El rito

Gustavo Cerati crafted El rito as a ballad that begins with an almost ceremonial air: first come those sounds that evoke a ritual, followed by the guitar riff that anchors itself like a hook. It’s not just any introduction; it’s a call that takes you straight to the heart of the song, with lyrics that speak of love but wrapped in an atmosphere blending the mystical with the earthly. What’s most curious is that, instead of using a typical '80s synthesizer, Cerati chose a '70s Hammond organ, lending the track a vintage weight as if time had stopped in some concert hall from another era.They recorded it the same year they released Signos, their third album, and since then it has become a recurring piece in their live shows.

Soda Stereo performed it on the Gira Signos tour in late 1986, but later set it aside until they revived it for the Gira Animal (1990–1992), where it appeared in only 14 shows at the Teatro Gran Rex. Later, Cerati included it in his solo tours, even performing an orchestral version live for 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (2001) at the Teatro Avenida in Buenos Aires. The last time Soda Stereo recorded it in the studio was for the Gira Me Verás Volver DVD (2007), where they gave it a rockier twist.