De Música Ligera

The title and spirit of the song was taken from some albums Gustavo Cerati's parents had, which were named "Light Classics of all Times"

"The idea was to create instrumentation like that, very classical, of a band, and at the same time that had a light spirit.",[1] Gustavo said.

Like the lyrics, the music is deceptive: simple and complex simultaneously. The whole song is built from the riff and supported by the sequence carried out by the guitar. Four chords (Bm, G, D, A), emphasize the progression from G to D, where the power of the song is concentrated. The complexity of the harmony stems from the fact that the drop from D to G occurs in the middle of each verse and not the beginning or end as the effect could suggest at first glance. And it is exactly this lack of coordination between the singing and harmony which gives rise to the irresistible attraction that has become one of the most successful songs in the history of Latin rock.

Cerati has said that "De Música Ligera is one of the most instant hits that I did with Soda Stereo."[1]

Charly remembered that:

We recorded it in a single try, in a studio in Miami. This is unusual, because usually it takes like fifteen times to record. After, we recorded two additional versions, to try out different things, but they didn't stick. The version that is heard on the album is the first take we did.[1]

The lyrics of "De música ligera" are surprisingly short, just seven lines. Their meaning is cryptic and intentionally ambiguous: a love of easy-listening, which Cerati recalls as something finished ("nada más queda" (nothing else remains)), but also as a permanent presence ("nada nos libra" (nothing frees us)).

In the first two verses, Cerati sings "ella durmió al calor de las masas, y yo desperté queriendo soñarla" (she slept to the heat of the masses, and I woke up wanting to dream about her). The expression is both beautiful and complex: it expresses a clash of states that are worlds apart (sleep and wakefulness), but also the desire to dream of that which has awakened him, to be reunited with her in his own dream. It also expresses her unconsciousness, lulled by the effect of the masses, faced with his lucidity, he cannot help waking up and seeing things as they really are.

Then he sings "algún tiempo atrás pensé en escribirle" (some time ago I thought about writing to her) but mysteriously informs us that he could not overcome "las trampas del amor" (the traps of love). The lyrics then conclude telling everyone that he will not send "cenizas de rosas" (ashes of roses), and "ni pienso evitar un roce secreto" (nor he will avoid a secret touch), confirming the duality that awakens "aquel amor de música ligera" (that easy-listening-music love).

Regarding the theme and the lyrics, Gustavo Cerati once said:[2]

The first thing I always write is the chorus, which here was: "de aquel amor de música ligera" (that love of easy-listening). After talking about the music itself: "She slept in the heat of the masses and I woke up wanting to dream of her." That's it, it's the music talking! Between us, we felt and knew that this song was going to explode. Sometimes you feel that. And by the way it came out so instantly, it was as if ten thousand groups had played it before. Perhaps it was not like that... ten thousand groups played it after!

The names are in reference to the most used sequence of notes in all rock & pop, inherited from '20s jazz. This sequence is utilized to teach bass, and has been widely played by hundreds of bands, in different octaves and variations.