La Tierra del Olvido (song)

"La Tierra del Olvido" ("The Land of the Forgotten") is a song from Colombian singer Carlos Vives's seventh studio album of the same name. The song was written by Iván Benavides and Vives, who handled production alongside Richard Blair. It was released as the lead single from the album in 1995. It is a neo-vallenato song that utilizes the folk guitar and accordion in which the artist longs for his homeland. The song received positive reactions from music critics, mostly being found one of the album's catchies tunes by them. It was a recipient of the ASCAP Latin Award in 1996.

"La Tierra del Olvido"
The caption is taken from a poem by the Kogi people. It translates: "The sea existed first. Everything was dark. There was no sun, no moon. There were no people, no animals, no plants, only the sea, everywhere. The sea was the Mother."[1]
Single by Carlos Vives
from the album La Tierra del Olvido
Released1995
StudioCriteria Recording , Miami FL
Estudio Audiovision, Bogota, Colombia[2]
Genreneo-vallenato
Length4:25
LabelSonolux
Songwriter(s)
  • Carlos Vives
  • Iván Benavides
Producer(s)
  • Carlos Vives
  • Richard Blair
Carlos Vives singles chronology
"Compae Chipuco"
(1995)		 "La Tierra del Olvido"
(1995)		 "Pa' Mayte"
(1995)

Commercially, the song peaked at number five on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number one on the Latin Pop Airplay chart in the United States. A music video for the song was filmed in Colombia and was nominated Video of the Year at the 1996 Lo Nuestro Awards. Twenty years later, Vives re-recorded the track with several fellow Colombian acts. Its music video features the musicians performing the song in various locations of Colombia and was also nominated Video of the Year at the 2016 Lo Nuestro Awards.

Background and composition

In 1993, Carlos Vives released Clasicos de la Provincia, a collection of vallenato covers performed by the artist. The album was a modern pop take on the genre which helped revitalized its popularity and sold over 2.5 million copies.[3][4] Following the album's release, Vives and his band La Provincia spent weeks in a farm conceptualizing music for Vives's next project. The result was La Tierra del Olvido which blends Colombian folk music with contemporary music. The title track was written by Iván Benavides and Vives, who handled production alongside Richard Blair.[5][6] Benavides commented that the song was "the result of a creative laboratory that allowed us to create a powerful concept, in which the local culture dialogued with the world".[7] Vives remarked it "was a moment to understand that we could have global hits without losing our local connection."[5]

On her book, Musical ImagiNation: U.S-Colombian Identity and the Latin Music Boom (2010), Maria Elena Cepeda wrote that the song's lyrics are allegedly about a "patient ode to a far-away lover" and that it "narrates the pain and longing provoked by distance". However, Cepeda noted when read as a homage to Colombia, it references the country's culture.[8] Similarly, The Los Angeles Times editor Agustin Garza interpreted the song's meaning as an "aching nostalgia for his homeland".[9] Musically, "La Tierra de Olvido" is a neo-vallenato song that utilizes the folk guitar and accordion. According to the Miami Herald writer Fernando Gonzalez, the track sounds "closer to nuevo tango than vallenato".[3] The song was released as the album's lead single by Sonolux Records in 1995.[10]

Promotion and reception

The music video for the "La Tierra del Olvido" was filmed in Colombia. Billboard's Leila Cobo regarded the video as a "love letter to Vives' Colombia, beautifully depicted via a love story set in some of the country’s most gorgeous vistas".[11] Jose Vasquez of La Mezcla felt that it is "an emblematic audiovisual work from the 90s era in Colombia".[7] At the 8th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 1996, it was nominated Video of the Year,[12] but lost to "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo" by Ricky Martin.[13] Vives performed "La Tierra del Olvido" live at the Radio City Music Hall in 1995 and the Universal Amphitheatre in 2002.[4][9] Vives opened the 2020 Premios Nuestro Tierra award ceremony where he collaborated with Fonseca, Sebastián Yatra, Camilo, Andrés Cepeda, and Goyo.[14] A live version of the track was recorded for the album Más + Corazón Profundo Tour: En Vivo Desde la Bahiá de Santa Marta (2015).[15]

Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel complimented it as "definitely one of the most hummable songs of the year".[16] The New York Daily News critic Mary Talbot cited "Pa' Mayte" and "La Tierra del Olvido" as the album's "two infectious danceable Afro-Colombian numbers".[4] Likewise, an editor for RPM magazine listed it as one of the songs from the album that "seamlessly consolidate influences and innovation without losing the crucial campfire feel".[17] The track was recognized as one of the best-performing songs of the year at the 1996 ASCAP Latin Awards.[18] In the United States, the song peaked at number five and eight on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Airplay charts, respectively; it also reached the top of the Latin Pop Airplay chart.[19][20][21]

Twenty years later, Vives re-recorded "La Tierra del Olvido" with eight Colombian musicians.[22] The acts include Maluma, Fanny Lu, Fonseca, "El Cholo" Valderrama, Herencia de Timbiqui, Andrea Echeverri, and Coral Group.[11] This version was included as a bonus track for Más + Corazón Profundo Tour: En Vivo Desde la Bahiá de Santa Marta.[15] Its music video for 2015 version was produced by ProColombia and premiered at the Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy. It features the musicians performing the song in various locations of Colombia and was also nominated Video of the Year at the 28th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 2016.[11][23]

Charts
Chart performance for "La Tierra del Olvido"
Chart (1995) Peak
position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[19] 5
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[21] 1
US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[20] 8

See also

References
  1. Bierhorst, John (2002). Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions (1st ed.). New York: Pantheon Books. p. 316. ISBN 9780375714399. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  2. "La Tierra del Olvido - Carlos Vives". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. Gonzalez, Fernando (16 August 1995). "Vives' music still a joy, even if the production isn't". Miami Herald. p. 45. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  4. Talbot, Mary (21 August 1995). "Vives 'vallenatos' fill Radio City". New York Daily News. p. 165. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. Cobo, Leila (4 August 2020). "Carlos Vives' 'La Tierra del Olvido' Turns 25: Juanes, Goyo, Cepeda & More on the Song's Impact". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  6. "Por Fin! El Disco de Vives". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 28 June 1995. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  7. Vasquez, Jose (10 August 2020). "Carlos Vives Celebrates 25 Years of "La Tierra del Olvido"". La Mezcla. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  8. Cepeda, María Elena (2010). Musical imagiNation: U.S.-Colombian Identity and the Latin Music Boom. New York: New York University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0814716922. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. Garza, Agustin (30 September 2002). "Vives Keeps Fans on Their Feet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  10. La Tierra del Olvido (CD single liner notes). Carlos Vives. Sonolux Records. 1995. CDP-1488.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. Cobo, Leila (3 August 2015). "Carlos Vives Revisits 'Tierra del Olvido' With a Little Help From His Friends: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  12. "Univision Announces the Nominees for Spanish-language Music's Highest Honors Premio Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina". Univision. 27 March 1996. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  13. "Lo Nuestro – Historia". Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  14. Mejía, Daniel Felipe (16 May 2020). "'La Tierra del Olvido' abre los Premios Nuestra Tierra 2020" (in Spanish). La Mega. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  15. Jurek, Thom. "Más + Corazón Profundo Tour: En Vivo Desde la Bahiá de Santa Marta - Carlos Vives". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  16. Gettelman, Parry (13 October 1995). "Carlos Vives". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  17. "Carlos Vives – La Tierra del Olvido" (PDF). RPM: 15. 19 August 1996. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  18. "The Third Annual El Premio ASCAP". Billboard. 107 (38): 16. 23 September 1995. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  19. "Carlos Vives Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  20. "Carlos Vives Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  21. "Carlos Vives Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  22. "Carlos Vives lanza nueva versión de la canción La tierra del olvido". El Heraldo. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  23. Flores, Griselda (1 December 2015). "Premio Lo Nuestro 2016: Lista completa de nominados". Variety Latino (in Spanish). Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
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