"¿Porque te vas?" (;

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "Why are you leaving?") is a song by English-born Spanish singer Jeanette, written by

José Luis Perales José Luis Perales Morillas (born 18 January 1945) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and producer. He has recorded 27 albums and 30 million copies sold worldwide. His compositions have been recorded by singers such as Vikki Carr, Bertín Osb ...

and produced by Rafael Trabucchelli for

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

Hispavox Hispavox S.A. was a major Spain, Spanish record label, record company founded on June 27, 1953, that ran independently until 1985 when it was acquired by EMI. Their studios were located in Madrid, and were known among fans as Sonido Torrelaguna. ...

in 1974.

Background and recording

Jeanette made her solo debut in 1971 with the release of the

Manuel Alejandro Manuel Álvarez-Beigbeder Pérez (born 21 February 1932), better known as Manuel Alejandro, is a Spanish composer of Latin love songs, which are better known as ''ballads''. He has written, composed, and arranged songs for the likes of Luis Migu ...

-penned single " Soy rebelde" on label Hispavox, which marked her return to music and established her as a melodic singer, veering away from the

folk-pop Folk-pop is a broad Music genre#Subtypes, musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop music, pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic music, acoustic-based folk music, folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been ...

of Pic-Nic, her previous group of the 1960s. A commercial success, the

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

topped the charts in Spain and charted in the Top 10 of Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia and Peru; becoming a popular "teen anthem" in the

Spanish-speaking world Hispanophone refers to anything related to the Spanish language. In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is the legacy of the vast and prolonge ...

. Inspired by Jeanette's success,

decided to write a song for her, since he was still at the beginning of his career and "practically nobody well-known had recorded his songs". Perales has stated that he wrote "Porque te vas" in three hours during a rainy afternoon in his cottage, which possessed no water or electricity. That day, he also wrote the song "Escucha"; both tracks were composed with Jeanette's singular voice in mind, with Perales imitating her high-pitched vocals in the demo recording. The song was produced by Rafael Trabuchelli, considered a pioneer of

music production A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

in Spain and "one of the most influential figures in Spanish music between 1965 and 1975." While working for Hispavox, he had developed the "characteristic lush sound" of 1970s Spanish ballads, which " esultedfrom sophisticated

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l arrangements and

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

wizardy." He is now described as the "Spanish

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

", and his production style was known as the "Torrelaguna Sound", named after the Torrelaguna Street in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, where Hispavox Studios was based. Perales had met Trabuchelli through musician friends, and showed him the demo of "Porque te vas", which he received with enthusiasm. Juan Márquez was in charge of the track's

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

and

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

. According to Perales, Jeanette initially refused to record the song, as she wanted to keep working with well-known composers like Manuel Alejandro, and eventually gave in after her surroundings pushed her to do it. The singer has denied such claims, saying that she " ovedit" from the beginning.

Composition

"Porque te vas" is a romantic ballad that incorporates elements of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

, featuring a predominant use of the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

. Critic Julián Molero of

Lafonoteca Lafonoteca is an online music database and guide service website for Spanish popular music. Content As a database, Lafonoteca covers a multitude of styles and genres, from pop, rock and hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) ...

described the track's instrumentation as "full of self-confidence with almost mocking interventions of the brasses and the ''crash'' of the drums releasing unexpected blows". Writing for the Spanish edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', Miguel Ángel Bargueño wrote that the song possessed "an unruly rhythm and distinctly pop sound". In the book ''Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed'', authors Kim Cooper and David Smay described the song as: "delicate breezy pop with one of those super-suave catchy tunes". The organizers of Festival Europa Sur stated in 2014 that with tracks like "Porque te vas", Jeanette "demonstrated that a canción melódica song can be approached from a pop optic". Her

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

have been described as "innocent", "mischievous", "sweet", "sultry" and "angelic". Julián Molero felt that Jeanette's voice, "this time moves a bit away from the usual sweetness to become a childish and playful air." A

love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

, "Porque te vas" deals with "the pain of parting." Its lyrics "speak of a loss, of an abandonment", and have been described as conveying a "sense of longing". Jeanette begins singing: "''Hoy en mi ventana brilla el sol y el corazón se pone triste contemplando la ciudad, porque te vas''" ("Today the sun shines in my window and the heart gets sad contemplating the city, because you're leaving"). The

