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.
Ruptura
Gipsy Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
que tu no tienes acabar
que bendices tu hermosura
aunque se pagara el amor
el dinero, el dinero,
el dinero
Yo tendre que erosinarme
el se quite tu hermosura
no me pidas que te quiera
tu hermosura, tu hermosura,
tu hermosura
Besides me
what else have you finished
you bless your beauty
even though love will be paid
with money, with money,
with money
I will have to hope
that your beauty is taken away
ay I know that I live crying
don't ask me to love you
your beauty, your beauty,
your beauty
The lyrics of Gipsy Kings' song Ruptura are about a person's realization that their romantic relationship with their partner is based solely on the physical aspect of their partner's beauty. The person acknowledges that their partner's beauty is the only thing they bring to the relationship, and questions why they continue to stay with them. The chorus repeats the phrase "tu hermosura" (your beauty) multiple times, emphasizing the focus on physical appearance in their relationship. The person acknowledges that they will have to rely on hope that their partner's beauty will fade so they can move on from the relationship. The lyrics also suggest a sense of sadness and heartbreak, as the person admits to living in a state of constant tears.
The song is reflective of the Gipsy Kings' cultural roots and the themes of traditional flamenco music. The lyrics convey the true essence of flamenco - the pain that it represents, the emotion and struggle. The song speaks of love, but not in the romanticized version often portrayed in popular culture. Instead, it highlights the harsh and painful reality of love, symbolically representing the heartbreak that exists in relationships where the external appearance of a partner is the sole measure of their worth.
Line by Line Meaning
Besides me
Apart from myself
what else have you finished
What else have you accomplished
you bless your beauty
You praise your own beauty
even though love will be paid
Even though love comes at a cost
with money, with money, with money
Money is the only way to pay for love
I will have to hope
I will have to wish
that your beauty is taken away
That your beauty fades
ay I know that I live crying
I know that I am always crying
don't ask me to love you
Don't request that I love you
your beauty, your beauty, your beauty
Your beauty is the only thing you have to offer
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FRANCOIS REYES, JAHLOUL BOUCHIKHI, MAURICE BALIARDO, NICHOLAS REYES, PATCHAI REYES, PAUL REYES, TONINO BALIARDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Recep Halil Gültekin
on Un Amor
Vuoi amare Bedla