Al otro lado del río
Encyclopedia
"Al otro lado del río" is an Oscar winning song, written and performed by Uruguay
an singer Jorge Drexler
for the film The Motorcycle Diaries
(2004). Beside the film's soundtrack, it can also be found in Drexler's seventh album Eco; in the soundtrack the bassist Jeff Eckels also performed.
"Al otro lado del río" received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
at the 77th Academy Awards
, becoming the first song in Spanish
, the second in a foreign language to receive such an honor, and the first by a Uruguay
an artist.
The Oscars ceremony producers would not let the then relatively unknown Drexler perform the song during the show for fear of losing ratings. Instead, the song was performed by the more well known Carlos Santana
and Antonio Banderas
. When later in the evening he indeed won, Drexler's acceptance speech for the award consisted of him singing a few lines of his song a cappella
, and closed by simply saying "Chau"
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an singer Jorge Drexler
Jorge Drexler
Jorge Drexler is an Uruguayan musician and actor.In 2004 Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan ever to win an Academy Award...
for the film The Motorcycle Diaries
The Motorcycle Diaries (film)
At the end of the film, after his sojourn at the leper colony, Guevara confirms his nascent egalitarian, anti-authority impulses, while making a birthday toast, which is also his first political speech. In it he evokes a pan-Latin American identity that transcends both the arbitrary boundaries of...
(2004). Beside the film's soundtrack, it can also be found in Drexler's seventh album Eco; in the soundtrack the bassist Jeff Eckels also performed.
"Al otro lado del río" received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
at the 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
, becoming the first song in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, the second in a foreign language to receive such an honor, and the first by a Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an artist.
The Oscars ceremony producers would not let the then relatively unknown Drexler perform the song during the show for fear of losing ratings. Instead, the song was performed by the more well known Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
and Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
. When later in the evening he indeed won, Drexler's acceptance speech for the award consisted of him singing a few lines of his song a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, and closed by simply saying "Chau"
Ciao
The word "ciao" is an informal Italian verbal salutation or greeting, meaning either "hello", "goodbye", "bye" or "hi". Originally from the Venetian language, it was adopted into the Italian language and eventually entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world...
Awards and nominations
- Won: Academy Award for Best Original Song
- Nominated: Latin Grammy Award for Song of the YearLatin Grammy Award for Song of the YearThe Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence, creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...