The Cuban-Swiss singer-songwriter Pau Mueller has evoked nostalgia in many Cubans with her rendition of “El perrito chino”, a traditional song that shaped the childhood of several generations on the island.
In a video shared on Instagram, the young artist revives this melody that she learned from her grandmother, which holds a very special significance for her family.
"Where I come from, there is a song about a little dog that leaves. Ever since my grandmother showed it to me, my sister hasn't been able to listen to it again," Mueller shares before he starts to sing. In the caption of the post, he adds a phrase that sums up how he feels when he hears it: "There's no sadder song."
The performance has resonated with the memories of those who grew up listening to this song, whose lyrics tell the story of a person who, upon leaving Havana, bids farewell only to a little dog that follows them.
On the way, a man buys the animal in exchange for money and a pair of patent leather boots. However, when the boots break and the money runs out, regret sets in for having lost his faithful companion: “Oh, little dog of my life, oh, little dog of my love”.
“The Chinese Dog” is part of the traditional Cuban musical repertoire and has been passed down from generation to generation. In addition to being known in Cuba, it is sung in other countries and appears in various collections of children's songs from the island online.
Pau Mueller's connection to this song also has a familial component. The daughter of a Cuban mother and a Swiss father, the young woman keeps her roots alive through music, and this time she has drawn on a melody she learned from her grandmother.
Her interpretation evokes the power that childhood songs have to stir emotions even many years later. For many Cubans, hearing "El perrito chino" again means returning for a few moments to those memories of home, when this poignant melody was a part of their lives.
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