Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. The band started as a synthpop ensemble by brothers Nacho and Jose Maria Cano, along with singer Ana Torroja, in 1981 in Madrid influenced by English band Spandau Ballet. In a period of cultural experimentation in the newly democratic Spain, Mecano achieved its initial popularity with its debut single, “Hoy no me puedo levantar” (“I Can’t Get Up Today”), a song about youth boredom and hangovers. Their first, self-titled album became a collection of classics that would later represent Spanish 1980s pop music.
After switching recording labels, passing from then CBS-Columbia to the Ariola label and 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). Their new style emphasised pop over techno. It also facilitated the export of their music to Latin America. This new versatility was evidenced by “Hijo de la Luna” (“Son of the Moon”).
Their follow-up album, Descanso Dominical (Sunday Rest), produced two of their most popular singles. One was, “La fuerza del destino,” (“The force of fate”) in which actress Penelope Cruz debuted in the video clip for it. She later had a relationship with Nacho Cano for several years. The other single “Mujer contra mujer” (“Woman against woman”), is about a lesbian relationship, seen through the eyes of a friend, who only later realises what is going on. It was recorded in French (“Une Femme avec Une Femme”), English and Italian, giving Mecano their first global hit. The single which was released in Latin America in 1989, became a number one hit, it also remained seven consecutive weeks on the French number one position from November to December 1990; the song became one of the greatest hits of all time in that country.
Aidalai (nonsense word meaning, “Oh Dalai”), their following album, was published in 1991 and was as successful as their previous two works. “El 7 de Septiembre” (“7 September”) was dedicated to Coloma Fernández Armero, who was Nacho Cano’s girlfriend for several years. “El 7 de Septiembre”, which was released in the summer of 1992, was the last Ibero-American number one hit for the band, a music video was released for the song and it was inspired by the 1927 German silent film Metropolis. It was the last original album of the band.
In 1998, the band released the album Ana, Jose, Nacho, which mixed new songs with greatest hits. The band separated later that year and all three members went on to have solo careers, though only Ana found success as a singer. In 2005 keyboardist Nacho Cano wrote a musical based on 32 Mecano songs, named after their first single.
