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.
Pasajero
Gipsy Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sus ojos su pelo negro, me estoy enamorado
La gente le decía que a mí me conocía
La gente le decía que a mí me gusta la mujeres
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Que yo no soy prisionero de una sola mujer
de una sola mujer, de una sola mujer
Que yo no soy prisionero de una sola mujer
de una sola mujer, de una sola mujer
Estoy enamorado de su cuerpo y su cara
Sus ojos me illuminan como estrella del cielo
Quisiera preguntarla si a mí me quiere
Decir a su familia que yo la quiero tanto
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor
In "Pasajero," the Gipsy Kings sing about their love for a woman who they only know briefly. The woman is described as wearing a white dress, with black hair and eyes that captivate the singer. The lyrics suggest that the singer has fallen deeply in love with her, despite only knowing her for a short time. The singer is also aware that others are talking about him and his attraction to women, but he is not interested in being tied down to just one person. This sentiment is repeated throughout the song, with the chorus "Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, del amor" meaning "I am a passenger, a passenger of love." The singer feels that he is not a prisoner of one woman and is free to love as many women as he wants.
The lyrics convey the idea of fleeting love and the desire for freedom in relationships. The singer realizes that love can be temporary and that it is not necessary to tie oneself down to one person. The use of the word "pasajero" emphasizes this idea of transience, indicating that love is like a journey with different stops along the way.
"Pasajero" is based on a traditional flamenco-style rhythm known as the rumba. The Gipsy Kings, who are from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, are known for their incorporation of traditional Spanish and Andalusian music into their sound. The use of the rumba rhythm in "Pasajero" contributes to the song's romantic and passionate tone.
Line by Line Meaning
La niña que me quería tiene un vestido blanco
The girl who loved me is wearing a white dress
Sus ojos su pelo negro, me estoy enamorado
Her black hair and eyes have captured my heart
La gente le decía que a mí me conocía
People told her they knew me
La gente le decía que a mí me gusta la mujeres
People told her that I like women
Yo soy pasajero, pasajero, pasajero, pasajero
I am a passenger, a passenger of love
Que yo no soy prisionero de una sola mujer
I am not a prisoner of one woman
Estoy enamorado de su cuerpo y su cara
I am in love with her body and face
Sus ojos me illuminan como estrella del cielo
Her eyes shine like stars in the sky
Quisiera preguntarla si a mí me quiere
I want to ask her if she loves me
Decir a su familia que yo la quiero tanto
Tell her family how much I love her
Contributed by Camilla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elisabete Lopes
O Pedro Silva dos TV5 cantava e tocava este tema como ninguém,de arrepiar de tão bem que o fazia!!!!
brigisanchez
Ole mis Gipsy Kings...
Imac M
no son los tujos soloito. MI familia estan en madrid y estoy end california. estoy trite de mi tetra. estoy en tu lado ole
tuly Gigena
Muy buena musica !!!!!
Maria Morena
Excelente música buenos exponentes d las Guitarras desde los años 1984 los escucho dijeron q venían a Perú?