Contenidos
A quién le importa — Alaska y Dinarama (1986)
A 1986 song that has been sung at every Pride for decades. Underneath, a chain of chords that steps down like a staircase and a drumbeat that never stops dancing.
🏷️ Ficha musical
Why it's in this book
"A quién le importa" is March's anchor song, the one you record at the end of the second term. It's here because it is an anthem: a chorus the whole school sings, in Spanish, that fits voices in the middle of breaking. It teaches a new loop, i–iv–VII–III: A minor, D minor, G and C in the class version. An honest warning: on the record that loop is only the start of a longer chain, which carries on with F, B7 and E7. At first you play the first four; whoever wants to can complete the chain. In the room with no instruments, the disco kick drum goes in your feet, on every beat, and the chorus in two voices, in thirds. In the ukulele room, the chords. In the music room, four-on-the-floor drums and keyboard playing synth chords.
Why this song
If you have ever seen a Pride parade on TV, you have heard this song. In 2017, when Madrid hosted WorldPride, it was the official anthem. But it is forty years old now, and it still turns up at all kinds of parties.
The question on this page is: what does a chorus need for everybody to sing it, whether they can sing or not? Here there are three clues: it is short, it repeats a question, and it sits on a beat you can't help dancing to.
Historical context
Alaska's real name is Olvido Gara. She was born in Mexico City in 1963 and came to Madrid as a child. In the late seventies and the eighties she was one of the faces of the movida madrileña, an explosion of bands, fanzines and fashion in a Madrid that was just discovering democracy.
With Carlos Berlanga and Nacho Canut she formed Alaska y Dinarama. In 1986 they released their third album, No es pecado, and this song came out as a single on 20 March. Berlanga wrote the music on holiday in Mykonos, a Greek island, and the two of them finished the lyrics together. It went to number 1 in Spain.
Foto: Roberto Gordo Saez, CC BY 3.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
Alaska at Madrid Pride in 2008, more than twenty years after the song. The lyrics don't name any group, but the LGBT community took it up as an anthem.
The lyrics are about someone who gets pointed at for the way they live, and who answers with a question: who cares? That's why so many people have recognised themselves in it. There are versions by Thalía, Raphael, Rozalén and Bebe, and in 2010 Alaska and Nacho Canut recorded it again with their current band, Fangoria.
Musical characteristics
A kick drum on every beat. Put the song on and watch your foot: it moves by itself. The kick drum hits on every beat, one-two-three-four, without skipping any. That disco pattern is called four-on-the-floor. At 131 beats per minute, it is almost impossible to keep still.
Synthesisers. There are no guitars up front. The chords are played on electronic keyboards, synthesisers, with that eighties shine. The style is called synth-pop, and the fast, danceable version of those years, Hi-NRG.
A staircase of chords. The intro and the verse step down a chain: E minor, A minor, D, G, C, F sharp seven, B seven. Each chord is five notes below the one before. When chords move like this, it is called the circle of fifths. Your ear follows it like someone going downstairs: it knows where the next step is.
Coming home. The chain ends on B seven, and that chord pulls you towards E minor, home. A chord that pushes towards the tonic like this is the dominant. When E minor finally arrives, the loop starts again.
A question for a chorus. The chorus is short and repeats the title, "a quién le importa", "who cares". Because it is a question, it begs someone to shout it with you. That is how an anthem works.
In class. The record is in E minor. In class we move it up to A minor: A minor, D minor, G, C, and if you want the whole chain, F, B7 and E7.
Hard facts: E minor, 4/4, 131 beats per minute, 3:24. The form: intro with the circle of fifths, verses and chorus.
Guided listening
Play the music video. In the intro, before the voice, count the chords as they step down. How many do you hear before it goes back to the start?
With the first verse, tap the beat with your foot. Now listen to the kick drum: it lands on every tap. That is four-on-the-floor.
At the end of the verse, wait for the chord that "pulls" towards home. It is B seven. Notice how much you want the beginning to come back.
When the chorus comes, sing only the title. Check that it is a question, and that the melody on those words barely moves.
In the last chorus, listen to the backing vocals. Do they sing the same as Alaska, or something different on top?
Trivia and curiosities
- A children's TV set. The video was filmed on a set from La bola de cristal, the TVE children's programme Alaska herself presented. There is a disco ball and even a slide.
- Written on a Greek island. Carlos Berlanga wrote the music on holiday in Mykonos.
- Inspired by another anthem. One of its influences is Gloria Gaynor's "I Am What I Am", another song about being who you are without asking permission.
- From E minor to G minor. Thalía recorded it in 2002 in G minor, three semitones higher. Play them back to back: same song, another pitch and another voice.
Classroom activities
- Four on the floor. In the room with no instruments: feet on every beat, claps on 2 and 4. When it works, sing the chorus on top without stopping your feet.
