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.
La Voz de los '80
Los Prisioneros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En la década de los ochenta
Ya se siente la atmósfera
Saturada de aburrimiento
Los hippies y los punk tuvieron la ocasión
De romper el estancamiento
En las garras de la comercialización
Murió toda la buena intención
Las juventudes cacarearon bastante
Y no convencen ni por solo un instante
Pidieron comprensión, amor y paz
Con frases hechas muchos años atrás
Deja la inercia de los setentas
Abre los ojos, ponte de pie
Escucha el latido
Sintoniza el sonido
Agudiza tus sentidos
Date cuenta que estás vivo
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
La voz de los ochenta
En Roma, Lima y el Santander
La gente de tu edad ya no sabe que hacer
Santiago, Asunción y también Buenos Aires
Bueno las cosas no están que arden
Sangre latina necesita el mundo
Roja, furiosa y adolescente
Sangre latina necesita el planeta
Adiós barreras adiós setentas
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
La voz de los ochenta
En plena edad del plástico
Seremos fuerza, seremos cambio
No te conformes con mirar
En los ochenta tu rol es estelar
Tienes la fuerza, eres actor principal
De las entrañas de nuestras ciudades
Surge la piel que vestirá al mundo
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
La voz de los ochenta
Escucha el murmullo, algo se siente venir
Los últimos vientos de los setentas se mueren
Mira nuestra juventud, que alegría más triste y falsa
Deja la inercia de los setentas abre los ojos ponte de pie
Escucha el latido sintoniza el sonido
Agudiza tus sentidos date cuenta que estás vivo
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
Ya viene la fuerza
La voz de los ochenta
La voz de los ochenta
The lyrics to Los Prisioneros's song La Voz de los '80 speak about a great change that is coming in the 1980s. The lyrics suggest that the atmosphere of the time is saturated with boredom and an urge to break free from the commercialization that has taken over. The hippies and the punks had their chance to break the stagnation, but in the end, everything good about their intentions died in the claws of commercialization. The youth of the time made noise, but their movements were flawed by their attempts to rely on outdated phrases that had been used for years before.
The song then urges the listener to leave behind the inertia of the 70s and recognize the new age they are entering. They are encouraged to open their eyes, stand up, and listen to the sound of the times. The song speaks about how the Latin American world is in need of blood – red, furious, and adolescent blood – and how this energy will be the new force that will change the world. The song ends with a call to action, letting the listener know that they are the main actor in the new age of change.
Line by Line Meaning
Algo grande está naciendo
A great movement is starting
En la década de los ochenta
In the decade of the 80s
Ya se siente la atmósfera
The atmosphere is already felt
Saturada de aburrimiento
Saturated by boredom
Los hippies y los punk tuvieron la ocasión
The hippies and punks had their chance
De romper el estancamiento
To break the stagnation
En las garras de la comercialización
Caught in the claws of commercialization
Murió toda la buena intención
All good intentions died
Las juventudes cacarearon bastante
Youth talked a lot
Y no convencen ni por solo un instante
But did not convince even for an instant
Pidieron comprensión, amor y paz
Asked for understanding, love, and peace
Con frases hechas muchos años atrás
With cliches from many years ago
Deja la inercia de los setentas
Leave behind the inertia of the 70s
Abre los ojos, ponte de pie
Open your eyes, stand up
Escucha el latido
Listen to the heartbeat
Sintoniza el sonido
Tune in to the sound
Agudiza tus sentidos
Sharpen your senses
Date cuenta que estás vivo
Realize that you are alive
Ya viene la fuerza la voz de los ochenta
The strength of the voice of the 80s is coming
La voz de los ochenta
The voice of the 80s
En Roma, Lima y el Santander
In Rome, Lima, and Santander
La gente de tu edad ya no sabe que hacer
People your age don't know what to do anymore
Santiago, Asunción y también Buenos Aires
Santiago, Asuncion, and also Buenos Aires
Bueno las cosas no están que arden
Well, things are not that great
Sangre latina necesita el mundo
The world needs Latin blood
Roja, furiosa y adolescente
Red, furious and adolescent
Sangre latina necesita el planeta
The planet needs Latin blood
Adiós barreras adiós setentas
Goodbye barriers, goodbye 70s
En plena edad del plástico
In the plastic age
Seremos fuerza, seremos cambio
We will be strength, we will be change
No te conformes con mirar
Don't settle for just watching
En los ochenta tu rol es estelar
In the 80s, your role is starring
Tienes la fuerza, eres actor principal
You have the strength, you are the main actor
De las entrañas de nuestras ciudades
From the bowels of our cities
Surge la piel que vestirá al mundo
The skin that will dress the world emerges
Escucha el murmullo, algo se siente venir
Listen to the murmur, something is coming
Los últimos vientos de los setentas se mueren
The last winds of the 70s are dying
Mira nuestra juventud, que alegría más triste y falsa
Look at our youth, what a sad and false joy
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jorge Gonzalez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind