Los Gatos was an Argentine rock band, often cited as founding members of Sp… Read Full Bio ↴Los Gatos was an Argentine rock band, often cited as founding members of Spanish-language rock in the late 60s. In 1967, they released their first single, the double A-side "Ayer Nomás"/"La Balsa", which became a surprise hit, selling over 200,000 copies. Their self-titled, full-lenght debut album was released later that same year.

After a touring the Southern Cone in 1968, Los Gatos released their second LP, "Seremos Amigos" featuring a psychedelic rock sound. The band's third effort following a brief hiatus, 1969's Beat N°1, featured renowned guitarist Pappo as a new addition to the band's line up. His blues influence in contrast to Litto Nebbia's classic melodic approach made the album uneven, but created dazzling passages of music that could be considered the earliest recordings of progressive rock anywhere in the world, previewing the rise of the genre in the 70s.

In 1970, Los Gatos released their fourth album, originally titled "Rock de la Mujer Podrida", the band was forced to change it to "Rock de la Mujer Perdida" by the government censorship. It was Los Gatos's last release. Later that year, Pappo left the band to form his own blues rock group, Pappo's Blues. and Los Gatos disbanded.

In 2007, the band reunited for a short tour and a few special shows in their hometown of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.

Ríete
Los Gatos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ríete, ríete de los demás.
Ríete, que jamás te entenderán.
Creen que, que vivir una vida es durar
Y no saben que destruyéndola están.

Ríete, ríete de los demás.
Ríete, que jamás te escucharán.
Piensan en llegar a la Luna y no saben

Que a sus vidas no han podido aún llegar.

Ríete, de la guerra y el dolor.
Ríete, del amor y la verdad.
Sabes bien que inventaron las guerras
Para que algún día todo esto va a estallar.

Por eso, ríete.

Overall Meaning

The song "Ríete" by Los Gatos is a call for individualism and satire of societal norms. The lyrics encourage the listener to laugh at the misunderstanding and lack of understanding from others who believe that living life is simply existing. The listener is called upon to find humor in life and not take it too seriously. The song suggests that those who are living their lives attempting to reach the moon have not yet lived at all. The song encourages the listener to find humor in both the pain of love and the truth.

The lyrics of the song portray a sense of freedom from societal norms, and an accompanying call to be happy and live life to the fullest. The song emphasizes the importance of individualism and encourages listeners to live their own lives and not let societal expectations hold them back. It suggests that the concept of war was created to destroy society, and laughing at it is the only way to cope.

The song was released in 1968 and is considered one of the most important works of the Argentine music scene. It has been compared to the poetry of Walt Whitman and its lyrics resonate with the spirit of the 1960s. Despite being more than 50 years old, "Ríete" remains relevant today and is still played by alternative rock musicians.

Line by Line Meaning

Ríete, ríete de los demás.
Laugh, laugh at others.

Ríete, que jamás te entenderán.
Laugh, because they will never understand you.

Creen que, que vivir una vida es durar
They believe that living a life is enduring.

Y no saben que destruyéndola están.
And they do not know that they are destroying it.

Ríete, ríete de los demás.
Laugh, laugh at others.

Ríete, que jamás te escucharán.
Laugh, because they will never listen to you.

Piensan en llegar a la Luna y no saben
They think about reaching the Moon, but they do not know

Que a sus vidas no han podido aún llegar.
That they have not been able to reach their own lives yet.

Ríete, de la guerra y el dolor.
Laugh at the war and pain.

Ríete, del amor y la verdad.
Laugh at love and truth.

Sabes bien que inventaron las guerras
You know well that wars were invented