Los Prisioneros was a Chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chi… Read Full Bio ↴Los Prisioneros was a Chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile in 1982 by Jorge González (bass & vocals), Claudio Narea (guitar) and Miguel Tapia (drums). They began as a local band during the early 1980s, playing small shows in their neighborhood and high school. After selling a limited press number of their first album in Chile under the independent Fusión producciones label, they signed to EMI in 1985, re-releasing the same album on an LP record and Cassette. From that point on they reached mainstream success in Chile, then Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Eventually in the early 90's their albums were re-released completely in remastered Compact Disc form, this is when Chile was no longer run by a military regime which oppressed their music in the late 1980s. Throughout the 1990s their music spread out, reaching all of South and Central America as well as some parts of the U.S., Canada and Europe.

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.

Quieren Dinero
Los Prisioneros Lyrics

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Es mentira eso del amor al arte
No es tan cierto eso de la vocación
Estamos listos tú y yo para matarnos
Los dos por algún miserable porcentaje
Están corriendo los demás
Están robando si es posible
Y nunca con seguridad

Es una humana condición
O es nuestro estupido sistema
Es una nueva religión
O tal vez solo sea su emblema

El caso es que mi papá debe pegarle a tu papá
Porque en la mesa no cabemos todos
Salvavida o delincuente conductor o presidente
La cuestión fuciona del mismo modo

Nadie te puede ayudar
Nadie tiene tiempo de reclamar
Solo algo todos quieren en común
Solo algo deja bien a casi todo el mundo

Quieren dinero

Es el cómo y el por qué, es el presente y el futuro
Es el poder y la pasión, el atractivo más seguro

El profesor no tiene la cabeza en enseñar
Como el doctor no sale de su casa para sanar
Somos mil perros tras un hueso, esclavos de los pesos
No es chiste ser mayor paren mi reloj por favor

Nadie te puede ayudar
Nadie tiene tiempo de reclamar
Solo algo todos quieren en común
Solo algo deja bien a casi todo el mundo

Quieren dinero

Quiero más pesos, quiero más dólares
Quiero más libras, quiero más australes

Quiero más pesos, quiero más dólares
Quiero más libras, quiero más australes

Quiero más pesos, quiero más dólares
Quieren dinero

Overall Meaning

Los Prisioneros’s song Quieren Dinero is a critique of the capitalist system that values financial gain above all else. The song’s lyrics suggest that love of the arts and passion for one’s work no longer hold any value in society. The opening lines of the song, “Es mentira eso del amor al arte / No es tan cierto eso de la vocación” (Love for art is a lie / Passion is not so true), exemplifies this idea. The song argues that instead of striving for personal fulfillment and creativity, people are more concerned with achieving financial gain.

The lyrics describe a society where individuals will do anything to get ahead, even if it means hurting others. For instance, the lines “Estamos listos tú y yo para matarnos / Los dos por algún miserable porcentaje” (We are ready to kill each other / For some miserable percentage”), suggests that people are willing to go to extreme lengths to increase their wealth. This idea is further reinforced in the line “Salvavida o delincuente conductor o presidente / La cuestión funciona del mismo modo” (Lifesavers, delinquent drivers or presidents / The question works the same way), which suggests that regardless of one’s profession, the desire for financial gain is universal.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase “Quieren dinero” (They want money). The repetition of this line reinforces the central theme of the song and serves as a reminder of the society’s obsession with financial gain at the expense of other values. Los Prisioneros’s Quieren Dinero is a powerful critique of capitalism that highlights the inherent flaws in a system that values wealth over all else.

Quieren DineroLos Prisioneros Lyrics

Quieren Dinero
Los Prisioneros Lyrics