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

features the lyrics: "''Todas las promesas de mi amor se irán contigo / Me olvidarás / Me olvidarás / Junto a la estación yo lloraré igual que un niño / Porque te vas''" ("All of my love's promises will go with you / You will forget me / You will forget me / Beside the station I will cry like a child / Because you are leaving"). She is often, albeit mistakenly, thought to be singing "''¿Por qué te vas?''" or "''Porqué te vas''" ("Why are you leaving?"). Regarding the confusion, ''

La Voz de Galicia ''La Voz de Galicia'' () is a Spanish daily newspaper owned by the Corporación Voz de Galicia. ''La Voz'' is the newspaper with the highest circulation in Galicia and the eighth-highest circulation of the general-interest daily newspaper in Spa ...

'' stated in 2016, " at causal conjunction does not contain a question, but an assumption. Come on, she, the abandoned, has assumed it, so the small stripe of the

diacritic A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...

would be a step back in history. And no! With all the work that comes from heartbreak."

Release and reception

Hispavox released "Porque te vas" as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

in 1974. It featured

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"Seguiré amando", a ballad written by Jeanette with a "South American air". Upon release, ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , ) is a Spanish daily newspaper founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan. It has its headquarters in Barcelona and is Catalonia's leading newspaper. Despite being mostly distributed in Catalonia, ...

'' gave the single two out of five stars—rating that indicated "applause"—and called it "trivial and well-arranged". In 1976, "Porque te vas" was reissued after the commercial and critical success of the film '' Cría cuervos'', where it was part of its soundtrack. Following the single's reissue in 1976, ''La Vanguardia'' rose its rating to three out of five stars—indicating "ovation".

Cover versions

"Porque te vas" has been covered by many artists across several languages. It remains the "most covered and profitable" song in José Luis Perales' career. In 1977, Finnish singer Merja Rantamäki recorded the song as "Veit sydämen", which was included in her album ''Mä mistä löytäisin sen laulun''. The same year, German singer Sabrina covered the song as "...Und du willst gehn" and released it as a single. Brazilian singer Lilian recorded a Portuguese version of the song under the title "Eu sem você", released in 1978.

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

band

Vesyolye Rebyata Vesyolye Rebyata (, which means "''Merry Lads''") was a Soviet Union, Soviet VIA music, VIA (vocal instrumental ensemble) band formed in 1968, in Moscow. It became one of the most successful and best known VIA bands of all time. Its debut album ...

recorded a version in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

titled "V posledniy raz", which appeared in their 1979 album ''Muzykal'nyy Globus''. Argentine

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Attaque 77 Attaque 77 ("Attack 77"), sometimes stylized as A77aque, is an Argentine punk rock group. The band was formed in 1987 as a group of friends who got together to play their favorite songs, most of them by The Ramones, their favorite band and the o ...

included a cover of "Porque te vas" in their 1992 album ''Ángeles caídos''. The British-born Andorran singer Jack Lucien released an English language version titled "You're Leaving Me" with English language lyrics by

Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model. Her best-known film roles are Vanessa Kensington in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in '' Bedazzled'' (2000).Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Francis Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films ...

. In 1999, German band Masterboy covered the song and released it as a single. In 2013, American singer

Kali Uchis Karly Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Her accolades include a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award, an American Music Awards, American Music Award, two Billboard Music Awar ...

released a version of the song through

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

and recorded a music video. In 2020, French-Italian singer

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...

released an acoustic version of the song on her self-titled album. It is the first song she recorded in Spanish. Spanish /Danish singer Brigitte Escobar released a jazzy version of Por Que Te Vas in 2004 on her debut album 'Brigitte', Red Kite records. In 2022, the French group

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

released a version of the song in French, "Pourquoi tu pars".