- The staircase. Ukulele: A minor, D minor, G, C, four beats each. When that works, add F, B7 and E7 to close the chain.
- The chord that pulls. Play the chain and stop dead on E7. Don't go back to A minor. Talk about how it feels: is it finished?
- Thirds. The chorus in two voices: half the class sings the melody and the other half, three notes above.
- Band and recording. In the music room: four-on-the-floor drums, keyboard on long synth chords, bass on the note that names each chord, everyone else on ukulele. This is the song you record in March.
Key vocabulary
- Four-on-the-floor — el bombo en cada pulso
- Synthesiser — sintetizador
- Circle of fifths — círculo de quintas
- Dominant — dominante: the chord that pulls towards the tonic
Resources
Official music video — Filmed on the set of La bola de cristal, in 1986.
Ukulele tutorial — Frikelele García, in Spanish.
Guitar tutorial — Escuela de Guitarristas, in Spanish.
Piano tutorial — Different Learning.
Thalía's version (2002), to compare — The same song in G minor, three semitones higher.
Fangoria's version (2010), to compare — Alaska and Nacho Canut re-recorded it twenty-four years later.
Por qué está en este libro
«A quién le importa» es la canción ancla de marzo, la que grabáis al final del segundo trimestre. Está aquí porque es un himno: un estribillo que canta todo el instituto, en castellano, y que cabe en voces en plena muda. Enseña una vuelta nueva, i–iv–VII–III: la menor, re menor, sol y do en la versión de clase. Un aviso honesto: en el disco esa vuelta es solo el principio de una cadena más larga, que sigue con fa, si siete y mi siete. Al principio tocáis los cuatro primeros; quien quiera, completa la cadena. En el aula sin nada, el bombo de discoteca va con los pies, en cada pulso, y el estribillo a dos voces, en terceras. En el aula de ukeleles, los acordes. En el aula de música, batería four-on-the-floor y teclado con acordes de sintetizador.
Por dónde entrar
Si has visto alguna vez el desfile del Orgullo en la tele, has oído esta canción. En 2017, cuando Madrid organizó el WorldPride, fue el himno oficial. Pero tiene ya cuarenta años, y sigue sonando en fiestas de todo tipo.
La pregunta de esta página es: ¿qué tiene un estribillo para que lo cante todo el mundo, sepa o no cantar? Aquí hay tres pistas: es corto, repite una pregunta y va encima de un ritmo que no se puede no bailar.
Contexto histórico
Alaska se llama Olvido Gara. Nació en Ciudad de México en 1963 y llegó a Madrid de niña. A finales de los setenta y en los ochenta fue una de las caras de la movida madrileña, una explosión de grupos, fanzines y moda en el Madrid que estrenaba la democracia.
Con Carlos Berlanga y Nacho Canut formó Alaska y Dinarama. En 1986 publicaron su tercer disco, No es pecado, y esta canción salió como sencillo el 20 de marzo. La música la compuso Berlanga en unas vacaciones en Míkonos, una isla griega, y la letra la terminaron entre los dos. Llegó al número 1 en España.
Foto: Roberto Gordo Saez, CC BY 3.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
Alaska en el Orgullo de Madrid de 2008, más de veinte años después de la canción. La letra no nombra a ningún colectivo, pero el colectivo LGTB la adoptó como himno.
La letra habla de alguien a quien señalan por cómo vive y que contesta con una pregunta: a quién le importa. Por eso tanta gente se ha reconocido en ella. Tiene versiones de Thalía, Raphael, Rozalén o Bebe, y en 2010 Alaska y Nacho Canut la volvieron a grabar con su grupo de ahora, Fangoria.
Cómo suena
Un bombo en cada pulso. Pon la canción y mira tu pie: va solo. El bombo de la batería da un golpe en cada pulso, uno-dos-tres-cuatro, sin saltarse ninguno. Ese patrón de discoteca se llama four-on-the-floor, «cuatro en el suelo». A 131 pulsos por minuto, es casi imposible quedarse quieto.
Sintetizadores. No hay guitarras al frente. Los acordes los tocan teclados electrónicos, los sintetizadores, con ese brillo de los ochenta. El estilo se llama synth-pop, y la versión rápida y bailable de esos años, Hi-NRG.
Una escalera de acordes. La introducción y la estrofa van bajando por una cadena: mi menor, la menor, re, sol, do, fa sostenido siete, si siete. Cada acorde está cinco notas por debajo del anterior. Cuando los acordes avanzan así, se llama círculo de quintas. El oído lo sigue como quien baja una escalera: sabe dónde está el siguiente escalón.
