El Gran Combo originated as an offshoot of the popular Puerto Rican band El Combo de Rafael Cortijo. Invited to start a new group with Joseito Mateo, a singer from the Dominican Republic, Ithier and six fellow musicians dropped out of Cortijo's band to start their new enterprise. The move shocked the Latin music world. "You were not supposed to leave Puerto Rico's favorite group like that," Ithier told Montreal's Gazette, "but the discipline was not very good anymore…. I did not want to be with a band that was not ready to work."
The new band was not lacking in discipline. Its members—including Rafael Alvarez Guedes (who chose the band's name), Eddie Pérez, Héctor Santos, Roberto Rohena, Rogelio Vélez, Martín Quiñones, and Miguel Cruz —prized teamwork and organization as much as they did musical talent. In 1962 the group recorded its first album, Meneame los Mangos (Shake My Mangos). The album was not a hit and the band was not an overnight sensation, but El Gran Combo were willing to work for their success.
It was three or four years before El Gran Combo reached that success, which arrived not long after the group recruited a promising young singer named Junior Montañhez (later known as Andy Montañez). With Montañez joining singer Pellin Rodriguez on vocals, the band turned out hit after hit—catchy dance tunes with such names as "El Menu," "Telefono," and "Goyito Sabater." The songwriting talent behind these and other hits was Perin Vazquez, whose lyrics told tales of everyday passions and universal longings. Working closely with Vazquez, Ithier created lively arrangements for piano, bass, trumpets, saxophone, congas, timbales, and bongos.
The group had released the album Acangana in 1963, just two days before the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Although distribution of the album was postponed because of the tragedy, the recording eventually reached gold-record status. In 1970 the band created EGC, an independent record label under which they released a number of albums, beginning with that year's recording, El Momo de Oro.
El Gran Combo gradually rose to become the first name in salsa within Puerto Rico, winning the island's prestigious Agueybana de Oro prize for the Best Band of 1969. Slowly, word about the band began to spread beyond the island's borders, and from 1971 to 1986 the band's international popularity was at its peak. During this time, El Gran Combo attracted a series of gifted young salsa performers—including singers Charlie Aponte, Johnny Ventura, Celia Cruz, and Jerry Rivas, and musicians Miguel Marrero, Milton Correa, Edwin Cortes, and Martin Quinones. In fact, so many exceptional salsa performers "graduated" from El Gran Combo that the band became affectionately known as the University of Salsa.
For many fans, El Gran Combo is synonymous with salsa—a musical genre that fuses Cuban and Puerto Rican sounds. Headed by three lead singers, El Gran Combo has always drawn dynamic energy from vocals. True to the salsa style, the group balances a vibrant horn section and a rhythmic percussion beat, tempered by the less-prominent bass and piano. One secret to El Gran Combo's long-lived success has been the group's ability to keep its music evolving and to remain open to new, fresh sounds. In 1971 the band added a trombone to its repertoire, played by Epifanio (Fanny) Ceballo. The recording De Punta a Punta, which won best album at Miami's Gold Record Festival, marked the debut of Ceballo, who remained with the band until his death in 1991.
More changes came for El Gran Combo in the mid-1970s, when Pellin Rodriguez left the band and was eventually replaced by the popular vocalist Charlie Aponte. By 1977 the vocalist Montañez also departed, joining the Venezuelan group La Dimensión Latina. Montañez's departure shocked and saddened fans, but his replacement, Jerry Rivas, soon won over audiences.
In 1984 El Gran Combo toured Alaska, where they produced Breaking the Ice—El Gran Combo en Alaska, which received a Grammy Award nomination. The band toured internationally throughout the 1980s and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1987 with a historic concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Although many music critics thought El Gran Combo was past its peak by the 1990s, the band held on to its core group of devoted fans. "When they had singer Andy Montañez, they used to be the music machine of the Caribbean," Rudolph Mangual, publisher of the Los Angeles dance-music magazine Latin Beat, told the Los Angeles Times in 1996. "Obviously, they're way past their prime, but they're so good that they still matter…. [T]heir collective presence has a unique magnetism."
Although the band is an ensemble, one key figure stands out in El Gran Combo: Ithier, who has either outlasted or outlived the band's other cofounders. Many fans regard him as the group's heart and soul, yet Ithier has always emphasized the band's lack of hierarchy. "[El Gran Combo] has persevered because of its system," Ithier told Billboard magazine. "We share everything: our successes, our failures, our earnings. Everything is evenly distributed. And this is an incentive for the band. Everything we make, we divide."
Y No Hago Mas Na'
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me doy un baño y me perfumo
Me como un buen desayuno
Y no hago más na', más na'
Después yo leo la prensa
Yo leo hasta las esquelas
O me pongo a ver novelas
A la hora de las doce
Yo me como un buen almuerzo
De arroz con habichuelas
Y carne guisa, y no hago más na'
Después me voy a la hamaca
A dormir una siestita
Y a veces duermo dos horas
Y a veces más, y no hago más na'
Y me levanto como a las tres
Y me tomo un buen café
Me fumo un cigarillito con mi guitarra
Y me pongo a cantar
A la la, a la la, a la la lara la lara
Y a la hora de la comida
Me prepara mi mujer
Un bistec con papas fritas
Con ensalada y mil cosas más
Me lo mango y no hago más na'
Luego me voy al balcón
Cual si fuera un gran señor
A mecerme en el sillón
Con mi mujer a platicar
A larara la la
¡Ay!, cuando se me pega el sueño
Enseguidita me voy a acostar
Y duermo hasta por la mañana
Y no hago más na', más na'
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
¡Oigan!, yo nunca he doblado el lomo
Y no pierdan su tiempo, no voy a cambiar, ¡qué va!
