# Wilson Choperena and Juan Madera — La Pollera Colorá

Wilson Choperena and Juan Madera’s La Pollera Colorá (1960) is No. 1 in our Cumbia ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1960
- **On one list:** Cumbia
- **Updated:** 2026-08-30
- **Artist:** [Wilson Choperena and Juan Madera](https://waxonia.com/artist/wilson-choperena-and-juan-madera/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/wilson-choperena-and-juan-madera--la-pollera-colora/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Cumbia](https://waxonia.com/genre/cumbia/)

Effectively Colombia's second national anthem. A clarinet figure, a red skirt, and a melody that has survived being played at every wedding in the country for sixty years.

## Analysis

5 sections, the first drop at 0:12, 8% of the way in.

- **Tempo:** 99.4 BPM — holds throughout
- **Key:** D minor
- **Dynamic range:** 2.5 dB — compressed hard — very little between the quiet and the loud
- **Length:** 2:38

- `0:00` A · **intro**, instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: drums, other
- `0:12` B · **peak** (bar 5), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, bass, other
- `0:36` C · **peak** (bar 15), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `1:23` C · **lift** (bar 35), sung — a short rise that does not resolve — a fill or a transition, not a build — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `2:03` C · **outro** (bar 51), sung — the closing fall — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other

**Drop** at 0:12 (bar 5). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Wilson%20Choperena%20and%20Juan%20Madera%20La%20Pollera%20Color%C3%A1) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=NcwQJqab-cM)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.