Gracias a la Vida
- For the Joan Baez album, see Gracias a la Vida (Joan Baez album).
"Gracias a la vida" (English: Thanks to life) is the name of a song composed and first performed by Chilean musician Violeta Parra, one of the artists who set the basis for the movement known as Nueva Canción. It was released in Las Últimas Composiciones (1966), the last album Parra published before committing suicide in 1967.
The song is one of Parra's most renowned and is performed through the world, and remains as one of the most covered Latin American songs in history.
Legendary folk singer Joan Baez brought the song to the American audiences in 1974 when she included a cover of the song on her Spanish language album of the same name. It remains a concert staple of Baez' to this day. A well-known cover by prominent Mercedes Sosa has been regarded as her "signature song"[1].
Finnish singer Arja Saijonmaa recorded this song in both Finnish (Miten voin kyllin kiittää) and Swedish (Jag vill tacka livet). Her Swedish interpretation is one of the most well-known of her Swedish-language oeuvres.
Canadian singer/songwriter Nancy White recorded her English translation (with permission of Warner Chappell Music Argentina (SADAIC))on her 1998 Borealis cd "Gaelic Envy".
One of the artists most associated with "Gracias a la vida" is the Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa. "Gracias a la vida" became something of a personal anthem for Sosa and was a constant in all of her performances up until her death.
[edit] Cover versions
- Mercedes Sosa on Homenaje a Violeta Parra (1971).
- Joan Baez on Gracias a la Vida (1974).
- Joan BaezLive at Festival des Vieilles Charrues, Carhaix, Bretagne, FRANCE, 2000. [1]
- Gabriella Ferri on Remedios (1974).
- Elis Regina on Falso Brilhante (1976).
- Richard Clayderman on América Latina…Mon Amour (1992).
- Yasmin Levy on La Judería - Ladino meets Flamenco (2005).
- Verónica Garay Opaso on "Así"' (2007).
- Pasión Vega on "Gracias a la vida"' (2009).
- Issac Delgado on La Formula (2000).
- Alberto Cortez on Leyendas: Alberto Cortez (2005).
- Michael Bublé on Gracias a la Vida: Voces Unidas por Chile (2010) to gather funds for the Chilean people affected by the earthquake in Chile, February 2010. http://www.vocesunidasporchile.com/
- Margareth Menezes on Naturalmente Acústico (2010).
- Erwin Schrott on Rojotango (2011).
- Cecilia en Gracias a la vida (1970).
- Isabel Parra en Los Parra de Chile (1970).
- Chagual en Tu canto Viola doliente (1970).
- Mercedes Sosa en Homenaje a Violeta Parra (1971).
- Alberto Cortez Ni poco... ni demasiado (1973).
- Raphael en Recital hispanoamericano (1975).
- Elis Regina en Falso Brilhante (1976).
- Sonia la Única en Sonia canta a Violeta Parra (1980).
- Richard Clayderman en América Latina… mon amour (1992).
- Nana Mouskouri en Nana Latina (1996).
- Luis Jara en Lo Nuestro... ayer y hoy (1999).
- Los Bunkers en Después de vivir un siglo (2001).
- Plácido Domingo en Canciones de amor (2003) y De mi alma latina (1994)
- Yasmin Levy en La Judería - Ladino meets flamenco (2005).
- La Oreja de Van Gogh en "Festival de Viña del Mar" (2005)
- Verónica Garay Opaso en Así (2007).
- Amaury Pérez y Frank Fernández en Los dúos (2006).
- Gloria Simonetti en 40 años de gloria (2007)
- Ángel Parra en Violeta se fue a los cielos (2007).
- Los Tres en Cantores que reflexionan: sintiendo a Violeta" (2007).
- Jorge González en Cantores que reflexionan: sintiendo a Violeta (2007).
- Pasión Vega en Gracias a la vida (2009).
- Rosario Flores en Cuéntame (2009).
- Laura Pausini en vivo en varios conciertos.
- Óscar Chávez en 16 exitos de oro.
- Nicole Natalino's performanace was implicated in controversy.[2]
