Gipsy Kings is a music group from Arles and Montpellier, France. They expla… Read Full Bio ↴Gipsy Kings is a music group from Arles and Montpellier, France. They explained the evolution of their sound in the 1996 PBS documentary of their lives and music "Tierra Gitana (Gipsy Land)". Young brothers Nicolas, Canut and Paul Reyes accompanied their father, famed flamenco singer Jose Reyes, who started out singing "cante jondo" (deep chant), traditional flamenco with long-running themes of passion, love, death, etc. But they began playing rumba flamenca because "we liked to watch pretty girls dance," said Nicolas.

Latin American beats had been joined with flamenco by gitanos since at least the 1950s, mixing complex strumming with rhythmic, percussive tapping on their guitars' tops. The new Reyes generation — soon to meet and join up with three guitar-playing brothers from the Baliardo family — began creating more pop-oriented songs. They played at roma parties and at street corners until they got their chance to record under the group's new name, Gipsy Kings.

Sharp-eyed individuals might have noted that all the left-handed members of the group play guitars strung upside-down; this is usually as a result of the individuals' not having their own guitars when growing-up. Borrowing and playing a right-hander's the wrong way up was the only way to learn.

Band's story
They became popular with their self-titled first album, Gipsy Kings, which included the songs "Djobi Djoba ", "Bamboleo " and the romantic ballad "Un Amor". The song "Volare" on their second album Mosaique is a rumba version of Domenico Modugno's Italian hit "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu". The Gipsy Kings were enormously popular in France and throughout Europe along with the middle east. In 1989, Gipsy Kings was released in the United States and it spent 40 weeks on the charts, one of very few Spanish language albums to do so. Their cover version of "Hotel California" is an excellent example of fast flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic strumming (this version was featured in the Coen Brothers' movie The Big Lebowski).

In 1991 the Gipsy Kings provided flamenco guitar and backing vocals on Bananarama's version of "Long Train Running", using the pseudonym "Alma de Noche" ("Soul of the Night"). Also in '91, for a multi-artist project called "Simply Mad About the Mouse" — a compilation of new versions of songs from Disney films — the Kings contributed an annaly-crafted, fast-paced rumba flamenca version of "I've Got No Strings" from "Pinocchio" - replete with feverish flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic hand-claps (palmas). The lyrics' enthusiasm for freedom, not being tied down, fit the gipsy creed perfectly.

Their 1993 album "Love and Liberte" won the Latin Grammy Award for "Best Pop Album of the Year," and contained the enduring song "Montana," an emotional account of Roma chased from their birthplace by prejudice and persecution.

The '95 compilation "The Best of the Gipsy Kings" went platinum, staying on the charts more than one year. Albums "Mosaïque," "Allegria," "Este Mundo," "Gipsy Kings Live," "Love & Liberte," "Tierra Gitana," "Cantos de Amor" and "Volare! - the Very Best of the Gipsy Kings" went gold.

Lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo — who has always written the group's instrumentals — released his first solo album, Essences, in 2001; a second self-titled one followed in 2003.

Flamenco purists criticized their use of drum kits, electronic bass, and electronic keyboards and rock and reggae beats. Defenders say they helped create a new style.

Gipsy Kings' total album sales worldwide now exceed 18 million; they toured worldwide again in 2007. They are the world's best-selling music group from France in history, according to their website, where dates and places of their current tour can be found.

Years active: from 1987 till present.

Members
Gipsy Kings are members of two related families: the Reyes and the Baliardos (Reyes means Kings in Spanish). They are cousins of the flamenco great Manitas de Plata, lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo married his granddaughter. Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Andre and Patchai Reyes are sons of flamenco singer Jose Reyes. The Gipsy Kings are:

Nicolas Reyes: lead vocals, guitar
Paul Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Canut Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Patchai Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Andre Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Diego Baliardo: guitar
Paco Baliardo: guitar
Tonino Baliardo: lead guitar
Chico Bouchikhi was also a member of the Gipsy Kings, but quit after the album Mosaique.

A Tu Vera
Gipsy Kings Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A tu vera
A tu vera siempre la verita tuya
A tu vera siempre la verita tuya
Ai que no muera la pena
A tu vera
A tu vera siempre la verita tuya
A tu vera siempre la verita tuya
Ai que no muera la pena

A li ai li ai liai li ai li

Ai que ya acaba de ser te
Ai que yo me voy comprendo
Ai que acaba de ser te
Que me enamore que me enamore
Ai que yo me voy que parecerte
Que yo me voy echando tanta mia
Ai me enamore ai me enamore

A li ai li ai li ai li ai li

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Gipsy Kings’ “A Tu Vera” speak of the powerful pull that a person has over another, always being true to themselves and never letting their sorrows die. The repeated phrase “a tu vera,” meaning “by your side,” emphasizes the importance of this person in the singer’s life, and their unwavering presence is emphasized by the repetition of “siempre la verita tuya” which means “always your true self.” There is a sense of longing and sadness in the lyrics as the singer wishes that their pain and sorrow never fade away.

The song then shifts in tone as the singer realizes that the one who had such a hold on them is leaving. The repetition of the phrase “ai que ya acaba de ser te” which means “it’s already over for you” highlights the singer’s acceptance of the situation. The lyrics then speak of the singer falling in love with this person and even trying to imitate them as they leave. The final repeated phrase of “ai me enamore” (I fell in love) underscores the profound impact this person had on the singer’s life.

Overall, “A Tu Vera” is a nostalgic and emotive song that speaks to the enduring influence that some people can have on our lives. The longing and sadness in the lyrics are tempered by a firm acceptance of the situation, and the beauty of the song lies in its ability to tap into such raw and universal emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

A tu vera
By your side

A tu vera siempre la verita tuya
By your side, always the truth of yours

Ai que no muera la pena
Oh, let the pain not die

A li ai li ai liai li ai li
N/A

Ai que ya acaba de ser te
Oh, it's already been you

Ai que yo me voy comprendo
Oh, I understand that I'm leaving

Ai que acaba de ser te
Oh, it's just been you

Que me enamore que me enamore
That I fell in love, that I fell in love

Ai que yo me voy que parecerte
Oh, as I leave, I want to be like you

Que yo me voy echando tanta mia
As I leave, I'll pour out all of myself

Ai me enamore ai me enamore
Oh, I fell in love, oh, I fell in love