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.
Montana
Gipsy Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A la montana donde naci
No puedo vivir, a la noche del camino ir
Al del cielo, yo miraba una estrella
No puedo vivir al lado del camino ir
Que no vivo, pasa el tiempo
A la montana donde naci
No puedo vivir, que al lado del camino ir
Que no vivo, pasa el tiempo del camino
Tidadoudi tadoudi tadoudi
Lon lei lon lei lon lei
Ti loulali talouli dilouli
Yo voy caminando
A la montana donde naci
Yo voy caminando
A la montaña donde naci
The lyrics to Gipsy Kings' "Montana" describe the singer's journey back to the mountain where they were born. The lyrics suggest that the singer feels a deep connection to their homeland, and is compelled to return to it. They express the sentiment that they cannot live away from the mountain, and that time passes meaninglessly when they are not there.
The use of repetition in the chorus ("Yo voy caminando/A la montana donde naci") emphasizes the singer's determination and sense of purpose in making this journey. The use of the phrase "No puedo vivir" (I cannot live) adds a sense of urgency to the lyrics, suggesting that the singer feels incomplete or unsettled without being near the mountain.
Overall, these lyrics reflect the idea of nostalgia for one's roots and the desire to return to a place of personal significance. The song can be seen as a celebration of the connection between people and the places they call home.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo voy caminando
I am walking towards the mountain where I was born.
A la montana donde naci
I am going to the place where I was born, the mountain.
No puedo vivir, a la noche del camino ir
I cannot live by walking aimlessly at night on the path.
Al del cielo, yo miraba una estrella
When I looked at the sky, I saw a star.
No puedo vivir al lado del camino ir
I cannot live by wandering on the roadside.
Que no vivo, pasa el tiempo
If I don't live my life, time simply goes by.
No puedo vivir, que al lado del camino ir
I cannot live by aimlessly wandering on the roadside.
Que no vivo, pasa el tiempo del camino
If I don't live my life, time simply goes by on the path.
Tidadoudi tadoudi tadoudi
Lyrics are not understandable, but they have a rhythmic value.
Lon lei lon lei lon lei
Lyrics are not understandable, but they have a rhythmic value.
Ti loulali talouli dilouli
Lyrics are not understandable, but they have a rhythmic value.
Yo voy caminando
I am walking.
A la montana donde naci
I am going to the place where I was born, the mountain.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NICOLAS REYES, TONINO BALIARDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Un Amor
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