In Spain We Call It Soledad: Común

Abstract: This article analyzes Spanish pop star Rigoberta Bandini’s song “In Spain We Call It Soledad” to argue that, rather than being a straightforward commentary on solitude in the sociological sense, the song is more interested in ontological solitude. In this way, the song offers a transposition of what Argentine philosopher and psychoanalyst Jorge Alemán has termed “soledad:común.” The article begins by offering an example of how the song has been interpreted in a sociological register, then moving to my analysis which shows how it is better understood as a song about solitude in the existential sense.