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.
El Mauro
Gipsy Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pero tenemos
Sabei lo que queremos
Pero tenemos
Salud why amor why libertao
Son lo prefiero
Ay vengo del mauro del mauro del mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
Del mauro
why tendras tu recompensa gitano
Por el senior de lo cielo
Porque l'amor se apaga
Entre lo malo why lo bueno
Ay vengo del mauro del mauro del mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
Del mauro
(gipsy kings/el pele-v. amigo-queco)
The lyrics of Gipsy Kings’ El Mauro speak about the desire for good health, love and freedom. The first few lines say “we know what we want but we have”, which can be interpreted as a reference to a sense of longing or dissatisfaction. However, the lyrics also emphasize that health, love and freedom are preferred over material possessions or other aspirations. The repetition of “sabei lo que queremos” highlights the importance of these values.
The song’s title, “El Mauro”, refers to a neighborhood in Jerez de la Frontera, a city in Andalusia, Spain that is known for its flamenco culture. The lines “ay vengo del mauro del mauro del mauro” suggest that the singer is from this neighborhood and that its culture has influenced them.
Later in the song, the lyrics are addressed to a “gitano” or gypsy and mention a reward for their actions. This could imply that the song is intended to be performed by or about gypsies. Lines like “por el senior de lo cielo” (“by the Lord of Heaven”) inject religious undertones into the lyrics and suggest that the song is also a prayer or a plea for divine intervention.
Overall, El Mauro is a culturally-referential song that sings about values that are universal and relatable, but grounded in the neighborhood and cultural background of the Gipsy Kings.
Line by Line Meaning
Sabei lo que queremos
We know what we want
Pero tenemos
But we have
Sabei lo que queremos
We know what we want
Pero tenemos
But we have
Salud why amor why libertao
Health, love, and freedom
Son lo prefiero
Are what we prefer
Ay vengo del mauro del mauro del mauro
Oh, I come from the mauro, the mauro, the mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
I come, I come from the mauro, the mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
I come, I come from the mauro, the mauro
Del mauro
Of the mauro
why tendras tu recompensa gitano
And you, gypsy, will have your reward
Por el senior de lo cielo
By the lord of the skies
Porque l'amor se apaga
Because love fades
Entre lo malo why lo bueno
Between the bad and the good
Ay vengo del mauro del mauro del mauro
Oh, I come from the mauro, the mauro, the mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
I come, I come from the mauro, the mauro
Vengo vengo del mauro del mauro
I come, I come from the mauro, the mauro
Del mauro
Of the mauro
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BALIARDO, EL PELE, REY, REYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fernandobrito5746
Ouvindo em 2021, com lembranças de tempos difíceis em minha vida, mas também tempos de honra, ao lado da mulher mais GUERREIRA que já conheci: minha mãe.
@vanisouza3630
AMO! Ah esse rítimo...! Sucesso sempre! 👏👏❤
@aliciasubi1397
Thank you por dejarme escuchar esta maravilla musical 👏👏👏👏🌻💞 pulgares abajo ??????? es música, no ruido , son gitanos, bravo 👏 familia Reyes. Nos vemos por ahí Besos ❣️
@mauroarmilles7710
Yo soy italiano y me llamo Mauro, Mucho gracias Gipsy Kings......
@rominagoroso3978
Mauro Armillès je Si si! Cierto! Es que yo no se en verdad, me lo pregunte cuando conoci esta canción, y veia buscaba si eb todos otros sitios videos esta canción se llama asi.. aunque sin sacar merito en verdad creo que se refiere a moro.
@mauriciotamayo6254
Mauro Armillès Y yo soy colombiano y me llamo Mauro también.
@xkelver007
Se me aguaron los ojos, por los recuerdos del ayer .....Seeee muy bueno!!!! Saludos desde el Perú.
@b.bigdaddy
it's so hard not to love their music..
a transformation to a different world altogether!
@garzon42
a beautiful RUMBA flamenca at its best, nobody like the GK to bring it out.enchanting to say the least ole!!
@rominagoroso3978
✨💖