Babasónicos is a rock music band from Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina, forme… Read Full Bio ↴Babasónicos is a rock music band from Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina, formed in 1991. Lead by singer Adrián Rodríguez a.k.a. "Adrián Dárgelos", the original line-up of the band had Diego Tuñón ("Uma-T") on keyboards, Diego Castellano ("Panza"), on drums, Adrián's brother Diego Rodríguez ("Diego Uma") on guitar and occasional vocals, Mariano Domínguez, ("Mariano Roger") on lead guitar and Gabriel Manelli ("Gabo") on bass.

Their debut album Pasto was recorded and released in 1992 and has guest appearances by Gustavo Cerati, Daniel Melero and members of other groups which, at the time, were also part of the New Argentinian Rock (or Sonic rock) movement, such as Martes Menta and Juana la Loca. The only single released from Pasto was "D-Generación", which was a minor radio hit at the time and made the upcoming band known to Argentinian listeners. The album has an eclectic style, with many of the tracks being short skits (such as "41" de Ocio", which consists of the band chatting between songs; or "Mutha Fucka", a track which seems to have been made by cutting and pasting together various audio samples taken from TV).

For their second album Trance Zomba, released in 1994, DJ Peggyn joined the band. As a a consequence of the band having now 6 members, this album has a mixture of Rap, Funk and Hardcore Punk, but at the same time even psychedelic rock influences. "Malón", "Montañas de Agua", "Patinador Sagrado" and "Koyote" were the singles released for this album.

In 1996 the band released the highly experimental Dopádromo. This album has all sorts of music from the highly psychedelic "Zumba" and "Su Majestad", hard rock tracks as "El Medium and "Su Ciervo", instrumentals and even a hasta un bossa nova: "Perfume Casino". Destacan también "¡Viva Satana!" and "El Médium" were the biggest hist from this record.

Their fourth album, Babasónica showcased a heavier edge than their previous three, being influenced by heavy metal with distorted riffs and guitar solos on many songs ("Egocripta", "Demonomanía", "El Adversario"). On the other hand, the album has a softer acoustic side, with the delicate ballads "Sharon Tate" and "Esther Narcótica". The band has declared that this was meant to balance out the roughness of the heavier songs. Some tracks even include both stylistic approaches at once making for interesting contrast, like "Parafinada" or "Convoy". Lyrically, the album deals with the concepts of satanism. The band has declared that this approach isn't meant to be taken at face value, but as homage to classic metal, and as an attack on common Western ways of thinking, such as religion.

On their fifth release Miami, DJ Peggyn participated as a member of the band for the last time, he was sacked as his contributions were no longer felt necessary for the band. In 2000 he went for a solo career, renaming himself Jimmy Dolor. The album cover was designed by Alejandro Ros. It is a map of Argentina turned 90 degrees clockwise, resembling a map of the east coast of the United States; the map places a fictional Miami in the Argentinian province of Misiones. After the release of the album, Cosme, their manager, left the band.

After the release of Jessico (2001), Babasónicos shifted into a more pop-influenced sound and reached massive mainstream success, becoming one of Latin America's top bands.

Their follow up records, Infame (2003), Anoche (2005) , Mucho (2008), A Propósito (2011), Romantisismico (2014) and Discutible (2018), further expended this sound and merged it with their early psychedelic and experimental influences.

In 1999 they collaborated with alternative rock artist Ian Brown on a track for his second studio album, Golden Greats, that bears their name.

In early 2008, the official site informed that after a long and painful struggle with Hodgkins lymphoma, bass player Gabriel "Gabo" Mannelli passed away on January the 12th. He was 38 years old.
Since then, Babasónicos teamed up with long-time-friend Carca to temporarily replace Gabo, until late 2011 when Tuta Torres (ex-bassist from Los Látigos) joined the group as their new official bass player, with Carca now serving as a multi-instrumentalist.

Bandido
Babasónicos Lyrics

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Abandono la ciudad
borré todas mis huellas
y mi historia personal
mañana tendrá otro nombre
a mis amores olvido
nada prometo, ni pido
al solitario mundo sigo
sé que los malos

viven más
y la pasan mejor
que el Don del hombre
la encontré en el descampado
y la llevé a la caverna
la hice mía
y se durmió
escapé entre la niebla
y les dejé a los felinos
el desayuno servido
se abalanzan famelicos
al manjar
sé que los malos
viven más
y la pasan mejor
que el Don del hombre
en el cielo, no hay lugar
para que mi alma descanse
ni siquiera religión
porque no busco, perdón
me quedaré
sin motivos
me tragaré en el vicio
como un pirata
retirado, del mar.
sé que los malos
viven más
y la pasan mejor
que el Don del hombre
sé que los malos
viven más

y la pasan mejor
que el Don del hombre

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bandido by Babasónicos tell the story of a man who has abandoned the city and erased all traces of himself to start a new life with a new persona. He has left his past and his loved ones behind with no promises or demands. He believes that the bad guys live longer and have a better time than honest people. He found a woman in the wilderness and took her to his hideout where he made her his own. As she slept, he escaped, leaving the hungry cats to feast on the breakfast he had provided.

The man has no intention of seeking forgiveness or religion. He chooses to live without any reason, indulging in his vices like a retired pirate. He knows that the bad guys live longer and have more fun than the good guys. The lyrics suggest that the man prefers to live a life on the edge and enjoy his passions, be they good or bad, instead of living a boring and safe life.

Line by Line Meaning

Abandono la ciudad
I'm leaving the city behind

borré todas mis huellas
I've erased all my tracks

y mi historia personal
And my personal history

mañana tendrá otro nombre
Tomorrow I'll have a new name

a mis amores olvido
I forget my loves

nada prometo, ni pido
I promise or ask for nothing

al solitario mundo sigo
I follow this lonely world

sé que los malos viven más y la pasan mejor que el Don del hombre
I know that the bad guys live longer and have a better time than the gift of man

la encontré en el descampado
I found her in the wasteland

y la llevé a la caverna
And took her to the cave

la hice mía
I made her mine