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.
Amor
Gipsy Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un amor vivi
Llorando y me decía
Las palabras de dios
Llorando por ti
Es con amor
Un amor
Llorando y atormentado
Las palabras de dios
Llorando por ti
Es con amor
Ay para ya vivir
A junta ti
Me enamore yo de ti
Y sin tus besos yo no puedo
Vivir y recordar
Ay para ya vivir
A cunta ti
Me enamore yo de ti
Y sin tus besos yo no puedo
Vivir y recordar
Yo quisiera
Para tenderlo un amor y saber
Que me queria y atormentado
Las palabras de dios
Llorando por ti
Es con amor
Ay para ya vivir
A cunta ti
Me enamore yo de ti
Y sin tus besos yo no puedo
Vivir y recordar
Ay para ya vivir
A cunta ti
Me enamore yo de ti
Y sin tus besos yo no puedo
Vivir y recordar
The lyrics to Gipsy Kings’ song Un Amor express the intense and emotional experience of loving someone deeply. The singer recalls a love that he once had and how he cried while telling her that all he felt was with love and devotion. He describes being tormented and crying for her, but always with love. The lyrics highlight how the love he had was so strong that he cannot live without her, and her kisses are so essential to him. The singer wishes to love her with a love that is true and to know if she loved him as much as he did.
The song has a strong emotional tone and speaks to the pain of losing someone you love. The repetition of the phrases, "Un amor" and "Llorando por ti" make the song meaningful and memorable, emphasizing the emotions that the singer experienced. The lyrics also convey a deep sense of hope and longing, as the singer yearns to be reunited with the person he loves. The mix of Spanish guitar and flamenco-style vocals create a very emotional and passionate sound that suits the lyrics perfectly.
Line by Line Meaning
Un amor
A love
Un amor vivi
I lived a love
Llorando y me decía
Crying and saying to me
Las palabras de dios
The words of God
Llorando por ti
Crying for you
Es con amor
It's with love
Ay para ya vivir
Oh, to live already
A junta ti
Together with you
Me enamore yo de ti
I fell in love with you
Y sin tus besos yo no puedo
And without your kisses, I can't
Vivir y recordar
Live and remember
A cunta ti
Account to you
Yo quisiera
I would like
Para tenderlo un amor y saber
To give you a love and know
Que me queria y atormentado
If you loved me and tormented
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JACQUES PACO BALIARDO, MAURICE DIEGO BALIARDO, TONINO ANTOINE BALIARDO, ANDRE REYES, FRANCOIS CANUT REYES, NICOLAS REYES, PATCHAI REYES, PAUL REYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Recep Halil Gültekin
on Un Amor
Vuoi amare Bedla