From 'A good day' to 'A good day for Iván'

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From ‘A good day’ to ‘A good day for Iván’

‘A good day’ has ended up being the great anthem of Los Planetas. At the time, Los 40 Principales did not want to broadcast it as much as ‘David and Claudia’. Not even with the change of the “four million stripes” phrase to the adaptation “I was with Eric until 6 and I read in Marca that the striped one was injured.” But today, however, it is, by far, his most played song on platforms with over 20 million streams.

The theme contained in ‘Displacement Unit’ (2000) lacked a chorus. It was a succession of many stanzas with slight changes in the main melody. So if the success of the song is explained by anything, it is by its traditional portrait of what “a good day” can be like for a large part of the population.

Waking up at 10 and staying in bed for “more than three-quarters of an hour,” having breakfast at the bar, reading Marca, having a few beers, taking a nap, reading Spiderman comics, watching a game in which Mendieta scores a goal. historic, go back to the bars, mess with Eric for four million points, and go back to bed, only to not be able to sleep because there is someone you can’t forget. It wasn’t such a good day after all, but the spiral structure of the song somehow leaves you wanting to start another day again.

In the newspaper El Mundo, J recalled the creation of ‘A Good Day’ in 2020: «The song is made of memories. That year I composed the song, Mendieta decided to score incredible goals. He remembered one that he scored against Atlético (1999 Cup final) after a hat. And another in which he connected the ball from outside the area after a corner (against Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the same competition). I was actually referring to those goals by Mendieta in Valencia that year. I already knew him. He was a friend of ours, he came to the concerts and we had friends in common. He also defended the value of football: «Football is so great because it is associated with many cultures and has managed to achieve a very powerful discourse. “Tactical and psychological speculations are very important, which I find very interesting.”

For his project ‘Plena Pausa’, in which he sets music to unpublished films by cult director Iván Zulueta, J has transformed his great masterpiece into “A good day for Iván.” The chords are very similar, the cadence of the song too, and even the lyrics. Only this has been adapted for what would be “a good day for Iván”: here we also start when “the sun comes in through the window”, but the drugs appear earlier. Comics are changed by Kerouac. Nobody goes out into the street. A Lou Reed song plays. There is a lot more makeup and props. There is no trace of sport. And above all, a movie is being shot.

J’s new composition leads to what does seem like a chorus (it only seems like it): “this movie is going to be a masterpiece” that “will be remembered for decades” in reference to ‘Arrebato’. And also to his cursed character: “even if my life is at stake, even if I can’t make another film.”

Regarding the images of the small film, which in this case have been posted on YouTube, J has relied on literality: in Iván Zulueta’s film, “the sun comes in through the window,” someone smokes, someone puts on makeup, Ugarte (Santi, promoter of Donosti Sound) plays a record, we see a safari hat, someone rolls. That is to say, in this case he has built the lyrics on what he was seeing in the material that the Film Library showed him.

J has been excited about this project. In our recent podcast he talked about what he would have liked to share with Zulueta during his years of splendor. He was sure he was referring to this video when he mentioned “beautiful people.” «I would have liked to meet him at the time when he is filming those films, which is all partying, all fun, all beautiful young people doing incredible things. “I would have loved to participate in that scene, of course I would have liked it.” Without a doubt one of the poetic summits of this beautiful project, which today is our “Song of the Day.”

Podcast: J talks about ‘Plena Pausa’

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Simon Müller

Simon Müller is the driving force behind UMusic, embodying a lifelong passion for all things melodious. Born and raised in New York, his love for music took form at an early age and fueled his journey from an avid music enthusiast to the founder of a leading music-centered website. Simon's diverse musical tastes and intrinsic understanding of acoustic elements offer a unique perspective to the UMusic community. Sporting a dedicated commitment to aural enrichment and hearing health, his vision extends beyond just delivering news - he aspires to create a network of informed, appreciative music lovers. Spend a moment in Mueller's company, and you'd find his passion infectious – music isn’t simply his job, it’s his heartbeat.