Depende

Depende

Jarabe de Palo

From the album

Depende (1998)

Written by

Pau Donés

Key:G major
Duration:4:24

Listen to the Song

Summary

Written by Pau Donés and produced by Joe Dworniak for EMI in 1998, 'Depende' is the title track of Jarabe de Palo's breakthrough album. Its acoustic guitar warmth, reggae-inflected groove, and lyrics built around moral and emotional relativism made it one of the most beloved Spanish-language rock songs of the decade. The record launched the Barcelona band to pan-Hispanic fame and remains a radio staple more than two decades later.

spanish rockpop rock90sacousticreggae-pop

Musical Analysis

The harmonic language of 'Depende' is deliberately diatonic and unambiguous—its power comes not from chord complexity but from rhythmic feel and melodic memorability. The reggae-influenced strumming pattern and percussion provide the song's distinctive groove,…

Chords

Verse:G - C - D
Chorus:G - Em - C - D
GEmCD

History

Pau Donés wrote 'Depende' as the philosophical centrepiece of Jarabe de Palo's 1998 album of the same name. The song's central thesis—that every situation in life has a contextual answer rather than an absolute one—gave the album its identity and Donés's band…

“Joe Dworniak's production gave the record a polished yet organic sound that complemented the band's acoustic-rooted songwriting without overproducing it.”

Full Musical Analysis

The harmonic language of 'Depende' is deliberately diatonic and unambiguous—its power comes not from chord complexity but from rhythmic feel and melodic memorability. The reggae-influenced strumming pattern and percussion provide the song's distinctive groove, keeping harmonic motion simple so the lyrical hook can dominate. All chord assignments here are inferred and should not be treated as transcribed fact.

Pau Donés wrote 'Depende' as the philosophical centrepiece of Jarabe de Palo's 1998 album of the same name. The song's central thesis—that every situation in life has a contextual answer rather than an absolute one—gave the album its identity and Donés's band a recognisable worldview.

Written by Pau Donés and produced by Joe Dworniak for EMI in 1998, 'Depende' is the title track of Jarabe de Palo's breakthrough album. Its acoustic guitar warmth, reggae-inflected groove, and lyrics built around moral and emotional relativism made it one of the most beloved Spanish-language rock songs of the decade. The record launched the Barcelona band to pan-Hispanic fame and remains a radio staple more than two decades later.

Deep Analysis Available

Detailed analysis of this section is not yet available for this song.

Song DNA

Genre

Rock

Era

90s

Mood

Uplifting

Tempo

Mid-tempo

Key

Major

Texture

Full Band

Sound

Guitar-driven

Feel

Groovy

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Listen & Learn

Statistics

544K

Plays

117K

Listeners

9K

Genius Views

1

Annotations

100%

Popularity

4:24

Duration

4/4

Time

Credits

Written by

Pau Donés

Produced by

Jo Dworniak

From the album Depende

Original release

  • Depende1998

Compilations

  • Fundamentales2004
  • One Shot 20002009

Chord Sheet

Transpose0

Chords Used

G
Em
C
D

Progression by Section

Chorus

G
Em
C
D

Verse

G
C
D

Chord Diagrams

G
Em
C
D