Volver a casa. La cadena termina en si siete, y ese acorde tira de ti hacia mi menor, la casa. Un acorde que empuja así hacia la tónica es la dominante. Cuando por fin llega el mi menor, la vuelta empieza otra vez.
Un estribillo-pregunta. El estribillo es corto y repite el título, «a quién le importa». Al ser una pregunta, pide que alguien la grite contigo. Así funciona un himno.
En clase. El disco está en Mi menor. En clase la subimos a La menor: la menor, re menor, sol, do, y si queréis la cadena entera, fa, si siete y mi siete.
Datos duros: Mi menor, 4/4, 131 pulsos por minuto, 3:24. La forma: introducción con la cadena de quintas, estrofas y estribillo.
Escucha guiada
Pon el videoclip. En la introducción, antes de la voz, cuenta los acordes que bajan. ¿Cuántos oyes antes de volver al principio?
Con la primera estrofa, marca el pulso con el pie. Ahora escucha el bombo: está en cada golpe de tu pie. Eso es el four-on-the-floor.
Al final de la estrofa, espera el acorde que «tira» hacia la casa. Es el si siete. Fíjate en las ganas que te deja de que vuelva el principio.
Cuando llegue el estribillo, canta solo el título. Comprueba que es una pregunta, y que la melodía de esas palabras se mueve muy poco.
En el último estribillo, escucha los coros. ¿Cantan lo mismo que Alaska o algo distinto por encima?
Curiosidades
- Un plató de dibujos. El videoclip se rodó en un decorado de La bola de cristal, el programa infantil de TVE que presentaba la propia Alaska. Hay una bola de discoteca y hasta un tobogán.
- Compuesta en una isla griega. Carlos Berlanga escribió la música de vacaciones en Míkonos.
- Inspirada en otro himno. Entre sus influencias está «I Am What I Am», de Gloria Gaynor, otra canción sobre ser quien eres sin pedir permiso.
- De Mi menor a Sol menor. Thalía la grabó en 2002 en Sol menor, tres semitonos más aguda. Pon las dos seguidas: misma canción, otra altura y otra voz.
Para hacer en clase
- Cuatro en el suelo. En el aula sin nada: los pies marcan cada pulso, las palmas en el 2 y el 4. Cuando salga, cantad el estribillo encima sin parar los pies.
- La escalera. Ukelele: la menor, re menor, sol, do, cuatro pulsos cada uno. Cuando salga, añadid fa, si siete y mi siete hasta cerrar la cadena.
- El acorde que tira. Tocad la cadena y parad en seco en el mi siete. Sin volver a la menor. Comentad qué sentís: ¿está acabada?
- Terceras. El estribillo a dos voces: la mitad de la clase canta la melodía y la otra mitad, tres notas por encima.
- Banda y grabación. En el aula de música: batería four-on-the-floor, teclado con los acordes largos de sintetizador, bajo en la nota que da nombre a cada acorde, el resto con ukelele. Es la canción que grabáis en marzo.
Vocabulario fundamental
- Four-on-the-floor — El bombo en cada pulso, el ritmo base de la música de discoteca.
- Sintetizador — Un teclado electrónico que fabrica sus propios sonidos.
- Círculo de quintas — Una cadena de acordes en la que cada uno está cinco notas por debajo del anterior.
- Dominante — El acorde que empuja hacia la tónica. Aquí, el si siete que lleva a mi menor.
Recursos
Videoclip oficial — Rodado en el plató de La bola de cristal, en 1986.
Tutorial de ukelele — Frikelele García, en castellano.
Tutorial de guitarra — Escuela de Guitarristas, en castellano.
Tutorial de piano — Different Learning.
Versión de Thalía (2002), para comparar — La misma canción en Sol menor, tres semitonos más aguda.
Versión de Fangoria (2010), para comparar — Alaska y Nacho Canut la regrabaron veinticuatro años después.
Why it's in this book
"A quién le importa" is March's anchor song, the one you record at the end of the second term. It's here because it is an anthem: a chorus the whole school sings, in Spanish, that fits voices in the middle of breaking. It teaches a new loop, i–iv–VII–III: A minor, D minor, G and C in the class version. An honest warning: on the record that loop is only the start of a longer chain, which carries on with F, B7 and E7. At first you play the first four; whoever wants to can complete the chain. In the room with no instruments, the disco kick drum goes in your feet, on every beat, and the chorus in two voices, in thirds. In the ukulele room, the chords. In the music room, four-on-the-floor drums and keyboard playing synth chords.
Why this song
If you have ever seen a Pride parade on TV, you have heard this song. In 2017, when Madrid hosted WorldPride, it was the official anthem. But it is forty years old now, and it still turns up at all kinds of parties.
The question on this page is: what does a chorus need for everybody to sing it, whether they can sing or not? Here there are three clues: it is short, it repeats a question, and it sits on a beat you can't help dancing to.
