Long live music
Your Majesty
God save the music
In all its splendour
Music will remain
When there's nobody to love
Music will remain
Like an awakening
We'll still have the music
It's our truth
Music is untouchable
It's the main event
To finish, a very well-known tune.
That's it!