They were originally formed in 1987, and was meant to be a techno/new rave band led by a female vocalist. The original vocalist of the band was Lucía "Shia" Arbulu, female singer that returned to her hometown, Spain, in 1988, shortly after the release of the first EP of the group, which was entitled La Luna. This release that was later not considered part of La Ley's discography. Some time after Beto Cuevas joined as the new vocalist, and after a failed first album, Desiertos (1989), they released Doble Opuesto (1990), which appears as the official first album of the band. Singles like "Desiertos," "Tejedores de Ilusión," and "Prisioneros de la Piel" made them popular in Chile, Argentina and Mexico, especially after the release of La Ley, their second recording (1992).
After Bobe's death in 1994, La Ley continued with a new guitarist, Pedro Frugone, and released two more albums, Invisible (1995) and Vértigo (1998). Before the release of Vertigo, Rodrigo Aboitiz left the band, and in 1999, in the middle of the tour, bassist Luciano Rojas, left the band. They went on to form a new group named Saiko with former La Ley member, Ivan Delgado.
Their music became more pop and less experimental, and the musicians dropped their dark image. Not all of their fans were on board with the new style, but the album, Uno (2000), showed their maturation as a band and as a group. The band also became a trio after the departures of Rodrigo Aboitiz and Luciano Rojas. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
La Ley also performed on MTV Unplugged in 2001, and released an album of the performance, which went on to win a Latin Grammy award. Libertad (2003) is La Ley's last official album, also earning them their second Latin Grammy. In 2004, they released a greatest hits compilation (featuring three new songs: Mírate, Bienvenido al Anochecer, and Histeria) titled Historias e Histeria.
In 2005 Rodrigo Aboitiz and Luciano Rojas performed with the band at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival (Spanish: Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar) and after a tour around Latin America, the band said goodbye in Buenos Aires on September 29 of the same year, to work in their personal projects. They left open the possibility for a come back of La Ley in the future though.
Recently however, in 2014, the band has currently made a return and have embarked on a tour simply entitled 'The Re-tour'.
Paraíso
La Ley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y santo falso quiera ser para que el caos mismo luzca bien
Pasión
Traición
Poder
Quién manda si no hay ley
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quien pague el precio de llegar
No da sombra lo perverso
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quién pague el precio de llegar
Y tome al diablo de rehén why queme el pacto que firmó sin ver
Pasión
Traición
Poder
Quién manda si no hay rey
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quien pague el precio de verdad.
En la luz del universo
No da sombra lo perverso
En la luz del universo
No da sombra lo perverso
The lyrics of La Ley's song Paraíso describe a person's desire to reach paradise at any cost, even if it means paying a heavy price. They mention a false saint who wants to look good even in the midst of chaos. The themes of passion, betrayal, and power are also explored, as the lyrics ask who is in charge if there is no law or king. The last stanza mentions the universe's light, and how it doesn't cast a shadow on evil.
To understand the lyrics fully, one could interpret them as a critique of society's obsession with the idea of an idyllic paradise. It's suggested that the pursuit of such a paradise is often motivated by selfishness and greed, rather than altruism. People are willing to pay any price to reach such a place, and even those who present themselves as pure or holy may have ulterior motives. The lyrics seem to be saying that in a world without law or order, those who have power rule over everyone else, inflicting pain and suffering on those beneath them.
Interestingly, the repeated line about the universes' light not casting shadows on evil could be interpreted in a few ways. Firstly, it could mean that even in the most idealistic paradise, evil still exists. It could also mean that evil cannot exist in a place where there is true light or enlightenment. The interpretation of the lyrics depends on how one views the concept of paradise.
Line by Line Meaning
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quien pague el precio de llegar
Only those who pay the price will reach paradise for another day.
Y santo falso quiera ser para que el caos mismo luzca bien
One may pretend to be a saint to make chaos look good.
Pasión
Passion
Traición
Betrayal
Poder
Power
Quién manda si no hay ley
Who rules if there's no law.
En la luz del universo
No da sombra lo perverso
There's no shadow for evil in the light of the universe.
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quién pague el precio de llegar
Only those who pay the price will reach paradise for another day.
Y tome al diablo de rehén why queme el pacto que firmó sin ver
Take the devil hostage and burn the pact signed without seeing.
Pasión
Passion
Traición
Betrayal
Poder
Power
Quién manda si no hay rey
Who rules if there's no king.
Del paraíso un día más tendrá quien pague el precio de verdad.
Only those who pay the true price will reach paradise for another day.
En la luz del universo
No da sombra lo perverso
There's no shadow for evil in the light of the universe.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLAUDIA BRANT, BETO CUEVAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind