Heroes del Silencio started in 1984 as a band named Zumo de Vidrio. The original members were Enrique Bunbury, Juan Valdivia and his brother, and Pedro Andreu. Bunbury was originally a bass player but after Juan Valdivia heard him singing a David Bowie song and told him that he had a great voice, Bunbury became the vocalist. Later on, Joaquin Cardiel joins the line-up.
The band changed their name to Heroes del Silencio in 1986. At first they played in public places and made demos but their break came when they participated in a music contest in Salamanca and won second place - an EMI producer, Gustavo Montesano, saw the band in the contest and some time later, at a concert in Sala En Bruto, he signed the band.
Their first EP, Héroe de Leyenda, was released in in 1987 and sold 30,000 copies. The following year, the album El Mar No Cesa was released, featuring the songs "Mar Adentro", "Agosto" and "El Estanque", and sold 100,000 copies. The supporting tour followed in 1989, documented on the limited edition live album En Directo.
In 1990 they released Senderos de Traicion, their best-selling album with 2 million copies, including 400,000 copies in the first two weeks in Spain alone. The following year they started the tour "Senda 91" and released another live album, Senda 91. 1992 saw the most important CD in their career, El Espiritu del Vino. They sold 600,000 copies of this album which was played throughout America. They followed this with a tour for El Espiritu del Vino. In 1993, Alan Bogulavsky joined the band.
Due to tensions within the band, they took a hiatus and went to Benasque to take a vacation and heal the rifts within the group. After this break they gained a new producer, Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Alice Cooper, Kiss, etc.) and in 1995 released Avalancha, widely considered their best album. Avalancha was more hard rock than previous albums, with songs like "Avalancha", "Deshacer El Mundo" and "Iberia Sumergida". The album was followed by the "Avalancha" tour in 1995 and 1996, which produced the live album Para Siempre.
The band split in 1996 though this did not prevent the release of the Rarezas album in 1998.
2007 Reunion tour
20 years after their first album, and 10 years after they split up, the band announced a ten concerts reunion tour, taking in Guatemala City, Buenos Aires, Monterrey, Ciudad de México, Los Ángeles, Sevilla, Zaragoza and Valencia. For this tour, guitarist Gonzalo Valdivia (Juan Valdivia's brother) replaced former band member Alan Bogulavsky. More than 10,000 people attended each concert. The tour was followed by another live album, Tour 2007.
After the tour, singer-songwriter Enrique Bunbury announced the definitive split of the band and that he would be focusing in his solo career.
Los Placeres De La Pobreza
Héroes del Silencio Lyrics
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Y sus verdades olvidadas,
La malilla de día mantes,
Hacia la hoja de palma,
A través de la radio temblé,
Y pagar con la moneda de la curiosidad,
En el suministro de charas,
Masturbación de interrogantes,
Un susurro de hilo de plata,
Cegados por la voz de la inexperiencia,
Nos arrastramos sin pensar,
A lomos del desierto hacia las cavernas,
Las huellas del peregrino me guiarán,
Mi ciudad estaba muerta antes de nacer,
Pura sangre desbocado,
Detesto a los tibios de vocación,
Y dicen que a la fuerza ahorcan,
Cegados por la voz de la inexperiencia,
Nos arrastramos sin pensar,
A lomos del desierto hacia las cavernas,
Las huellas del peregrino me guiarán,
Ningún otro cielo en la tierra,
Cruza la cara al sí y al no,
Dejando condena y cadenas,
Del lado opuesto a la razón,
Y los placeres de la pobreza han vencido,
A mi burlada revolución,
Y los placeres de la pobreza han vencido,
A mi burlada revolución,
Cegados por la voz de la inexperiencia,
Nos arrastramos sin pensar,
A lomos del desierto hacia las cavernas,
Las huellas del peregrino me guiarán,
Ningún otro cielo en la tierra,
Cruza la cara al sí y al no,
Dejando condena y cadenas,
Del lado opuesto a la razón
The lyrics of Héroes del Silencio's song "Los Placeres De La Pobreza" describe the struggles of poverty and the impact it has on individuals and society. The verses paint a vivid picture of the poverty-stricken towns and forgotten truths of the past. It delves into the desperation of individuals resorting to questionable activities, such as paying for their curiosity with drug use or seeking pleasure in questionable ways.
The lyrics also touch on the power of false information and the dangers of being swayed by it. The song's chorus speaks of the pleasures of poverty, which have won over the "mocked revolution" of the singer, suggesting that despite their efforts, the cycle of poverty cannot be broken.
The song highlights the anger and frustration towards those who are not willing to take a stand and make a difference, with lyrics such as "Detesto a los tibios de vocación" (I detest the lukewarm of vocation) indicating a disdain for those who lack passion and drive for change. The song ends with an allusion to the journey of the pilgrims, with the hope that their footsteps will guide the singer towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
La vejez de los pueblos de estirpe divina,
The ancient wisdom of divine lineage's people,
Y sus verdades olvidadas,
And their forgotten truths,
La malilla de día mantes,
The daily grind,
Hacia la hoja de palma,
Towards the palm leaf,
A través de la radio temblé,
I quivered through the radio waves,
Y pagar con la moneda de la curiosidad,
And pay with the currency of curiosity,
En el suministro de charas,
In the supply of hashish,
Masturbación de interrogantes,
Self-gratification of questions,
Para sólo escuchar,
Just to hear,
Un susurro de hilo de plata,
A whisper of silver thread,
Cegados por la voz de la inexperiencia,
Blinded by the voice of inexperience,
Nos arrastramos sin pensar,
We drag ourselves without thinking,
A lomos del desierto hacia las cavernas,
On the back of the desert towards the caves,
Las huellas del peregrino me guiarán,
The pilgrim's footsteps will guide me,
Mi ciudad estaba muerta antes de nacer,
My city was dead before its birth,
Pura sangre desbocado,
Unbridled pure blood,
Detesto a los tibios de vocación,
I detest those with half-hearted vocations,
Y dicen que a la fuerza ahorcan,
And they say that force works,
Ningún otro cielo en la tierra,
No other heaven on earth,
Cruza la cara al sí y al no,
Confronts both yes and no directly,
Dejando condena y cadenas,
Leaving condemnation and chains,
Del lado opuesto a la razón,
On the opposite side of reason,
Y los placeres de la pobreza han vencido,
And the pleasures of poverty have triumphed,
A mi burlada revolución,
Over my mocked revolution,
Cegados por la voz de la inexperiencia,
Blinded by the voice of inexperience,
Nos arrastramos sin pensar,
We drag ourselves without thinking,
A lomos del desierto hacia las cavernas,
On the back of the desert towards the caves,
Las huellas del peregrino me guiarán,
The pilgrim's footsteps will guide me,
Ningún otro cielo en la tierra,
No other heaven on earth,
Cruza la cara al sí y al no,
Confronts both yes and no directly,
Dejando condena y cadenas,
Leaving condemnation and chains,
Del lado opuesto a la razón
On the opposite side of reason
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ENRIQUE ORTIZ LANDAZURI YZARDUY, JOAQUIN CARDIEL GERICO, JUAN VALDIVIA NAVARRO, PEDRO LUIS ANDREU LAPIEDRA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind