JULIO IGLESIAS, “QUE NO SE ROMPA LA NOCHE”

14th November, 1987

Wiki | Video

What, again? He was just here! Indeed — and more recently than the strict chronology of this blog might indicate; he and Luis Miguel traded off the top spot a couple of times throughout the late summer and early fall of 1987. A fitting symbolism, in fact: this song would be (as of this writing) Julio Iglesias' last solo visit to the top of the Hot Latin chart, and few people would dominate that spot more completely in the years to come than — but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Here and now, this second single from Un Hombre Solo did exactly what it was supposed to do and made a worthy follow-up to "Lo Mejor De Tu Vida." Also written and produced by Manuel Alejandro, also sounding like the proverbial million bucks — listen for the harp glissandi and be surprised: it's so closely miked it sounds like a particularly silvery guitar.

But in classic singles-release fashion, the second is the same as the first, But With A Twist! The twist here being the bolero rhythm, which provides a poignant counterpoint to Iglesias' lovestruck crooning: this is a late-night, last-dance kind of song, only just uptempo enough to qualify as more rhythmic than "Lo Mejor De Tu Vida," and so much in love with the classic Spanish romanticism on display that the song very nearly forgets to be contemporary. Luckily some airy keyboard flourishes accenting the rhythm are on hand to remind us of the date on the sleeve.

The lyrics are typically (for Alejandro) evocative, using the concise allusiveness of poetry to build up the scenario without wasting our time on unnecessary details like setting, narrative or identity. And those lyrics, translated in full:

LET THE NIGHT NEVER BREAK

Let the night never break

Please, don't let it break

Let the night never break

Please, don't let it break

Let it be serene and long like the stem of a rose

Let it be white-mooned with frost and shadow

For I must love you much, for I must love you so much

Let the night never end and I will drive you wild

Let the night never end and I will drive you wild

For I have a world of restless desires

For I have so much, so much, so much

For I have dreams, caresses, kisses

Tomorrow in the morning if the night does not break

We will do new follies with the love that remains

We will do new follies with the love that remains

Let the night never break

Let tomorrow never come

Let the night never break

Let tomorrow never come

Let the star and the moon never leave your window

Let it be an eternal night, a long, long night

For I must love you much, for I must love you so much

Let the night never end and I will drive you wild

For I must love you much, for I must love you so much

Let the night never end and I will drive you wild

For I have a world of restless desires

For I have so much, so much, so much

For I have dreams, caresses, kisses

Tomorrow in the morning if the night does not break

We will do new follies with the love that remains

We will do new follies with the love that remains

Tomorrow in the morning if the night does not break

We will do new follies with the love that remains

We will do new follies with the love that remains