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.

Este Mundo
Gipsy Kings Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Deja vivir en este mundo
Para recordamos en nuestro amor
Para vivir asi ya tengo
Deja vivir en este mundo

Ta bada bada bada bada bada bada bada
Tab tab tab tabadaba tabadaba

Canta un canto de gitano
Yo vivire why siempre yo cantare
Siempre la vida la vivimos
Vivire, cantare

Ta bada bada bada bada bada bada bada
Tab tab tab tabadaba tabadaba

Deja vivir en este mundo
Para nunca no mas llorando
Vivir a nuestra vida siempre estoy
Deja para vivir tormento

Ta bada bada bada bada bada bada bada
Tab tab tab tabadaba tabadaba

(gipsy kings)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Gipsy Kings' song Este Mundo speak to the idea of allowing oneself to live and love freely in this world. The opening line "Deja vivir en este mundo" translates to "Let us live in this world" or "Allow us to live in this world." The singer is asking for freedom to love and live without fear or judgment. They acknowledge that by living freely in love they will create memories and joy worth remembering. The use of repetition in both the verses and chorus, particularly the phrase "Ta bada bada bada," adds to the uplifting tone of the song, symbolizing the joy and energy of living life fully.

The lyrics continue with the singer expressing a desire to sing and live like a gypsy, embracing the free-spirited lifestyle they are known for. The line "Canta un canto de gitano" translates to "Sing a song of a gypsy," and the singer declares they will always live and sing in this manner. The song seeks to inspire listeners to live authentically and to embrace the beauty of life. The use of the Spanish language and the flamenco-inspired guitar in the music provide a cultural touchstone and a nod to the band's Roma heritage.

Line by Line Meaning

Deja vivir en este mundo
Let us live in this world

Para recordamos en nuestro amor
To remember our love

Para vivir asi ya tengo
I already have what it takes to live like this

Ta bada bada bada bada bada bada bada
Instrumental

Canta un canto de gitano
Sing a gypsy song

Yo vivire why siempre yo cantare
I will live and always sing

Siempre la vida la vivimos
We always live life

Vivire, cantare
I will live, I will sing

Deja vivir en este mundo
Let us live in this world

Para nunca no mas llorando
To never cry again

Vivir a nuestra vida siempre estoy
I am always living my life

Deja para vivir tormento
Leave behind suffering to live

Ta bada bada bada bada bada bada bada
Instrumental

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDRE REYES, FRANCOIS REYES, JACQUES BALIARDO, MAURICE BALIARDO, NICOLAS REYES, TONINO BALIARDO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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