"Al otro lado del río" | |
---|---|
Single by Jorge Drexler | |
from the album The Motorcycle Diaries (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
Language | Spanish |
Released | 15 March 2005 |
Studio | Smart Studios ( Madison, Wisconsin) |
Genre | |
Length | 3:13 |
Label | Dro East West |
Songwriter(s) | Jorge Drexler |
Producer(s) |
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Music video | |
"Al otro lado del río" on YouTube |
"Al otro lado del río" ( transl. "On the Other Side of the River") is a song by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler from the soundtrack album for the film The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). [1] [2] It was released as a single on 15 March 2005, by Dro East West. [3] Besides the film's soundtrack, the song was included in reissue editions of Drexler's seventh studio album Eco (2004) as a bonus track. [4] In June 2020, he performed the song at the launch show of the app 342 Amazônia at Circo Voador. [5]
"Al otro lado del río" received the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards, [1] [6] [7] becoming the first Spanish language song, the second in a foreign language, to receive such an honor, and the first by a Uruguayan artist. [8]
The Oscars ceremony caused controversy because Drexler was not allowed to perform the song since "he was not popular enough," according to the Spanish newspaper El País. [9] Instead, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas and Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana sang the track, who were both introduced by actress Salma Hayek. [6] Upon winning, Drexler recited two verses of the song a cappella at the podium. [8] [10] Despite the incident, Drexler said that he became friends with Banderas and wrote the poem "3 décimas para Antonio Banderas" for him in 2019. [11]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Motorcycle Diaries (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). [12]