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
Señores, si yo estoy declarado en huelga, ¡si!
¡Mi mujer que me mantenga! ¿Oíste?
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
Qué bueno, qué bueno, qué bueno
Qué bueno es vivir la vida
¡Comiendo, durmiendo y no haciendo na'!
Oiga compay, ¿usted sabe lo que es estar en un sillón mece que te mece?
Esperando que lleguen los cupones, welfare y el seguro social
¡Así cualquiera!
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
Recibiendo la pensión por loco
De loco yo no tengo na', ¡listo que soy!
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
Qué bueno
Tráeme un plato de mondongo
Arroz, habichuela y carne guisa, para empezar
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
¿Quién trabajara? ¿Quién, yo?
Búscate a otro, yo ya hice lo que iba a hacer, mijo
The song "Y No Hago Mas Na'" by El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico is a celebration of the simple and idle life. The song's protagonist describes their daily routine, which involves waking up in the morning, taking a bath, reading the newspaper, watching soap operas, having lunch, taking a nap, playing the guitar, chatting with their spouse on the balcony, and sleeping at night. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase, "Y no hago más na', más na'," which means "and I don't do anything else, anything else." The song is an anthem for those who relish a carefree and lazy lifestyle.
The lyrics of "Y No Hago Mas Na'" serve as social commentary on the work culture in Puerto Rico. The song's lyrics suggest that many people in Puerto Rico are unemployed or underemployed and rely on government assistance programs, such as welfare and social security. The song challenges the notion that one must work hard and be productive to lead a fulfilling life, and instead celebrates the joys of a simple and idle existence. The song's lyrics also touch on gender roles, as the singer's wife is responsible for preparing their meals and taking care of them financially while the singer enjoys their leisure time.
Overall, "Y No Hago Mas Na'" is a cheerful and humorous song that celebrates the joys of a carefree and lazy lifestyle. The song has become a cultural icon in Puerto Rico and is often played at parties and celebrations.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo me levanto por la mañana
I wake up in the morning
Me doy un baño y me perfumo
I take a shower and put on perfume
Me como un buen desayuno
I have a good breakfast
Y no hago más na', más na'
And I don't do anything else
Después yo leo la prensa
Then I read the news
Yo leo hasta las esquelas
I even read the obituaries
O me pongo a ver novelas
Or I watch soap operas
Y no hago más na', más na'
And I don't do anything else
A la hora de las doce
At noon
Yo me como un buen almuerzo
I have a good lunch
De arroz con habichuelas
Rice and beans
Y carne guisa, y no hago más na'
And stewed meat, and I don't do anything else
Después me voy a la hamaca
Then I go to the hammock
A dormir una siestita
To take a little nap
Y a veces duermo dos horas
Sometimes I sleep for two hours
Y a veces más, y no hago más na'
And sometimes more, and I don't do anything else
Y me levanto como a las tres
And I wake up around three
Y me tomo un buen café
And I have a good coffee
Me fumo un cigarillito con mi guitarra
I smoke a cigarette with my guitar
Y me pongo a cantar
And I start to sing
A la la, a la la, a la la lara la lara
La la la la la la la la
Y a la hora de la comida
And at dinner time
Me prepara mi mujer
My wife prepares me
Un bistec con papas fritas
A steak with French fries
Con ensalada y mil cosas más
With salad and many other things
Me lo mango y no hago más na'
I eat it all and don't do anything else
Luego me voy al balcón
Then I go to the balcony
Cual si fuera un gran señor
Like I was a big shot
A mecerme en el sillón
To rock in the armchair
Con mi mujer a platicar
To chat with my wife
A larara la la
La la la la la
¡Ay!, cuando se me pega el sueño
When I get sleepy
Enseguidita me voy a acostar
I go to bed right away
Y duermo hasta por la mañana
And sleep until the morning
Y no hago más na', más na'
And I don't do anything else
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
(It's good to live like this, eating and not working)
¡Oigan!, yo nunca he doblado el lomo
Listen, I've never broken my back
Y no pierdan su tiempo, no voy a cambiar, ¡qué va!
Don't waste your time, I'm not going to change, no way!
Señores, si yo estoy declarado en huelga, ¡si!
If I'm on strike, yes!
¡Mi mujer que me mantenga! ¿Oíste?
My wife will support me, got it?
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
(It's good to live like this, eating and not working)
Qué bueno, qué bueno, qué bueno
How good, how good, how good
Qué bueno es vivir la vida
How good it is to live life
¡Comiendo, durmiendo y no haciendo na'!
Eating, sleeping, and not doing anything!
Oiga compay, ¿usted sabe lo que es estar en un sillón mece que te mece?
Hey, buddy, do you know what it's like to be in a rocking chair?
Esperando que lleguen los cupones, welfare y el seguro social
Waiting for food stamps, welfare, and social security
¡Así cualquiera!
Anyone can do that!
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
(It's good to live like this, eating and not working)
Recibiendo la pensión por loco
Receiving a pension for being crazy
De loco yo no tengo na', ¡listo que soy!
I'm not crazy, I'm all good!
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
(It's good to live like this, eating and not working)
Qué bueno
How good
Tráeme un plato de mondongo
Bring me a plate of tripe soup
Arroz, habichuela y carne guisa, para empezar
Rice, beans, and stewed meat, to start with
(Qué bueno es vivir así, comiendo y sin trabajar)
(It's good to live like this, eating and not working)
¿Quién trabajara? ¿Quién, yo?
Who will work? Who, me?
Búscate a otro, yo ya hice lo que iba a hacer, mijo
Find someone else, I've done what I was supposed to do, son
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Chiquitin Garcia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind