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Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña, a sociocultural movement that occurred in Spain during the 1980s. Although Spanish music critics do not consider the band one of the most representative ensembles of the aforementioned cultural wave, Mecano found more commercial success in the '80s and the early '90s, both in its native country and Latin America, France, and Italy with 25 million worldwide sales. Most of the lyrics were written by one of the Cano brothers from a male perspective, and were mainly sung by Ana Torroja in a melodic, childlike voice while preserving that male perspective, which gave the group its distinctive, playful and sexually ambiguous style.
The musical group was started as a synth-pop ensemble (música tecno in Spanish) by brothers Nacho and José María Cano, along with singer Ana Torroja, in Madrid in 1981. In a period of cultural experimentation in the newly democratic Spain, Mecano achieved its initial popularity with their debut single, "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar" (I Can't Get Out of Bed Today). The initial album, named after the band, became a collection of classics that would later represent La Movida Madrileña. The early lyrics deal with teenage boredom and unrest. Other themes are drugs and love.
At the same time, Nacho Cano branched out into producing other bands, and both brothers wrote songs for other pop up-stars. Although those secondary acts wouldn't achieve the level of success Mecano gained, they turned out to be new testing grounds for Mecano.
Having achieved another huge hit in 1986 with "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte" (It's So Hard to Forget You), the band reformed its musical approach with the album Entre el Cielo y el Suelo (Between the Sky and the Ground). The new style emphasized more pop over techno. It also facilitated the export of the music to Latin America. This new versatility was evidenced by the cover of "Hijo de la Luna" (Son of the Moon) by Opera artist Montserrat Caballé.
Their follow-up album, Descanso Dominical (Sunday Rest), produced two of their most popular singles: "La Fuerza del Destino" (The Force of Destiny) and "Mujer Contra Mujer" (Woman Against Woman). This song deals with a lesbian relationship, seen through the eyes of a friend, who only later realizes what is going on. It was recorded in French ("Une Femme avec une Femme"), English, and Italian, giving Mecano their first truly global hit.
"Aidalai" (nonce word meaning, Woe, Dalai (Lama)), their following album, was published in 1991 and carried the same success of the previous two works. In 1993 the band announced a "temporary split".
The songs "La Fuerza del Destino" and "El 7 de Septiembre" (September 7) are dedicated to Coloma Fernández Armero, who was Nacho Cano's girlfriend for several years.
In 1998 the band released the album "Ana, Jose, Nacho" that mixed new songs with greatest hits. The band separated later that year and all three members went to have solo careers, though only Ana found success as singer. Nacho Cano wrote a musical based on 32 songs of the group, named after their first single Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar. This play opened in 2005 on Madrid and is now being shown also in Mexico City with great success.
In 2005, the members of Mecano released a double-CD/DVD package commemorating the 25th anniversary of the creation of the pop-group. The new CD/DVD, Mecanografia (Mecano-graphy), includes a compilation of all their singles, never-before released songs, and a DVD with videos and early concert appearances.Mecano recorded some of their songs in English, one of which was published as a single: "The Uninvited Guest", which is the English version of "Me Colé en una Fiesta". Other songs that were recorded in English by Mecano are: "Hawaii-Bombay" and "You", but these were never published on official discs.
Mecano also recorded many of their songs in Italian and in French.
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