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'.
r&r
La Ley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no father gonna save you from this one
Ain't no brother, ain't no father
Ain't no mother gonna save you from this one
Sixty seasons hunting you to be even
One more reason wanting you to believe that
Ain't no brother, ain't no father
Now you're standing in the middle of nowhere
You look behind and see no shine of shadow
Ain't no brother, ain't no father
Ain't no mother gonna save you from this one
Ain't no one
Ain't no brother gonna save you from this one
Ain't no father gonna save you from this one
Ain't no brother, ain't no father
I think I passed away
The lyrics to La Ley's song "r&r" portray a sense of desperation and hopelessness. The repetition of the lines "Ain't no brother gonna save you from this one," "Ain't no father gonna save you from this one," and "Ain't no mother gonna save you from this one" emphasize the idea that there is no help or escape from whatever situation the song is addressing. The lyrics also suggest a sense of isolation and being trapped with lines like "Now you're standing in the middle of nowhere" and "You look behind and see no shine of shadow."
The line "Sixty seasons hunting you to be even, one more reason wanting you to believe" adds a layer to the song's meaning. It suggests that the singer of the song has been preyed upon for a long time and has had to constantly fight to be on equal footing, but someone or something is always giving them a reason to doubt themselves. The repetition of "ain't no one" at the end of the song drives home the idea that the singer is truly alone in their struggle.
Overall, the lyrics to "r&r" paint a dark picture of someone who feels trapped and hopeless with no way out, despite any familial or societal ties they may have.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no brother gonna save you from this one
No sibling can save you from the trouble you're in.
Ain't no father gonna save you from this one
No father figure can save you from the situation at hand.
Ain't no brother, ain't no father
Neither a sibling nor a father can offer escape from this.
Ain't no mother gonna save you from this one
Even a mother cannot rescue you from this predicament.
Sixty seasons hunting you to be even
You have been pursued relentlessly over many years, seeking some form of retaliation.
One more reason wanting you to believe that
You have been given another justification to believe that there is no escape.
Now you're standing in the middle of nowhere
You find yourself stranded with no clear direction or solution.
You look behind and see no shine of shadow
You glance backwards and see that there is no light or protection surrounding you.
Ain't no one
At this point, there is no one who can save you from this.
I think I passed away
The artist may be feeling overwhelmed and defeated, as if part of them has already given up.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALBERTO CUEVAS OLMEDO, ANDRES BOBE, MAURICIO CLAVERIA ANDRADE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind