Sara Polo Madrid
Madrid
Updated Monday, March 11, 2024-9:29 p.m.
Rafael looks fearfully at the barred door at the end of the garden.
On the other side of the border, a group of ladies gathers together, mobile phones at the ready, smiling from ear to ear, free hand ready to greet at the first glance.
"Are we going to go out there, with all those people waiting?" the man asks with a small, almost childish voice.
"In Dos Hermanas no one stops us on the street, but here they don't even let us walk
. "
It's no wonder, but we will see that, indeed, it is quite uncomfortable.
Yes, we will leave the luxurious Alfonso XIII hotel through that door and we will take a walk through the center of Seville - on foot, first;
later, by horse-drawn carriage as the tourist canons dictate - and no, they will not be the last ladies milling about in search of a selfie.
This has only started.
Rafael Ruiz Perdigones
is half of
Los del Río
, the duo that made the entire planet dance
La Macarena
in the mid-90s, that shattered all musical records and that left images for History that, at least in Spain, are today synonymous with festival, revelry, wedding, baptism and communion.
Those from Rio inevitably refer to the party and that, they say, is their greatest wealth
.
"We have the Big Apple of New York, the keys to the county of Florida, in Miami there is a procession of Esperanza Macarena during Holy Week thanks to our music," lists the achievements of the other half of the group,
Antonio Romero Monge
.
Los del Río could be one of those great stories about the American dream, but this one would go further than any other.
They were everything everywhere and everyone wanted to be seen with them.
Even Hillary Clinton returned a few weeks ago to surrender to her choreography almost three decades after her husband's re-election that many linked to the Latino vote attracted by hip thrusts and Sevillian rumba.
Aaaaay!
In their various trips around the world, very few countries have resisted them.
They didn't go to India because Antonio's first-born daughter was getting married.
"Imagine that something happens to us or there is a problem and I leave Rosa hanging, what a mess!" recalls the father.
Los del Río, next to the bullring in Seville. José Aymá
His 60 years in music and the 30 years of his
worldwide
hit star in
the documentary
Macarena
that will be released by Movistar Plus+ on March 18
.
Parade before their cameras are all those who, even remotely, were involved in the bizarre ascent to the top of
La Macarena
, plagued by
cross accusations and with a lot of money at stake
.
To summarize the issue: Los del Río released their happy rumbita in 1993 and, two years and much insistence later, turned it into the song of the summer in Spain.
The record company saw the potential and
commissioned a more disco version with a female voice singing in English, which fell into the hands of Fangoria
.
It was this last song that crossed the pond and ended up in the hands of a nascent group in Miami,
the Bayside Boys
, who set out to make their own 'remix' without asking anyone's permission and conquered American radio stations.
Along the way, the band Desmadre 75, which 20 years ago had triumphed with 'Saca el güisqui, cheli', came to the fore arguing that the final rhythm "Macarena, Macarena, Macarena" was too reminiscent of the chorus "Micaela, Micaela, Micaela " from his song 'I have a sadness that consumes me'.
To know more
Trips.
Los del Río: "With the copyright of the Macarena you can go around the world many times"
Editor: MARTA GONZÁLEZ-HONTORIA
Los del Río: "With the copyright of the Macarena you can go around the world many times"
LOC.
Los del Río: 60 million euros for La Macarena, an illegitimate son recognized and admired by Juan Carlos I
Editor: LUIS FERNANDO ROMO
Los del Río: 60 million euros for La Macarena, an illegitimate son recognized and admired by Juan Carlos I
In that chain of bickering, several
copyright
agreements were reached , there was some
ghosting
and an arduous battle was fought in the courts that ended in a draw.
All this without mentioning the dance, which according to urban legend arose spontaneously from the mind of a random aquaerobics instructor in the pool of a random holiday resort, but for which successive choreographers have also claimed theirs over the years. .
"We are the only parents of
La Macarena
. In particular, I am his father and mother. The others are beneficiaries," Antonio settles the issue from the cloister of the hotel through which he moves like Pedro through his house and greets each employee by name with a hug and a little chat.
"You have the keys, you can do whatever you want," confirms the director of the establishment, who also comes down to greet and guides the photographer to a spectacular fireplace that will serve as the background for one of the photo sessions that will take place throughout the event. the morning.
"
In this room we met King Juan Carlos
. We were playing at a private party and he showed up. Since then, we have been such friends," Antonio continues visiting her, opening doors, turning corners, until he lands on a sofa.
Los del Río, next to the Sevillian Gold Tower. José Aymá
The man returns to flour, his headline is clear.
"One day we were returning by plane from the United States and a guy told us that he was going on vacation to Europe with the whole family thanks to what he had won with
La Macarena
. It gives me great satisfaction to have filled the entire world with joy , have even benefited unknown people, but let it be known that
La Macarena
's father and mother
are called Antonio Romero Monge."
That's where it is.
"How was I to know when I told that Venezuelan dancer that it was going to become 'the anthem of the planet'?"
There was no
eureka moment
, a day when Los del Río said to themselves: "What we have messed up."
Everything progressed in stages and suddenly, they were singing at the Super Bowl, or at the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games, or before John Paul II, skipping all the protocols to the delight of his Holiness.
"A success like that didn't exist. I already had a lot of songs made. How was I going to know when I said to that Venezuelan dancer 'give your body joy Magdalena' that it was going to become the anthem of the planet, "What have the media come to say?" says Antonio.
That Magdalena, the name coincided with another song of the time, one of her daughters was called Macarena and the rest is history.
"The song of the summer lasts three or four months, look at
Despacito
, but this was something else
," adds Rafael.
The allusion is not trivial.
