In March 1987 they released Soy una arveja, an album which unlike their previous record featured dark, humorous and satirical lyrics based around characters from the city of Tajo, a fictional city (an inside-joke between the members). This would also be their first album to feature the drummer Álvaro Pintos.
They would later release Emilio Garcia in 1988 and Canciones del Corazon in 1991. However, in 1994 with the release of Otra navidad en las trincheras the band unexpectedly gained massive popularity in Uruguay and stopped being a cult band. This caused Otra navidad en las trincheras to become the #1 best selling album in the country for a long time.
After the success of their previous album they released Barranca Abajo, a concept album revolving around the life of a fictional character named José Barrancas created by the band. The next year El tren bala was released and generated controversy throughout the country due to the Ministry of Education and Culture's attempts to ban the album over the song "El dia que Artigas se emborracho" which made fun of uruguayan national hero José Gervasio Artigas. However, this only expanded the group's popularity. Afterwards Revista ¡¡Ésta!! was released in 1998.
Riki Musso temporarily left the band in 2000 before the release of Cortamambo due to differences with their label and bandmates about the album cover. However, his brother convinced him to stay. Their 2004 self-titled album was the first to feature Juan Campodonico who would later produce all of their post-Cortamambo discography including Raro, a power pop album which made the band well known in other countries, allowing them to tour through South America. Riki would leave the band a second time due to musical differences with Bipolar being his last contribution to El Cuarteto de Nos.
Gustavo Antuña replaced guitarist Riki Musso in 2010 and joined the band alongside keyboardist Santiago Marrero. The first album to feature them both was the more pop rock influenced Porfiado which won two latin grammy awards.
La Paranoica
El Cuarteto De Nos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
mientras regreso hacia mi casa
mientras lo veo en esa esquina
miro sus ojos que me observan
Mientras telefoneé hacia casa
a mi marido desde el bar
mientras lo veo en esa mesa
Lo reconozco
es inquietante
me descoloca
y me causa miedo
y es inquietante
por lo excitante
que ese temor me resulta
Mientras estoy viajando en trolley
mientras lo veo en cualquier lugar
mientras siento sus manos y solo
veo sus ojos que me observan
Mientras estoy sentada en la plaza
mientras mis hijos juegan lo veo
mientras me desnuda con la mirada
veo sus ojos que me observan
Lo reconozco
es inquietante
me descoloca
y me causa miedo
y es inquietante
por lo excitante
que ese temor aún me resulta
Mientras estoy sola en mi casa
mientras lo veo en la ventana
mientras siento que me está violando
sólo veo sus ojos que me observan
veo sus ojos que me observan
veo sus ojos que me observan
veo sus ojos que me observan
The lyrics of El Cuarteto De Nos's song La Paranoica are a powerful portrayal of the fear that comes with being watched and observed by someone without your consent. The song delves into the various situations that the singer finds herself in - while walking on the street, calling her husband from a bar, traveling in trolley, sitting in a plaza with her children, and even while alone in her house. In each of these situations, she sees the same man watching her - it is unnerving, it makes her feel vulnerable and scared. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the fear is not just coming from being watched, but from the fact that the man's attention is frighteningly exciting as well.
The lyrics highlight the complexity of the emotions that come with being a woman in a patriarchal society where unwanted male attention is often an everyday reality. The fear, the anxiety, the anger, and even the excitement - all of these emotions are palpable in the song. The lyrics do an excellent job of portraying the experience of being watched and objectified by someone, and the impact it can have on a person's psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Mientras camino por la calle
As I walk down the street
mientras regreso hacia mi casa
As I return home
mientras lo veo en esa esquina
As I see him on that corner
miro sus ojos que me observan
I look at his eyes that are watching me
Mientras telefoneé hacia casa
As I called home
a mi marido desde el bar
To my husband from the bar
mientras lo veo en esa mesa
As I see him at that table
y veo sus ojos que me observan
And I see his eyes watching me
Lo reconozco
I recognize him
es inquietante
It's unsettling
me descoloca
It throws me off
y me causa miedo
And it frightens me
y es inquietante
And it's unsettling
por lo excitante
Because of how exciting
que ese temor me resulta
That fear feels to me
Mientras estoy viajando en trolley
As I'm traveling by trolley
mientras lo veo en cualquier lugar
As I see him anywhere
mientras siento sus manos y solo
As I feel his hands and only
veo sus ojos que me observan
I see his eyes watching me
Mientras estoy sentada en la plaza
As I'm sitting in the square
mientras mis hijos juegan lo veo
As I see him while my children play
mientras me desnuda con la mirada
As he undresses me with his gaze
veo sus ojos que me observan
I see his eyes watching me
Lo reconozco
I recognize him
es inquietante
It's unsettling
me descoloca
It throws me off
y me causa miedo
And it frightens me
y es inquietante
And it's unsettling
por lo excitante
Because of how exciting
que ese temor aún me resulta
That fear still feels to me
Mientras estoy sola en mi casa
As I'm alone in my house
mientras lo veo en la ventana
As I see him at the window
mientras siento que me está violando
As I feel like he is violating me
sólo veo sus ojos que me observan
I only see his eyes watching me
veo sus ojos que me observan
I see his eyes watching me
veo sus ojos que me observan
I see his eyes watching me
veo sus ojos que me observan
I see his eyes watching me
Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.