Historical context
Alaska's real name is Olvido Gara. She was born in Mexico City in 1963 and came to Madrid as a child. In the late seventies and the eighties she was one of the faces of the movida madrileña, an explosion of bands, fanzines and fashion in a Madrid that was just discovering democracy.
With Carlos Berlanga and Nacho Canut she formed Alaska y Dinarama. In 1986 they released their third album, No es pecado, and this song came out as a single on 20 March. Berlanga wrote the music on holiday in Mykonos, a Greek island, and the two of them finished the lyrics together. It went to number 1 in Spain.
Foto: Roberto Gordo Saez, CC BY 3.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
Alaska at Madrid Pride in 2008, more than twenty years after the song. The lyrics don't name any group, but the LGBT community took it up as an anthem.
The lyrics are about someone who gets pointed at for the way they live, and who answers with a question: who cares? That's why so many people have recognised themselves in it. There are versions by Thalía, Raphael, Rozalén and Bebe, and in 2010 Alaska and Nacho Canut recorded it again with their current band, Fangoria.
Musical characteristics
A kick drum on every beat. Put the song on and watch your foot: it moves by itself. The kick drum hits on every beat, one-two-three-four, without skipping any. That disco pattern is called four-on-the-floor. At 131 beats per minute, it is almost impossible to keep still.
Synthesisers. There are no guitars up front. The chords are played on electronic keyboards, synthesisers, with that eighties shine. The style is called synth-pop, and the fast, danceable version of those years, Hi-NRG.
A staircase of chords. The intro and the verse step down a chain: E minor, A minor, D, G, C, F sharp seven, B seven. Each chord is five notes below the one before. When chords move like this, it is called the circle of fifths. Your ear follows it like someone going downstairs: it knows where the next step is.
Coming home. The chain ends on B seven, and that chord pulls you towards E minor, home. A chord that pushes towards the tonic like this is the dominant. When E minor finally arrives, the loop starts again.
A question for a chorus. The chorus is short and repeats the title, "a quién le importa", "who cares". Because it is a question, it begs someone to shout it with you. That is how an anthem works.
In class. The record is in E minor. In class we move it up to A minor: A minor, D minor, G, C, and if you want the whole chain, F, B7 and E7.
Hard facts: E minor, 4/4, 131 beats per minute, 3:24. The form: intro with the circle of fifths, verses and chorus.
Guided listening
Play the music video. In the intro, before the voice, count the chords as they step down. How many do you hear before it goes back to the start?
With the first verse, tap the beat with your foot. Now listen to the kick drum: it lands on every tap. That is four-on-the-floor.
At the end of the verse, wait for the chord that "pulls" towards home. It is B seven. Notice how much you want the beginning to come back.
When the chorus comes, sing only the title. Check that it is a question, and that the melody on those words barely moves.
In the last chorus, listen to the backing vocals. Do they sing the same as Alaska, or something different on top?
Trivia and curiosities
- A children's TV set. The video was filmed on a set from La bola de cristal, the TVE children's programme Alaska herself presented. There is a disco ball and even a slide.
- Written on a Greek island. Carlos Berlanga wrote the music on holiday in Mykonos.
- Inspired by another anthem. One of its influences is Gloria Gaynor's "I Am What I Am", another song about being who you are without asking permission.
- From E minor to G minor. Thalía recorded it in 2002 in G minor, three semitones higher. Play them back to back: same song, another pitch and another voice.
Classroom activities
- Four on the floor. In the room with no instruments: feet on every beat, claps on 2 and 4. When it works, sing the chorus on top without stopping your feet.
- The staircase. Ukulele: A minor, D minor, G, C, four beats each. When that works, add F, B7 and E7 to close the chain.
- The chord that pulls. Play the chain and stop dead on E7. Don't go back to A minor. Talk about how it feels: is it finished?
- Thirds. The chorus in two voices: half the class sings the melody and the other half, three notes above.
- Band and recording. In the music room: four-on-the-floor drums, keyboard on long synth chords, bass on the note that names each chord, everyone else on ukulele. This is the song you record in March.
Key vocabulary
- Four-on-the-floor — el bombo en cada pulso
- Synthesiser — sintetizador
- Circle of fifths — círculo de quintas
- Dominant — dominante: the chord that pulls towards the tonic
Resources
Official music video — Filmed on the set of La bola de cristal, in 1986.
Ukulele tutorial — Frikelele García, in Spanish.
Guitar tutorial — Escuela de Guitarristas, in Spanish.
Piano tutorial — Different Learning.
Thalía's version (2002), to compare — The same song in G minor, three semitones higher.
Fangoria's version (2010), to compare — Alaska and Nacho Canut re-recorded it twenty-four years later.