Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by bassist Juan Formell, and is considered … Read Full Bio ↴Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by bassist Juan Formell, and is considered to be one of Cuba's major timba acts, while Juan Formell has arguably become the most important figure in contemporary Cuban music.

In 1967, Formell became musical director of Elio Reve's charanga orchestra. He reformatted the group into Changui '68, and then founded his own group, Los Van Van, on December 4, 1969.

Musical style

Using a charanga line-up as its base, Van Van added trombones and vocals, and was the first Cuban group to use synthesizers and drum machines. Their sound was a fusion of changui and son montuno with various types of music, including Afro-Cuban rhythms, rock, funk, disco, and hip hop. Juan Formell contributed countless innovations to the Cuban bass and clave, which paved the way for a radical reconceptualisation of rhythmic arrangements in Cuban music. The Van Van sound came to be known as songo (based on the songo rhythm), which laid the base for the later development of timba.

Notable personnel

Los Van Van has been a school for outstanding singers and musicians. Past members with successful careers as solo artists include Pedro Calvo, Angel Bonne, Changuito, Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso and others. As of 2006, Los Van Van probably have the best lineup of singers for a Cuba band composed of; Mayito Rivera, Roberto Hernandez "Roberton", Yeni Valdes and Lele Rosales.

Cuéntame
Los Van Van Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Y oah y oaeh
Uh
Y oah y oaeh
Y oah y oaeh
Come on, come on
Y oah y oaeh

Y oah y oaeh

Cuentame que te pasó
Cuentame que te pasó

Estaba
Allá en la playa
Jugando entre el aguita
Pero vino una jaivita y me picó, ¡ay, ay, ay!

Cuentame que te pasó
A mi
Cuentame que te pasó

Yo me encontré
Con una tía
Y con ella
Fui de romería
Ah
Y fue allí donde to' el dinero yo perdí

Pero lacho viene lacho pao pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao

Pero lacho viene lacho eh co co pao
Uh lala lalala lalala pao pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao

Y oah y oaeh
Y oah y oaeh
Come, come on
Y oah y oaeh
Y oah y oaeh

Cuentame que te pasó
A mi
Cuentame que te pasó

Estaba
Allá en la playa
Eh jugando entre el aguita
Pero vino una jaivita y me picó, ¡ay, ay, ay!

Pero lacho viene lacho pao pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Pao pao
Eh
Pao pao
Pao pao

Oh
Pao pao

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Cuéntame" by Los Van Van are about telling stories of personal experiences that have gone wrong or ended badly. The song starts with a series of "y oah y oaeh" sounds and continues with the repetitive phrase "cuentame que te pasó" which can be translated to "tell me what happened to you". The first story is about a person enjoying themselves at the beach until they were stung by a "jaivita", which is a type of small crab. The second story is about losing all of their money while on a pilgrimage with someone they met. In both stories, the singer is asking the other person to share their experience, perhaps as a way to commiserate or to better understand what happened.

The song is characterized by a catchy melody and repetitive rhythm that encourages movement and dancing. The use of the "r" sound at the beginning is a signature element of Los Van Van's music, as it is meant to replicate the sound of a revving engine. Overall, "Cuéntame" is a fun and upbeat song that tells relatable stories, with a focus on the importance of sharing personal experiences and connecting with others.

Line by Line Meaning

Cuentame que te pasó
Tell me what happened to you

Estaba allá en la playa jugando entre el aguita, pero vino una jaivita y me picó, ¡ay, ay, ay!
I was playing in the water at the beach, but then a little crab came and pinched me, ouch!

Cuentame que te pasó, a mi
Tell me what happened to you, to me

Yo me encontré con una tía y con ella fui de romería, y fue allí donde to' el dinero yo perdí
I met with a woman and we went on a spending spree, but that's where I lost all my money

Pero lacho viene lacho pao pao pao
But here comes Lacho, ready to party

Pao pao
Let's go, let's go

Y oah y oaeh
Yeah, yeah

Come, come on
Come on, let's go

Cuentame que te pasó, a mi
Tell me what happened to you, to me

Estaba allá en la playa jugando entre el aguita, pero vino una jaivita y me picó, ¡ay, ay, ay!
I was playing in the water at the beach, but then a little crab came and pinched me, ouch!

Pero lacho viene lacho pao pao pao
But here comes Lacho, ready to party

Pao pao
Let's go, let's go

Oh pao pao
Oh yeah, let's go

Writer(s): JUAN FORMELL

Contributed by Jason T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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