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.

La Quiero
Gipsy Kings Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver
La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver

Ay, se que ella que ella no me queria
Que yo la quiero de verdad
La niña de la piel morena

Los ojos negros, tenia la piel morena
Que yo la quiero de verdad
Te pongas ya a bailar

La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver
La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver

Esta tan fiero, yo la quiero de verdad
Esa mujer de piel morena
Yo la quiero de verdad
Yo la camelo yo la camelo de verdad
Esa mujer de piel morena
Yo la quiero de verdad

La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver
La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver

Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo

Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
Lo lai lo, lo lai lo

Overall Meaning

The song La Quiero by Gipsy Kings speaks about a lover's desire for a woman who has stopped loving him. The lyrics express his love and admiration for her physical appearance, particularly her dark skin and black eyes. He admits that he knows she doesn't love him back, yet he still wants her. The song's chorus repeatedly states "La quiero" which means "I love her" in English. The lyrics build on this theme, with the singer repeating that he loves her despite her rejection.

The verses go on to describe the woman's beauty in detail. Her dark skin tone and black eyes are contrasted against the singer's lighter skin, emphasizing her exotic appearance. The repetition of the phrase "de verdad" or "for real" emphasizes his deep feelings for her. The song ends with a series of "lo lai los," repeating the song's title phrase in a chant-like fashion.

Overall, the lyrics of La Quiero are about unrequited love and desire. Even though the woman doesn't love the singer back, he still admires her and wants to be with her. The song's upbeat melody and Latin rhythms add to the overall feeling of longing and desire.

Line by Line Meaning

La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
I love, I love, I love that woman

A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver
She doesn't love me anymore, I can see that

La quiero, la quiero la quiero a esa mujer
I love, I love, I love that woman

A mi ya no me queria que todo lo puedo ver
She doesn't love me anymore, I can see that

Ay, se que ella que ella no me queria
I know that she doesn't love me

Que yo la quiero de verdad
But I love her truly

La niña de la piel morena
The girl with the brown skin

Los ojos negros, tenia la piel morena
Her eyes were black, and she had brown skin

Que yo la quiero de verdad
But I love her truly

Te pongas ya a bailar
Let's start dancing

Esta tan fiero, yo la quiero de verdad
It's so strong, I love her truly

Esa mujer de piel morena
That woman with brown skin

Yo la camelo yo la camelo de verdad
I cherish her, I cherish her truly

Esa mujer de piel morena
That woman with brown skin

Yo la quiero de verdad
I love her truly

Lo lai lo, lo lai lo
La lai lai, la lai lai

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIO REYES, GEORGE REYES, JULIEN PATRAC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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