Music Room - Fragilidad

A song that always has people asking "What song is this?"


by Eddie

Hey guys, how you doin’? Last month I recommended cheekiness in your dancing. This month I shall recommend melancholia. It’s none other than “Fragilidad”, the salsa version of the famous song "Fragile" by Sting.

Why do I mean melancholia? The lyrics translated into English:

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence
and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are


Listen to one version of Fragilidad here. Look for track 9!


You can tell that when listening to this song and reading the lyrics, it creates a melancholic feeling as to remind us on how fragile we, as human beings, are.

And that is the way, which you should dance to with your partner on the dance floor whenever the DJ plays this song. As dancers, we should learn to interpret what the song is trying to convey with our bodies, especially with our eyes. You can tell that a person is dancing differently and to the music just from his or her eyes. A tip for this kind of music: Some close hold partner work. =)


A little brief introduction on the singer and this song:



The Singer:


Early life

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner was born in Wallsend, England to Ernest Sumner and his wife Audrey Cowell, a hairdresser. Early on, young Sumner's "best friend" was an old Spanish guitar with five rusty strings left behind by an uncle who'd emigrated to Canada. He later found a stash of vintage razzle's in a bush when delivering milk to the rear of an adjoining property. Gordon attended St Cuthbert's High School in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Later, he left the University of Warwick in Coventry, after only one term. During this time, Gordon would often sneak into nightclubs like the Club-A-Go-Go. Here, he would watch musicians such as Jack Bruce and Jimi Hendrix... artists who would later influence Sumner's own music. After jobs as a bus conductor, a construction labourer, and a tax officer, Gordon attended Northern Counties College of Education, (which later became part of Northumbria University) from 1971 to 1974 and qualified as a teacher. He then worked as a schoolteacher at St. Paul's First School in Cramlington for two years. His experiences there would inspire him to write two of the Police's most notable hits: "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Roxanne". Each was loosely based on one of his favourite books: Lolita and Cyrano de Bergerac, respectively.

From an early age, Sumner knew that he wanted to be a musician. His first music gigs were wherever he could get a job. He performed evenings, weekends, and during vacations from college and from teaching. He played with local jazz bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big Band, and Last Exit.


Origin of nickname

Sting has stated that he gained his nickname while with the Phoenix Jazzmen. He once performed wearing a black and yellow sweater with hooped stripes that bandleader Gordon Solomon had noted made him look like a bumblebee; thus Sumner became "Sting". He uses Sting almost exclusively, except on official documents.[citation needed] In a press conference filmed in the movie Bring on the Night, he jokingly stated when referred to by a journalist as Gordon, "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?"


The Police

In January 1977, Sting moved from Newcastle to London, and soon thereafter he joined Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers) to form the New Wave band The Police. Between 1978 and 1983, they released five chart-topping albums and won six Grammy Awards.

Although their initial sound was punk inspired, The Police soon switched to reggae-tinged rock and minimalist pop. Their last album, Synchronicity, which included their most successful song, "Every Breath You Take", was released in 1983.

While never formally breaking up, after Synchronicity, the group agreed to concentrate on solo projects. As the years went by, the band members, particularly Sting, increasingly dismissed the possibility of reforming. In 2007, however, the band reformed and undertook a world tour.



The Song

Sting released “Nothing Like the Sun” in 1987, including the hit songs "We'll Be Together", "Fragile", "Englishman in New York", and "Be Still My Beating Heart", dedicated to his recently-deceased mother. It eventually went Double Platinum. The song “Fragile” was then the English version of Fragilidad.

During 2006, Sting collaborated with Roberto Livi in producing a Spanish language version of his cult classic "Fragile" entitled "Fragilidad" on the album Rhythms Del Mundo by Latino recording legends "The Buena Vista Sound" (previously known as the Buena Vista Social Club).

Sources: Wikipedia
Lyrics Credit: http://www.best-song-lyrics.info/s238327/artist-Sting/song-Fragilidad/







Eddie is currently an instructor with En Motion Dance School with a deep interest in music and dance. Leave a comment (preferred!) or contact him at eddie@dance-en-motion.com




Please note that this article was compiled based on information from various sources. It is only meant for casual reading and while we try to ensure the accuracy of the information, please do let us know if you spot any errors.