Descanso Dominical is an album by pop group Mecano

Mecano

Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...

. It was released in 1988. This was the album that reaffirmed their stardom as worldwide artists. It was their second release with Ariola Records

Sony BMG Music Entertainment

Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...

. Before its release, this album was intended to be a 2-disc album due to the large amount of material, but that intent was cancelled.

Reception

This album was well received by the critics in general; it was categorized as the best release from this group. It has sold 2.3 million copies in Spain alone. The songs, such as "La fuerza del destino" (The power of fate) and "Mujer contra mujer" (Woman against woman) topped the charts all over Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

 and Spain.

Spanish edition

• Six singles were released from this album. The first one was "No hay marcha en Nueva York" (There is no party in New York), which is known for its sound reminiscent of the orchestras of the 50's because of the saxophone and drums. It was released on June 20th, 1988.

• The second single was "Los amantes" (The lovers), with Ana Torroja
  Ana Torroja
  Ana Torroja is a Grammy Award-nominated Spaniard singer. She is the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in 1998 and she embarked on a solo career.-Biography:Ana Torroja met José María Cano while...
  
   singing high notes on this track. The single topped out at position #32 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs. It was released on August 28th, 1988.

• The 3rd and 4th singles were promoted simultaneously, "Mujer contra mujer" and "Un año más" (One year more). Mujer contra mujer is a contemplation on a lesbian
  Lesbian
  Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
  
   love that cries for respect, while "Un año más" tells about New Year's Eve on Puerta del Sol
  Puerta del Sol
  The Puerta del Sol is one of the best known and busiest places in Madrid. This is the centre of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year...
  
  . Both songs were released on December 5th, 1988.

"Mujer contra mujer" has versions in French and Italian, which also reached #1 in France and Italy; it was also an overwhelming hit in Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, and most remarkably in the cases of Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 and Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

, where homosexuality

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

 was punished in their laws at that time. Also, in Mexico the song was banned at the beginning of its promotion, but the success of the song helped to revoke the ban.

Since the very first day of its launch, "Mujer contra mujer" caused scandal and polemic; among other things, the Catholic Church threatened to excommunicate the members of the group, inasmuch as the topic of the song was considered lascivious. The video of the song also had problems of censorship; for example, in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

 it was prohibited according to the laws of entertainment, which ban any video related to homosexuality or bisexuality

Bisexuality

Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...

. However, it was a resounding hit that was demanded by viewers all over Latin America.

"Mujer contra mujer" has been a source of inspiration for other singers and groups like Rammstein

Rammstein

Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...

 who composed a song titled "Mann gegen Mann

Mann gegen Mann

"Mann gegen Mann" is the third and final single from the Rammstein album, Rosenrot. The song is about homosexuality, and its music video is the first Rammstein video to include nudity.-Music video:...

" (Man against man) included in the album Rosenrot

Rosenrot

Rosenrot is the fifth album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released on October 28, 2005 in Germany, December 6, 2005 in Canada, and March 28, 2006 in the United States. A limited edition with a bonus DVD is also available...

, also Franco De Vita

Franco De Vita

Franco De Vita is a singer-songwriter of Latin music. His first disc as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the Sony label in 1988, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award...

 based his song "Rosa y clavel" (Rose and carnation) on this song. It is considered one of the first gay anthems in Spanish.

• The 5th single was "La fuerza del destino", a romantic song composed by Nacho Cano
  Nacho Cano
  Ignacio Cano Andrés, aka Nacho Cano, is a Spanish arranger, composer, musician and record producer. He studied solfège and was one of the members of the Spanish group Mecano along with his brother José María Cano and Ana Torroja.He has released 4 solo albums, including Vivimos siempre juntos with...
  
   and dedicated to the writer Coloma Fernández Armero. Penélope Cruz
  Penélope Cruz
  Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
  
   appeared as an actress for the very first time in the video of this song.

• The 6th single was "El blues del esclavo" (The blues of the slave). This song is a satire of the abolition of slavery in the United States and the struggle of Martin Luther King.

Tracks:

1. El Cine 4:15
2. No Hay Marcha en Nueva York 4:00
3. Mujer Contra Mujer 4:05
4. Los Amantes 2:52
5. La Fuerza del Destino 5:17
6. Quédate en Madrid 2:18
7. Laika 4:37
8. El Blues del Esclavo 4:36
9. "Eungenio" Salvador Dalí 5:23
10. Por la Cara 3:04
11. Un Año Más 4:29
12. Héroes de la Antártida 5:09
13. Hermano Sol, Hermana Luna 3:33 Only on CD
14. Fábula 2:04 Only on CD
15. Une Femme Avec Une Femme 4:05 On the 2005 edition

Italian edition

The Italian edition was retitled "Figlio della Luna". This album has eight tracks from the Spain edition and two tracks from Entre El Cielo y El Suelo

Entre el cielo y el suelo

Entre el cielo y el suelo is an album by pop group Mecano. It was released in 1986. This was the album that established them as international artists not just in Spain, but also in the Americas, Germany, France and Italy. It was their first release with Ariola Records...