Legacy

Since its inclusion in ''Cría cuervos'', "Porque te vas" has attained

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

, and is now considered a

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

, remaining one of the most famous songs of Spanish pop music. In 1979, Madrilenian newspaper '' ABC'' wrote that, "never had a Spanish song, and sung in our language, achieved such popularity levels on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

." Efe Eme's Luis Lapuente described the single in 2016 as "a precious cult object among European

collectors Collector(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Collector (2011 film), ''Collector'' (2011 film), an Indian Malayalam film * Collector (2016 film), ''Collector'' (2016 film), a Russian film * Collectors (film), ''Collectors'' (film), a 2020 So ...

, who compare the former lead singer of Pic-Nic with delicious French lolitas such as Lio or

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; 17 January 1944 – 11 June 2024) was a French singer-songwriter, actress, and author. She was known for singing melancholic, sentimental ballads. Hardy rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a leading figure in F ...

". "Porque te vas", along with other Jeanette songs, has been revalued by the

indie music scene An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented (or, more specifically, indie rock/indie pop-oriented) community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development o ...

—particularly

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

—which considers the singer a "muse" and "godmother". "Porque te vas" is often analyzed in relation to the final years of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

's regime, time in which "Spanish society began to submerge in the cultural wave that dominated Europe." Authors Kim Cooper and David Smay considered the single to be "quite

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

ic", since its "breakout" was around the same time as Franco's death. Likewise, in his book ''Yé-Yé Girls of '60s French Pop'', Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe felt that Jeanette was "a real ray of sunshine in a country under the strict military regime of the dictator Franco." Writing for the South Korean online newspaper '' Voice of the People'', Gwon Jongsul argued that the song's inclusion in ''Cría cuervos'' gave it a new, political meaning—becoming associated with the dictatorship and bringing a "more intense pain" to the lyrics. The Spanish edition of ''

'' ranked it forty third on the magazine's 2006 list of "The 200 Best Songs of Spanish Pop-Rock". In the song's entry, Miguel Ángel Bargueño felt that "Porque te vas" "broke the image of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

balladist that Jeanette carried since her Pic-Nic stage and conveyed an accentuated feeling of loss that caused a greater impact by being interpreted by a helpless-looking twenty-year-old." In 2014, Diariocrítico.com placed "Porque te vas" at number fifty four on its list of the 100 best songs of Spanish pop. Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Andrew Khan described the song as "a masterpiece of downbeat

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

," and praised it for "

roving A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber. Rovings are produced during the process of making spun yarn from wool fleece, raw cotton, or other fibres. Their main use is as fibre prepared for spinning, but they may also be used for specialise ...

once again there's often more depth of emotion in derided MOR pop than other, more fashionable, genres."

has claimed that listening to the song inspired her to pursue a career in music. French film director Jean-Pierre Améris has called it one of his favorite records. In a 1995 interview, the then newly formed French duo

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

described themselves as big admirers of the song, which they came to know during their childhood. Band member Nicolas Godin stated: "We like it so much that we have composed a song in its line. We would love for her to sing it, but in France she is too well known and we are afraid that the collaboration will end up eclipsing us. So we're looking for a singer that resembles her." The song has been adapted as

football chant A football chant or terrace chant is a form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...

s by fans of the Argentine

San Lorenzo de Almagro Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its football team, which plays in the Primera División, the first tier of the Argentine foot ...

, the Chilean

Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...

clubs and the French A.S. Saint-Étienne. In the 2022 film Exterior Night, the song is played at the end of episode one. https://niewmedia.com/en/series/shibasaki/esterno-notte/6/

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the original single release. * Jeanette – primary artist,

*Rafael Trabucchelli – producer *Juan Márquez –

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

, conductor *Elías Dolcet – photography *Juan Dolcet – photography

References

External links

* "" at

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(list of releases) * "" statistics, tagging and previews at Last.fm * "" at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online encyclopedia of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also features comm ...

{{Authority control 1974 singles 1974 songs 1976 singles Spanish pop songs Easy listening songs Songs in Spanish Songs written by José Luis Perales Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in France Songs about heartache