Luis Fonsi's song has been the only song that has managed to surpass
La Macarena
's stay at the top of the
Billboard Hot 100
list : the Los del Río song (in its Miami version, an evolution of its
Fangorian
version ) spent 14 weeks at number one in 1996;
Fonsi's with Daddy Yankee (in the Anglo-Saxon version of him with Justin Bieber) reigned for two more weeks 21 years later.
"We met this guy at the Latin Grammys and he was very humble. He told us:
'Let's see if in 25 years I'm only looking out on the balcony of
La Macarena
, '
" says Rafael.
And Antonio puts the finishing touch: "Realize that in the 90s there was a telephone, but little else. No networks, nothing. Everything was mashing, mashing, mashing... He already found himself with the garden planted."
Not only technology (or the lack of it) contributed to the enormous effort that took two Dos Hermanas party entertainers to the olympus of world music.
The thing is that
Antonio and Rafael started from very, very low
.
"Look, there at the end of that street was El Guajiro, all the greats passed by there: Antonio El Farruco, Rafael El Negro, Manolo Escobar, Chiquetete, Enrique Montoya Sr.... We started in 1963 and they paid us 300 pesetas. 20 "The hard ones went to the taxi driver and the rest to distribute. How everything has changed..." Antonio points out from a horse-drawn carriage that seemed like the best idea for the Sevillian tour, perhaps with the idea of asking the coachman Pedro to drive. to Boticario in case the fans get too insistent.
"We started in 1963 and they paid us 300 pesetas. 20 pesetas went to the taxi driver and the rest to be distributed"
Andrea asks for a photo for her friend with a noticeable Galician accent.
"It's just that she's ashamed..."
In exchange, and while they pose, Los del Río compose a little song with her name that they crown, of course, with a good
aaaaaaaaay!
.
Another woman approaches and, perhaps as a result of her nerves, she forgets to say her name but she repeats several times that she is from Alicante.
"
Ah, the greatest mountain land
," they blurt out.
They have a solution for everything and a contagious smile.
"You always have to respect the fans as an admirer, but nothing more. Because wherever you have the pot... don't show up with Doña Troya," Antonio winks.
Resisting temptations, of the flesh and of all kinds, has been the pillar on which they have founded a professional union that is celebrating 60 years.
"We have been through everything and we have tried everything, to see what it was like. Everything is a farce and a ruin for the families
," says Rafael, and the two send a memory "to the friends who left because of drugs." .
The lives of this duo of friends have run parallel.
Antonio married in March 73;
Rafael, in September.
"One day he told me, angry: 'Of course, since you go to bed warm every night...'. And a few months later he had passed through the altar," Antonio recalls.
"
At one point we had three girls each. I had a boy and he ran to have another
," adds his partner.
"Now I have five grandchildren and he has three, he's here to see if he can match me," the first returns.
More seriously, they explain the formula for longevity for such an intense professional and personal relationship: "You start working from nothing and you achieve things. No matter how many fights, no matter how many arguments you have, damn it, you're not going to throw yourself away." It takes all the work it takes to get people to listen to you and beat the world, right?"
They shared a pension and hunger in Madrid with all the great promises of flamenco who migrated at the end of the 60s in search of a better life.
When one succeeded they said to themselves that their opportunity would come.
"The first 15 years were very hard, if instead of a duo we had been one we would not exist. We encouraged each other," Rafael acknowledges.
And one day, they were the favorite entertainers of the 'jet set': in winter, in Madrid;
in summer, in Marbella.
"The first 15 years were very hard, if instead of a duo we had been one we would not exist"
There were two keys to its success.
The first, knowing how to be there: "Sometimes other artists would come and then a silver ashtray would be missing, and of course, they would not be called back. If you knew how many bedrooms of great personalities we have changed into... You don't have to mess around. hands on the tray of canapés no matter how hungry you are, and we have been very hungry, and you don't have to sit down until they show you your seat," explains Rafael.
That, and never telling anything about what they saw, we added after several fruitless attempts between mischievous smiles.
The second, say no.
"We knew how to choose our clientele and decide where we should not return. Those of the River went with the Kings and that was what the people wanted
," says Antonio, and looks towards the room where it all began, there in the Alfonso XIII from Seville an eternity ago.
His last meeting with Don Juan Carlos was in January, when they traveled to Abu Dhabi to sing
Happy Birthday
to him .
They have seen him very well: "There are times when we can't even talk because he can't stop laughing. He loves our jokes."
The sense of humor was the main weapon of Los del Río when their voice and hands were not enough for them at the umpteenth party of the month.
And be careful, here comes an exclusive: not everything in Eugenio's performances was genuinely his
.
"He ate with us every day at Casa Lucio, and I have Lucio himself as a witness that he came to learn jokes and then disguise them in his own way. We taught him about 30 each time," Antonio reveals, and claims authorship: "The one with the parrot and the butane, which served as closure so many times, I actually told him about it."
In that Madrid euphoria on the eve of La Movida, Los del Río brought flamenco to the nightclubs, they lifted the audience from their seats with their sevillanas and that collective ecstasy of their performances ended up conquering the world to this day in this celebration of
La Macarena
.
What do two of the inventors of modern music of the 90s think of modern music of the 2020s?
They respond very diplomatically but suggest that nothing good: "Music has no end, it evolves. It's like architecture, look at this palace we are in. The quality we are seeing here is not found in a smooth wall of the kind that is built." now," says Antonio, and remembers Manuel Alejandro:
"No, there is no worthy heir. Things are very stagnant
. "
At 76 years old, Antonio and Rafael have their sights set on the future, as always.
They continue walking through Seville, delighted to live "in the best place in the world", not like those who go to Miami, with those enormous distances and that humidity.
They don't even consider retiring.
"
Retire? People retire and die after six months of pure boredom
. We wake up every day thinking that we have to continue giving joy to the bodies of others. Like
La Macarena
did ."