A staple record in any collection with an added bonus: Neither of us understands a word of it.

How many non-English albums do you own? Me? I have an Edith Piaf hits package and Buena Vista Social Club

. That’s it. The latter of the two has been a staple of my collection for almost 16 years. It’s been in constant rotation since the day I bought it, and I doubt anything will change that. For all these years, I’ve never understood the words. I’ve never bothered to CTRL C/V them into Google Translate to find out what they mean, and even as I write this, I’m reticent to do it. Somehow, Buena Vista Social Club doesn’t need you to understand its people or places – because even without understanding its lyrics, this is a record that paints a mural in your mind. What a perfect listening experience to enjoy with Eleanor.

The other day, we celebrated having Eleanor in our lives for a whole week. The nights arent quite as long, and Eleanor’s actually awake during the daytime, which has led me to discovwr that my infant daughter has SO MUCH chill. During one of these sessions, on came Spotify. When those first dusty notes of “Chan Chan” came on, Ellie did this thing where she stretched and settled into the crook of my arm. Perfect.

Wowfacts™ about Buena Vista Social Club:

• Buena Vista Social Club is an actual place in Havana. A hub where artists from all over Cuba met to collaborate and create together. To Cubans it’s the Blue Note. It’s the Savoy.
• When the record was released in 1997, many of the groups members were in their eighties and nineties
• Producer Ry Cooder brought the group to play performances in Paris and Vienna. For most of them, this was their first and only time out of Cuba.
• The whole album was recorded on just six days.

“Fascinating” farted Ellie.

Similar to Ella & Louis, these songs are Cuban torch bearers; built to last generations. And as much as they elicit the Cuban landscape with places and characters, the melodies sound salty and smoky. As though nothing about the place itself had changed in generations. In short; timeless.

There are points when the horns on “Dos Gardenias” are so raucous, they were a bit much for Eleanor. She twisted a little, immediately stopping after they were done. Hey,  musical appreciation doesn’t happen overnight.

Buena Vista Social Club is magnificent overall. Despite the language barrier, it takes you to this stunning landscape, with more detail than you’d think. I’ve had it on during long, scenic drives, alone in the desert and at dinner parties. Once again, it offered meaning and gravity to a new scenario without either understanding a word.

I give this spectacular album 4 sleeping Eleanor’s. Minus one point for the abrasive horns.

And once again, my Spotify Playlist has been updated. Check it!