The band started when Jorge González and Miguel Tapia decided to start their own band while being high school students. They were inexperienced but enthusiastic, after many practices and writing songs, they asked Claudio Narea if he would like to join them, and impressed by the music they were making, he accepted. Towards the early 80's they went through some name changes and before settling on "Los Prisioneros" they had the name "Los Vinchukas" as their original name. In 1983, they had played a number of local shows and that's when they met Carlos Fonseca, their future manager. Through him, they managed to score a record deal with Fusión Producciones.
In 1984, the band's debut album was released, with the hit song "La Voz De Los '80" (which was never a single). They reached acclaim in the radio and by the next year they would be touring. In 1986, their long awaited second album "Pateando Piedras" went double Platinum album in Chile. By that time, the group was invited to perform at Argentina's Chateau Rock Festival and later to a similar event in Montevideo, Uruguay. They continued touring and they became more successful mainstream wise.
The band disbanded in 1992, then as a quartet with additional members Cecilia Aguayo (keyboards) and Robert Rodríguez (guitar), since Claudio Narea had left the band earlier in 1990.
The original lineup of the band decided to get back together in 2001, offering two massive concerts in the National Stadium of Santiago, and then releasing "Los Prisioneros", their first original studio album in 13 years. However, internal problems between González and Narea led again to the departure of the guitarist in 2001. Los Prisioneros continued working as a duet with guest members like Álvaro Henríquez whom with they released a cover album. In 2004 two additional musicians joined the band: Sergio "Coty" Badilla and Gonzalo Yáñez, releasing their sixth album Manzana the same year. A little while after the release of the album band members decided to establish themselves in Mexico, attempting to get more international exposure. Yáñez decided not to leave Chile and left the band. After touring through several locations in North and South America, they finally disbanded in 2006.
Independencia Cultural
Los Prisioneros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jugando juegos de otros nunca vamos a campeonar
Tú y yo tenemos buen gusto nada nos puede dar susto
Lo de afuera afuera, ocupemos nuestro país
Influencias, sugerencias, europeos llévense su decadencia
Advertencia, vamos a declarar
Independencia cultural
En este sitio lejano, la gente es pobre, la gente da la mano
No hay orgullos de raza, no hay colonias ni tradición
Siempre ocultando el acento no hemos sido aplaudidos ni un momento
En el colegio se enseña que cultura es cualquier cosa rara
Menos lo que hagas tú
No te disfraces, no te acomplejes
Eres precioso porque eres diferente
Grita fuerte tenemos que declarar
Independencia cultural
Independencia cultural
Ya no quiero mas Bach puagh
Porque yo siento de un modo diferente
Si la cultura es Europa, la cultura es lo caro
Pues yo quiero entenderme con la gente
No quiero ver tu pelo pintado de verde
Si la moda es Europa, si la moda es lo caro
Yo quisiera entenderme con la gente
Independencia cultural
Independencia cultural
The lyrics to Los Prisioneros's song "Independencia Cultural" express the need for cultural independence from European influences in Latin America. The song calls for individuals to step aside from playing other people's games and to embrace their own country's culture. The lyrics mention how in distant places, such as Latin America, people are poor and lack pride in their own race and traditions. The song speaks about how cultural education in schools often highlights anything foreign over one's own cultural background. The lyrics challenge individuals to embrace their differences rather than attempting to fit into European standards. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the need for cultural independence.
Overall, this song speaks to the struggle for Latin Americans to embrace their own culture and to challenge the imposition of European cultural values. The song encourages individuality and the importance of understanding and embracing one's unique cultural identity.
Some interesting facts about the song are:
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
El momento ha llegado de hacernos a un lado
It's time to step aside from playing other people's games as we won't be able to win that way
Jugando juegos de otros nunca vamos a campeonar
Playing other people's games won't allow us to be successful
Tú y yo tenemos buen gusto nada nos puede dar susto
We have good taste and nothing can scare us
Lo de afuera afuera, ocupemos nuestro país
Let's keep foreign influences outside and focus on developing our own country
Influencias, sugerencias, europeos llévense su decadencia
European influences and suggestions bring their decadence and they can take it with them
Advertencia, vamos a declarar
A warning, we are going to declare
Independencia cultural
Cultural independence
En este sitio lejano, la gente es pobre, la gente da la mano
In this distant place, people are poor but they are friendly
No hay orgullos de raza, no hay colonias ni tradición
There is no pride in race, no colonies or tradition
Siempre ocultando el acento no hemos sido aplaudidos ni un momento
We have never been applauded because we have always hidden our accents
En el colegio se enseña que cultura es cualquier cosa rara
In school, culture is taught as anything strange
Menos lo que hagas tú
Except for what you create
No te disfraces, no te acomplejes
Don't disguise yourself, don't be shy
Eres precioso porque eres diferente
You are precious because you are different
Grita fuerte tenemos que declarar
Shout loud as we have to declare
Ya no quiero mas Bach puagh
I don't want to hear Bach anymore
Porque yo siento de un modo diferente
Because I feel in a different way
Si la cultura es Europa, la cultura es lo caro
If culture is Europe, then culture is expensive
Pues yo quiero entenderme con la gente
But I want to communicate with people
No quiero ver tu pelo pintado de verde
I don't want to see your hair painted in green
Si la moda es Europa, si la moda es lo caro
If fashion is Europe, then fashion is expensive
Yo quisiera entenderme con la gente
I want to understand people
Lyrics © SADAIC LATIN COPYRIGHTS, INC.
Written by: JORGE HUMBERTO GONZALEZ RIOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Moreno
Llevo 36 años escuchando a estos tres chilenos y cada vez suenan mejor. (Los Prisioneros son chilenos, pero también peruanos, bolivianos, colombianos, ecuatorianos, etc)
Jose Gallardo
Me gustan demasiado Los Prisioneros, la primera vez que escuché este grupo fue en el año 92.. Desde ese momento nunca paré de escuchar esta banda, tuve el honor de conocer a ésta preciosa banda en vivo en Barcelona el año 2002, Saludos desde España, para Chile un gran país...
Kilapan
Primera vez que leo a un fan español de los prisioneros, gracias por tus palabras.
Daniel Díaz Producciones
Y ahora en radio Concert y sólo por ser hoy 18 de Septiembre presentamos al grupo local Los Prisioneros y su nuevo single Independencia cultural
Sebastian Carrasco
El momento a llegado de aserdon a un lado
clivia mayta
Jugando juegos de otros nunca vamos a campeonar
Camilo Ojeda
Nada nos puede dar shusto
ElPinguayno
Lo de afuera afuera ocupemos nuestro país
David Soto
me acuerdo que el sonido era espectacular sonaron muy bien ese dia
Migue Maik
Que excelente canción esta por la cresta! Me hace recordar la versión en vivo del cassette pirata 😜 muchas gracias por subir estas joyitas con un excelente sonido e imagen! Grande Prisioneros!! 🇨🇱