Al otro lado del río
"Al otro lado del río" (transl. "On the Other Side of the River") is a song by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler from the soundtrack album for the film The Motorcycle Diaries (2004).[1][2] It was released as a single on 15 March 2005, by Dro East West.[3] Besides the film's soundtrack, the song was included in reissue editions of Drexler's seventh studio album Eco (2004) as a bonus track.[4] In June 2020, he performed the song at the launch show of the app 342 Amazônia at Circo Voador.[5]
"Al otro lado del río"
Academy Award[edit]
"Al otro lado del río" received the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards,[1][6][7] becoming the first Spanish language song, the second in a foreign language, to receive such an honor, and the first by a Uruguayan artist.[8]
The Oscars ceremony caused controversy because Drexler was not allowed to perform the song since "he was not popular enough," according to the Spanish newspaper El País.[9] Instead, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas and Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana sang the track, who were both introduced by actress Salma Hayek.[6] Upon winning, Drexler recited two verses of the song a cappella at the podium.[8][10] Despite the incident, Drexler said that he became friends with Banderas and wrote the poem "3 décimas para Antonio Banderas" for him in 2019.[11]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Motorcycle Diaries (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).[12]