In the year of Joan Manuel Serrat's definitive farewell from the stage, it is appropriate to look back and review the album that triggered his international popularity. In 1971, when the Spanish singer released his eighth album “Mediterráneo”, he was already a recognized voice in Spain. But the anthological song that gives the album its name spread around the world, and positioned Serrat as a reference in Latin America.

The 10 songs included in the album were composed by the Catalan artist, with the exception of the lyrics of “Vencidos”, based on a poem by León Felipe. To complete his work, ranked third in the 100 most influential Spanish albums of the 20th century by Rockdelux magazine, Serrat included arrangements by Juan Carlos Calderón, Gian Piero Reverberi and Antoni Ros-Marbà.

Despite 51 years passed since its publication, its sounds are still very relevant. The light that it brought then, on a grey Spain still marked by authoritarianism, still shines. That creative miracle was conceived during a summer spent in a hotel in Calella de Palafrugell, on the Costa Brava in Catalonia. In that stay, the 10 songs were born: simple in their composition but deep in their meaning.

“Mediterráneo” is a tribute to the sea where he grew up, and that was always the main guide of his creativity. However, other songs are full of personal references that evoke his youth. That’s the case with the lyrics of “Lucía”, “Qué va a ser de ti”, “Vencidos”, “Pueblo blanco” or “Barquito de papel”.

Regarding the style, Serrat evolved his early basic folk, to delve into genres such as Jazz and Bossa Nova, something that was possible thanks to the talent of his colleagues. It is a poetic work, which evokes a deep love for freedom and fraternity.

Serrat, who defined himself as "a child from a Mediterranean neighbourhood", felt deeply influenced by the literature of Josep Pla, a benchmark in Catalan literature. Pla was brilliant in his descriptions of landscapes, beaches, people and ordinary people, the central protagonists of his stories.

 

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It is the pattern on “Mediterráneo”: songs that pay attention to small details. “His lyrics take you back to those times. It's very accessible, and then they end up being very concrete”, said Anni B. Sweet.

The marine environment of the Costa Brava permeated Serrat, who was able to capture that desire for freedom in the years when Francoism was dying in Spain. There are those who point out that it was the album in which Serrat definitively defined his tone of voice.

“He sings and accents in a unique way. You have to look at the strictly musical sense, what has been the phrasing. It gives a lot of life to the lyrics”, considered Iñigo Bregel.

At 28 years old and just four years after his formal debut, Serrat made history with his Mediterranean songs. No one doubts that, despite his imminent withdrawal, this album will continue to be a legend of music in Spanish.