Elvis Costello’s inspiration to reimagine one of his classic albums, “This Year’s Model”, to “Spanish Model”, an entire album in Spanish

(CNN Spanish) – Elvis Costello does not speak Spanish, but that did not stop him from proposing to one of his producers, Argentine Sebastián Krys, to adapt one of his most iconic albums, “This Year’s Model”, into the language of Cervantes.

A proposal that first inspired silence in Sebastián Krys, due to the risky nature of the matter. But Costello being a born innovator, he turned from surprise to emotion, which resulted in “Spanish Model”, a collaborative album, in which 19 Hispanic artists perform Spanish adaptations of classics such as “Pump It Up”, “This Year’s Girl “,” Lip Service “or” Night Rally “.

“At the beginning I was a bit surprised. I thought about it and three things came to my mind. The first is that he always, as an artist – if you follow his career – he has done the unexpected. And it was not necessarily what people wanted , or what people thought he should do, which for me is a sign of a true artist, “Sebastián Krys told Zona Pop CNN.

“The second is that the idea was his and the third is that this is an opportunity to bring his ideas and his music to a new audience that may not have discovered it yet,” added Krys.

From a song for HBO to a record

Elvis Costello relates that the irreverent plan to bring his successes to Spanish came to him in 2018, when he was asked to adapt the song “This Year’s Girl” for the second season of the series HBO’s “The Deuce”.

“We were asked to revisit a remix of one of the songs from This Year’s Model. And during the remix, Sebastián (Krys) found that the recordings, the performances of The Attractions, they sounded so good … incredibly vivid. They asked us to add a female voice into the mix. I was thinking, hearing another singer on a song that I have known for 40 years … led me to take this step, albeit strange, risky. What happens if I do this with each theme? And guess what … in Spanish! Because I knew Sebastian knew who could be risky enough to join the challenge, “Elvis Costello said in an interview via Zoom with Zona Pop CNN.

By coincidence, the first song they recorded on the album was precisely that, “This Year’s Girl”, but they adapted it to Spanish as “La chica de hoy”. For this they recruited the Chilean singer-songwriter Cami Gallardo.

“This was the first track that we record. It was Cami (Gallardo) in This Year’s Girl, and it was a revelation because suddenly everything worked, “said Krys.

“Cami’s interpretation of This Year’s Girl it was heartwarming because when I wrote this song, many men listened to it with disdain for women. But what I was saying, if you read the English lyrics very well, you see a photo in a thousand places because she is the girl of the moment. He never says that the woman is not responsible. It’s all a game of young (men), of their desire, of how a woman is sometimes asked to be the center of attention to be attractive, “said Costello.

“There is a whole dynamic in this song with Cami, and when you see the documentary about this album, you will see Cami reading the lyrics to the song … Her reaction was so refreshing because it was like, ‘well, you know what we’ve been through all this time,’ “Costello said.

In addition to Cami Gallardo, artists such as Juanes, who plays “Pump It Up”, Fito Páez, who sings “Radio, Radio,” or Sebastián Yatra, who plays “Llorar” (Big Tears), also participate in the production.

“It’s lovely to think that someone who hasn’t heard my name in the past can listen to these songs because they like Juanes or Yatra or Draco (Rosa),” Costello said.

What was it like adapting Elvis Costello’s songs to Spanish?

The classic themes of “This Year’s Model” were adapted into Spanish by composers such as Luis Miter, Elsten Torres, Ximena Muñoz, Andie Sandoval and Vega, as well as the interpreters themselves.

According to Sebastián Krys, for this album they wanted to work with artists who knew the music of Elvis Costello so that in that way they could understand the size of the commitment.

“I think it is important to say that there is a difference between adaptation and translation. Especially in this type of music, where there is a lot of tempo and rhythm. The voice becomes another percussion instrument. You must have respect for the cadence and the amount of syllables on each line to make it sound good, especially if you already know the songs. Pump It Up, And if you add syllables or subtract syllables, it’s not going to sound the same, “Krys explained.

“Sebastián (Krys) was very kind to translate literally (the adaptations) when they were very different from the original. Obviously, there are several words in common between English and Spanish that I can see them written and know what they are saying. For example, when you listen Fire and I heard the word paparazzo, I said, ‘ok, you’re talking about the same as in Chelsea‘. Something that took me by surprise was (listening to) Fito (Páez) say my name in Radio, Radio, also (when he said) whiskey. I know whiskey was not in the original lyrics, so I know I was telling a different story. When I asked Sebastian what Fito was saying and he sent it to me, (I think) he just made it better, “Costello said.

Spanish, a family legacy

Although Costello already explained that he does not speak Spanish and that despite that he thought about adapting his songs to this language, there is a family factor that makes him think, how would his father have liked to listen to this album?

Some of Costello’s fondest memories include his father singing songs in Spanish, including “When he warms the sun” by Luis Miguel.

“My father spoke Spanish and was a singer. One of my best memories is being eight years old and being in a dance hall on a Saturday afternoon when they had a matinee. I waited for my father to sing. And very often, the only one. song he sang was in another language, because he could do that. When the sun heats, a very famous song that had an international profile, I could sing the first line with him, but I wouldn’t risk singing the rest, I never inherited his gift for languages ​​”, says Costello.

“A Spanish friend of mine once asked my father, ‘Where did you learn Spanish?’ And he said, “in bed.” That was true, he fell in love with a Spanish woman. And that was his reason for learning to speak, to be able to communicate love to someone. I get a little excited when I tell it, but it’s perfectly true. He would be delighted with this record, “Costello said.

For Sebastián Krys, the project in Spanish tries to build cultural bridges.

“For me, I believe in anything that builds bridges, musically in this case, across time and culture. We have 19 artists, so many countries represented on this record, and so many generations of musicians who were really generous and want to be part of this. And for Elvis (Costello), who is one of the most important modern composers, to allow us to adapt his music to another language and to do it this way, letting us open these tracks for this classic album, it’s just, it’s a testament to both him and of the artists that make it up. It’s a unique and totally original project that has never been done. And, surprisingly, it works. It could have been a disaster, “Sebatián Krys told Zona Pop CNN.

“Spanish Model”, the complete list of songs

1. No Action – Nina Diaz
2. (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea ((I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea) – Raquel Sofía y Fuego
3. Yo Te Vi (The Beat) – Draco Rosa
4. Pump It Up – Juanes
5. Triggers (Little Triggers) – La Marisoul
6. Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me) – Luis Fonsi
7. Hand In Hand – Francisca Valenzuela and Luis Humberto Navejas
8. La Chica de Hoy (This Year’s Girl) – Cami
9. Lie (Lip Service) – Pablo López
10. Living In Paradise – Jesse & Joy
11. Lipstick Vogue – Morat
12. La Peat (Night Rally) – Jorge Drexler
13. Cry (Big Tears) – Sebastián Yatra
14. Radio Radio – Fito Páez
15. Crawling To The USA – Gian Marco and Nicole Zignago
16. Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia (Running Out Of Angels) – Vega