El amor después del amor (Love After Love) is the seventh studio album by Argentine singer-songwriter Fito Páez, released on June 1, 1992, by Warner Music. Written and recorded during a period of personal renewal following Páez's relationship with actress Cecilia Roth, the album became the commercial peak of his career and is widely regarded as the best-selling album in the history of Argentine rock.

Recorded over roughly five months in studios in Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, and England on an unusually large budget provided by Warner executive André Midani, the album featured an extensive list of guest musicians, including Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly García, Mercedes Sosa, Andrés Calamaro, and Fabiana Cantilo. Upon release, it sold approximately 30,000 copies within two days and 175,000 by the end of 1992, reaching quadruple-platinum status in Argentina by mid-1993. Allmusic awarded the album a full five-star rating, and in 2007 the Argentine edition of Rolling Stone ranked it 13th on its list of "The 100 Greatest Albums of National Rock". The album was the basis for the 2023 Netflix biographical series El amor después del amor and was reissued in a re-recorded form, EADDA9223, on its 30th anniversary.

Background and recording Páez began work on the album in early 1991, shortly after returning from a European tour supporting his previous record, Tercer mundo (1990), whose unexpectedly strong sales gave him greater creative leverage with Warner. He spent an eleven-day stay in José Ignacio, Uruguay with engineer and arranger Tweety González, writing and recording demos for several songs that would appear on the album, including "Tráfico por Katmandú", "A rodar mi vida", "El amor después del amor", and "Un vestido y un amor". According to Páez's memoir Infancia y juventud, Warner granted him an unusually large, essentially unrestricted production budget—reported at around $150,000—after label executive André Midani was won over following a meeting in Buenos Aires.

Recording took place over approximately five months across six studios in four countries: Argentina, Uruguay (Paraguay, according to Páez's account, is mentioned in passages describing the sessions), Spain, and England, with additional sessions at ION Estudios in Buenos Aires and, in London, Air Studios and EMI Abbey Road Studios. The sessions were overseen by Chilean producer Carlos Narea and English recording engineer Nigel Walker, who Páez has described as having trained under George Martin. Guest vocalist Claudia Puyó recorded her parts for the title track in Madrid after Páez sought a "soul" voice for the song's introduction, while Antonio Carmona of the flamenco group Ketama contributed vocals to "Tráfico por Katmandú". Charly García wrote and recorded his verse and backing vocals for "La rueda mágica" in a single afternoon session at Buenos Aires's ION studio.

Much of the album was written during and after Páez's relationship with Argentine actress Cecilia Roth; "Un vestido y un amor" was inspired by her, and Páez has dedicated live performances of the song to her.

Composition El amor después del amor blends rock en español and pop songwriting with elements of Argentine folk music, and its lyrics center on romantic love treated as a source of personal and spiritual renewal. AllMusic critic Iván Adaime described it as a decisive artistic statement that helped establish Páez as one of the most celebrated Argentine singer-songwriters of the 1990s.

Track listing All songs credited to Fito Páez; "La Rueda Mágica" co-credited to Charly García.

Personnel Performers Fito Páez: vocals, piano, guitar and keyboards Tweety González: organ and programming Ulises Butrón: guitar Guillermo Vadalá: bass and guitar in "La Rueda Mágica" Daniel Colombes: drums and percussion

Guest musicians Mercedes Sosa: vocals on "Detrás Del Muro De Los Lamentos" Luis Alberto Spinetta: vocals, arrangements and guitar on "Pétalo De Sal" Charly García: vocals on "La Rueda Mágica" Andrés Calamaro: vocals on "La Rueda Mágica" and "Brillante Sobre El Mic" Fabiana Cantilo: vocals on "Dos Días En La Vida" and "Brillante Sobre El Mic" Celeste Carballo: vocals on "Dos Días En La Vida" Claudia Puyó: vocals on "El Amor Después Del Amor" Fabián Gallardo: vocals on "Dos Días En La Vida" Osvaldo Fattoruso: percussion Daniel Melingo: clarinet on "Sasha, Sissí Y El Círculo De Baba" Ariel Rot: lead guitar on "A Rodar Mi Vida" Gabriel Carámbula: guitars on "Brillante Sobre El Mic" Antonio Carmona: vocals on "Tráfico Por Katmandú"; cajón and hand claps on "Detrás Del Muro De Los Lamentos" Chucho Marchand: bass on "Detrás Del Muro De Los Lamentos" Chango Farías Gómez: cajón on "Detrás Del Muro De Los Lamentos" Lucho González: guitar and arrangements on "Detrás Del Muro De Los Lamentos" Carlos Narea: hand claps on "Detrás del Muro de los Lamentos" Carlos Villavicencio: brass and string arrangement and conduction (performed by the Gavin Wright Orchestra, London)

Technical Fito Páez: producer Carlos Narea: executive producer Nigel Walker: recording engineer

Release and reception El amor después del amor was released on June 1, 1992. It sold around 30,000 copies in its first two days and roughly 175,000 by the close of the year, reaching quadruple-platinum certification in Argentina by mid-1993. By 2022, cumulative sales in Argentina were reported at more than 1.1 million copies. Páez supported the album with more than a hundred concerts, culminating in two sold-out shows at Estadio Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires in April 1993 that drew a combined audience of more than 70,000 people.

The album received strong critical acclaim. AllMusic gave it a full five-star rating. In 2007, Rolling Stone Argentina placed it 13th on its list of the 100 greatest Argentine rock albums. It is frequently cited by Argentine and Latin American media as the best-selling album in the history of Argentine rock.

Chart performance Chart (1992)PeakpositionArgentina (CAPIF) 1

Certifications and sales

Legacy 30th anniversary and re-recording In 2022 and 2023, Páez marked the album's 30th anniversary with an extensive international tour, "El amor 30 años después del amor", and released EADDA9223, a full re-recording of the original fourteen tracks featuring a new generation of guest artists, including Elvis Costello, Chico Buarque, Mon Laferte, Nicki Nicole, Estrella Morente, and returning collaborator Andrés Calamaro. EADDA9223 was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Television adaptation El amor después del amor (2023), an eight-episode Netflix biographical drama series starring Ivos Hochman as the adult Fito Páez, dramatizes the musician's life and career up to the album's release and commercial success.

Cover versions "A rodar mi vida" was covered by the cast of Disney Channel's Argentine TV series Soy Luna.

In other media "El amor después del amor" was part of the soundtrack of the 1998 Peruvian film No se lo digas a nadie.

References

External links Fito Páez - Terra Música Review about the album - Fito Páez Biography (4/5) on YouTube