, all re-written in Italian, except for "Por La Cara," which is instrumental. It was the first album that Mecano recorded in a language other than Spanish, and the only one that didn't include any song in Spanish. All the songs were adapted in Italian by M. Luberti. "Mi costa tanto scordarti" (It's hard for me to forget you,') was also recorded, but it was taken out of the final selection. The album itself didn't meet sales expectations in Italy despite the success of the tracks.

Tracks:

1. Figlio della Luna (Hijo de la Luna) 4:18
2. La forza del destino (La fuerza del destino) 5:10
3. Croce di lame (Cruz de navajas) 5:06
4. Uno di quegli amanti (Los amantes) 2:51
5. Fermati a Madrid (Quédate en Madrid) 2:17
6. Vado a Nuova York (No hay marcha en Nueva York) 4:16
7. Per lei contro di lei (Mujer contra mujer) 4:05
8. Il cinema (El cine) 4:18
9. Un anno di più (Un año más) 4:29
10. Por la cara (instrumental) 3:06

Singles/Maxi singles

• Figlio della Luna/Un anno di più (20 February 1989)
• Figlio della Luna (Maxi single, (20 February 1989, it includes just one song)
• Croce di lame/Cruz de navajas (1989)

French edition

"Descanso Dominical" was also edited in France in 1990 with some variants. This was the first album by Mecano to be addressed to a French audience, even though the release has just one song in French "Une femme avec une femme

Une Femme avec une femme

"Une Femme avec une femme" is a 1990 single by Spanish pop band Mecano.-Background and writing:This song is on their seventh album, released in 1988, Descanso dominical ....

" (A woman with a woman), an adaptation of "Mujer contra mujer" under the supervision of P. Grosz. It had better results than the Italian edition.

The first edition of "Descanso Dominical" for France, was published in the same year as the Spain edition: 1988. The second edition, that includes "Une femme avec une femme

Une Femme avec une femme

"Une Femme avec une femme" is a 1990 single by Spanish pop band Mecano.-Background and writing:This song is on their seventh album, released in 1988, Descanso dominical ....

", was not recorded until 1990. Mecano got this track to stay for 8 weeks in the French ranking of sales and the track reached the Top 50.

Tracks:

1. Hijo De La Luna 4:18
2. La Fuerza Del Destino 5:17
3. El Blues Del Esclavo 4:36
4. Los Amantes 2:52
5. Mujer Contra Mujer 4:05
6. Por La Cara 3:04
7. Une femme avec une femme
   Une Femme avec une femme
   "Une Femme avec une femme" is a 1990 single by Spanish pop band Mecano.-Background and writing:This song is on their seventh album, released in 1988, Descanso dominical ....
   
    4:08
8. No Hay Marcha En Nueva York 4:00
9. El Cine 4:15
10. "Eungenio" Salvador Dalí 5:23
11. Un Año Mas 4:29
12. Quédate En Madrid 2:18

Album charts

#	Chart	Peak Position	Date
1.	"Billboard Latin Pop Albums Latin Pop Albums Latin Pop Albums is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information of the Pop music genre. Established in June 1985, this chart features only full length albums and like all album charts on Billboard, is based on sales. The information is compiled by Nielsen... "	#16	16 Dec 1989
2.	"Spain Album Charts" (2nd Edition)	#32	7 Aug 2005

Single charts

Date	Title	Chart Positions													B-Sides
		U.S. H.Lat.	ESP Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	MEX Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	CRI Costa Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....	CHL Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...	COL Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...	NIC Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...	ECU Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...	DOM Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...	CUB Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...	NLD Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...	FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	ITA Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
20 June 1988	No hay marcha en Nueva York	–	9	10	13	2	9	10	10	15	20	–	–	–	Laika Por la cara
28 August 1988	Los amantes	32	2	10	15	10	19	9	15	10	21	–	–	–	Fábula
5 December 1988	Mujer contra mujer	–	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	–	–	–	Hermano Sol, hermana Luna
5 December 1988	Un año más	–	10	9	11	8	5	2	8	10	10	–	–	–	Por la cara
3 April 1989	La fuerza del destino	–	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	83	–	–	El Cine
3 July 1989	El blues del esclavo	–	19	25	26	30	40	35	50	40	–	–	–	–	Héroes de la Antártida
May 1990	Une femme avec une femme Une Femme avec une femme "Une Femme avec une femme" is a 1990 single by Spanish pop band Mecano.-Background and writing:This song is on their seventh album, released in 1988, Descanso dominical ....	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	Mujer contra mujer