Spanish
Spain and Latin America lose this Tuesday one of the artists who marked the 60s with essential songs on this and the other side of the ocean, Manuel de la Calva, half of the 'Dúo dinámico', who died this Tuesday at the age of 88 in Madrid, and who, along with his counterpart, Ramón Arcusa, made the world 'resist' in the pandemic.
That "soul" of the duo leaves an extensive generation of followers who have sung, danced, laughed, and above all enjoyed it in a multitude of songs that became popular on the albums of La época and that gained international fame thanks to the films accompanying actresses like the Spanish Mari Sol.
Before that, De la Calva was a precursor of the fan phenomenon in Spain since the 60s and co-author of essential songs of the music of this country such as 'Resistiré' or 'La la la', the winning song of Eurovision.
Alongside his partner, Ramón Arcusa, they toured several Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, as well as performing in Rio de Janeiro at a festival where they met figures such as Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini.
"Always cheerful, optimistic and positive" will always remember him Arcusa, who was his artistic partner for more than six decades in that mythical formation, and so he will remain in the memory of many "the short one" of the group or, rather, Manolo, with his perennial smile and the red vest that for so long identified them as a musical duo.
De la Calva (Barcelona, 1937) had never separated from Arcusa since they formed the group in 1959 after meeting at the Empresa Nacional de Motores de Aviación, Elizalde, in Barcelona, where they worked as drafting designers.
"Our 'marriage' has been long-lasting because first of all we have respected each other, and we have respected each other's work, sometimes in a subliminal competition, but always from respect", De la Calva highlighted in an interview with EFE just a year ago, in which he also said that what they were most satisfied with was having brought color "to that black and white Spain".
American Adaptations
Initially as The Dynamic Boys, they started with adaptations of American songs that they translated into Spanish, but, influenced by artists like the Everly Brothers, Frank Sinatra, the Platters or Los Cinco Latinos, they were encouraged to publish their own compositions when they saw that one of their songs achieved similar success. "We simply did what our bodies asked of us and never counted the songs we've made: now they've counted them for us," said a grateful De la Calva when in 2024 he received the Medal of Honor from the General Society of Authors of Spain (SEGAE) for the more than 1,200 songs composed in his 65-year career, a treasure that also earned them the Musical Excellence award from the Latin Recording Academy. Although controversial today for its lyrics, 'Quince años tiene mi amor' became one of those early hits, like 'Quisiera ser', that gave them second place in the Benidorm Festival, in Spain, in 1960. It wasn't the only contest they entered. With a more resounding result, they were the authors of 'La la la', the song that Joan Manuel Serrat was supposed to sing in Eurovision 1968. When he refused to perform it unless it was in Catalan, Massiel replaced him "in extremis", giving Spain its first victory (of two) in the famous festival ahead of Cliff Richards' 'Congratulations'. "It was almost us, but Serrat's record label argued that they had already spent a lot of money on promotion and demanded an artist from their catalog. We would have liked to go, but given the history, I wouldn't change anything. I prefer that it was Massiel, who defended it brilliantly, rather than us without knowing if we would have won," Arcusa told EFE about that episode. And the duo's compositional richness wasn't limited to their own records, as they also created and produced music for others, such as Nino Bravo, Camilo Sesto, José Vélez, Angela Carrasco and, finally, for their "great Julio Iglesias", to whom they gave songs like 'Soy un truhán, soy un señor' or 'Me olvidé de vivir'. "I will resist"
The Dynamic Duo abandoned their career in 1972 when the last vestiges of the dictatorship converged with the rise of protest songs and they temporarily lost their place until their definitive return at the end of the decade. In that second stage, one of the most special songs arrived, 'Resistiré', composed by De la Calva along with Carlos Toro and which was released in 1987 from a casual phrase by the Nobel laureate in literature Camilo José Cela, "he who resists… wins". Just two years later, he experienced another boost by being part of the soundtrack of Pedro Almodóvar's film 'Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!' and, more than 30 years later, resurfaced strongly as a hymn of collective motivation during the lockdown for covid-19.
Initially as The Dynamic Boys, they started with adaptations of American songs that they translated into Spanish, but, influenced by artists like the Everly Brothers, Frank Sinatra, the Platters or Los Cinco Latinos, they were encouraged to publish their own compositions when they saw that one of their songs achieved similar success. "We simply did what our bodies asked of us and never counted the songs we've made: now they've counted them for us," said a grateful De la Calva when in 2024 he received the Medal of Honor from the General Society of Authors of Spain (SEGAE) for the more than 1,200 songs composed in his 65-year career, a treasure that also earned them the Musical Excellence award from the Latin Recording Academy. Although controversial today for its lyrics, 'Quince años tiene mi amor' became one of those early hits, like 'Quisiera ser', that gave them second place in the Benidorm Festival, in Spain, in 1960. It wasn't the only contest they entered. With a more resounding result, they were the authors of 'La la la', the song that Joan Manuel Serrat was supposed to sing in Eurovision 1968. When he refused to perform it unless it was in Catalan, Massiel replaced him "in extremis", giving Spain its first victory (of two) in the famous festival ahead of Cliff Richards' 'Congratulations'. "It was almost us, but Serrat's record label argued that they had already spent a lot of money on promotion and demanded an artist from their catalog. We would have liked to go, but given the history, I wouldn't change anything. I prefer that it was Massiel, who defended it brilliantly, rather than us without knowing if we would have won," Arcusa told EFE about that episode. And the duo's compositional richness wasn't limited to their own records, as they also created and produced music for others, such as Nino Bravo, Camilo Sesto, José Vélez, Angela Carrasco and, finally, for their "great Julio Iglesias", to whom they gave songs like 'Soy un truhán, soy un señor' or 'Me olvidé de vivir'. "I will resist"
The Dynamic Duo abandoned their career in 1972 when the last vestiges of the dictatorship converged with the rise of protest songs and they temporarily lost their place until their definitive return at the end of the decade. In that second stage, one of the most special songs arrived, 'Resistiré', composed by De la Calva along with Carlos Toro and which was released in 1987 from a casual phrase by the Nobel laureate in literature Camilo José Cela, "he who resists… wins". Just two years later, he experienced another boost by being part of the soundtrack of Pedro Almodóvar's film 'Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!' and, more than 30 years later, resurfaced strongly as a hymn of collective motivation during the lockdown for covid-19.
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"His lyrics are, word for word, what is felt in the struggle for life," corroborated his co-author, who had the opportunity to sing it with the nurses who cared for him in 2007 when he was hospitalized to overcome cancer. However, among all that legacy, he confessed to EFE that he was keeping 'Perdóname' as his favorite: "Many people have confessed to us that they are in this world thanks to that song, because it helped a reconciliation, and incidentally to the demography. Is there anything more beautiful?"
