A Story of a Love

Trists happen, even in the Tavern. In springtime, as it is now, especially in the Tavern. The gardens are blooming and young folk gather with no idea of the troubles they are going to get into. Love is in the air. Tristesse may follow.

So it was that I left the towel and the main bar in the capable hands of a level headed barmaid, and headed out to the patio for a pipe. There I caught the sounds of a guitar and sort of Spanish melodies. It was a lady due to sing this evening, some ditties from furrin climes.

Now, I cannot recall the last time I had a Spanishy troupe to play for us. There were some Flamenco dancers a while back. We even had some Tango recently. (Not that I dance of course). But this time we had a Mexican. I had not heard of the lady until quite recently.

Guadalupe Pineda came to be known as one of her native Mexico's grassroots musical icons. Performing music from all over the Spanish-speaking world for audiences large and small, Pineda built a reputation and fan base, concert by concert, over the course of a career that spanned decades. 

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Pineda early on relocated to Mexico City, where she studied sociology and political science before embarking on her career as a vocalist. 

A much better idea than sociology and politics !

She began singing in the local coffee shops and small venues, building her repertoire and reputation while she supported herself selling real estate and teaching guitar lessons. 


Pineda (as she is called) collaborated with a number of local groups, one of them being Sanampay, with whom she recorded three records and got her first chance to tour internationally. In 1980 Pineda recorded an album with Carlos "Caíto" Diaz, launching her career as a solo performer. 

Throughout the early '80s Pineda performed anywhere she was invited, including venues like prisons, mental hospitals offices, and city squares. The less-than-glamorous performance career honed her skills and gained support punctuated by the 1984 release of the song "Yolanda." Her breakthrough hit, also known as "Te Amo," performed as a duet with Pablo Milanés, sold better than a million and a half copies, announcing Pineda as an international star. 

Not that I had heard of her, nor most of my anglophile customers. We can get a tad parochial if we are not careful and do not broaden our minds.

In the years to follow, Pineda would add many successful records to her discography, soon including more than 25 titles, several achieving gold and platinum status. She has appeared before audiences all over Latin America and Europe, performing folk and pop repertoire from all over Latin America.

She seems to be popular with film-makers who 'illustrate' her work, especially the one I was hearing.  

I shall show a few below. I started a count but gave up after a handful and a half.  What I was hearing was her "Historia De Un Amor" - the story of 'lost love'. But as I said before, it has to start somewhere and the Tavern orchards are as good a place as any.

Call me an old romantic but I think that was charming: warm, humourous, mischeivious even. A good start for a young couple. Even the very young girl and boy. 

But the song is actually about lost love ! It brought to my mind a little girl, Mary Moriarty, who was six when I was just five. I was in love for a few days - my first time - and have never forgotten her. 

The song tells of a man's suffering after his love has disappeared. I can understand that, having lost several in m'time.

"Historia de un Amor" (Spanish for "a love story") is a song about a man's old love written by Panamanian songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán. It was written after the death of his brother's wife. It is also part of the soundtrack of a 1956 Mexican film of the same name starring Libertad Lamarque. 

The words? For those many who do not speak Spanish.

You're by my side no more, my love and in my soul all I've left is loneliness and if I can't see you anymore why did God make me love you just to make me suffer more? 

You were always my reason to exist; to worship you was my religion. In your kisses I could find the warmth you gave to me; the love and passion 

This is a love story there's no other that's the same and it made me understand all that is good, all that is bad. It brought light into my life just to extinguish said light later Alas! 

What a dark life without your love I won't survive: You're by my side no more, my love and in my soul all I've left is loneliness: and if I can't see you anymore why did God make me love you just to make me suffer more? 

Tristesse indeed !

The song was first recorded as a tango by Héctor Varela and his orchestra along with singer Rodolfo Lesica.

This isn't it, but similar....

This song has been sung or played by many artists: Dalida, Irvys Juarez, Mietta, Guadalupe Pineda, Eydie Gormé & Trio Los Panchos, Los Paraguayos, Julio Jaramillo, Nicola Di Bari, Abbe Lane, Julio Iglesias, Angélica María, Nana Mouskouri, George Dalaras, Hrysoula Stefanaki, Perez Prado, Pilita Corrales, Laura Fygi, Iva Zanicchi, Mietta, Dizzy Reece, Pedro Infante, Ana Gabriel, Luis Miguel, Luz Casal, Yasar, Cesaria Evora, Lili Boniche, Los Tres Ases, Dany Brillant, Eartha Kitt, Krystyna Janda, Stanisława Celińska, Sargis Maghakyan Sr., Zaz (singer), Il Volo, Felipe Pirela, Miri Mesika, Diego El Cigala, Margarita Suvorova and Il Divo among others.

Yes, I know. I haven't heard of any of them either. Well, OK, Four I have heard of. Which just goes to show !

The song was featured several times in the Colombian telenovela "La Hija del Mariachi", performed by Carolina Ramirez. In the film "Visage" by Tsai Ming-liang, Lebanese singer Mohammed Jamal recorded the song in the 1980s in Arabic under the title "You and Dancing And me". A Turkish cover called "Bütün Dualarım Seninle" ("All My Prayers with You") was performed by Berkant in 1972.

It has also been covered in Chinese, with the lyrics written by Chen Die-Yi 陳蝶衣 (Oct 17, 1907 in Wujin, Jiangsu to Oct 14, 2007 in Hong Kong). The song title in Chinese is 我的心裡没有他 (literally: Inside my heart, there is no him/her).


Il Divo, along with Colombian producer Julio Reyes Copello, recorded the song for the album Amor & Pasión from Il Divo (2015).

So there ! Now you know.

I shall leave you with several other video-film 'illustrations', perhaps the most disturbing 'lost love' being that between Mr and Mrs Smith, the assassins tasked with whacking each other.

And this one. The Nun's story. Torn between the irresistible lure of romance and the life she once knew, the song is used to tell the story of a nun as she navigates love, loss, betrayal, adventure, and ultimately, faith! 

Hey, even the Good have trials, trists and tristesse.

I hazard that Guadalupe's song and arrangement has earned her a very comfortable life. Now't to be sad about really.

Have a drink.

Pax