"El Año Viejo" (translation "the old year") is a song written by the Colombian songwriter Crescencio Salcedo in the cumbia genre. First recorded in 1953, the song has been described as "the legitimate and necessary hymn to say goodbye to the old year."[1]
Salcedo was an indigenous farmer who could neither read nor write. Despite the song's popularity, Salcedo died poor, selling flutes on the streets of Medellín.[1][2]
Significance
With lyrics reflecting on the year passed, the song is associated with the end of the year and has been recorded by numerous artists throughout Latin America.[3][4]
In its list of the 50 best Colombian songs of all time, El Tiempo, Colombia's most widely circulated newspaper, ranked the version of the song recorded by Tony Camargo and his Orchestra at No. 15.[5] Viva Music Colombia rated the song No. 16 on its list of the 100 most important Colombian songs of all time.[6]
El Telégrafo, an Ecuadorian newspaper, described the iconic song's impact: 'Every year, during the last week of December, wherever we are (at home, in the office, in the car or on the street) we have heard, for many years now, a song that has a rhythm and lyrics that penetrate subtly thought, body and soul. It is a melody that causes joy, but, at the same time, it also causes us sadness and melancholy."[1]
Versions
Tony Camargo
The most popular version of the song was recorded by Mexican singer, Tony Camargo in 1955.[1][7] Another version, by Aniceto Molina, was selected by Hip Latina in 2017 as one of the "13 Old School Songs Every Colombian Grew Up Listening To" and described as a "legendary song" that was "a guaranteed song on the playlist for every New Year's Eve party."[8][9]Celia Cruz's version was posthumously included on the compilation album Navidad Carbena (2003) and reached number 12 on the BillboardHot Latin Songs chart and number one on the BillboardTropical Airplay chart in the United States.[10][11][12]
