Captivating and moving audiences over the course of a 24-year, 14-album career, this fine-tuned Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians has only gotten better with age, as evidenced by their four recent Grammy nominations and world-wide touring schedule.
Led by founder and bassist Gary Nuñez, Plena Libre is recognized for taking the once dormant, Puerto Rican plena style of music and reclaiming it for a new generation of listeners to enjoy. The group became instantly popular in Puerto Rico, with National Geographic crediting Plena Libre among other Puerto Rican acts in “spearheading the Latin invasion of American popular music. Plena Libre features three vocalists singing in captivating three and four-part harmonies which complement the group’s danceable, Afro-Rican compositions. The group’s use of call-and-response, percussion and polyrhythms keeps each show feeling groovy and fresh.
With an aggressive, tight, yet sensitive style, which balances the traditional with the contemporary, the global and the local, Plena Libre creates a brand of music and live performance that is both profoundly Puerto Rican and universally appealing. Filtering the sounds of various Afro-Caribbean forms like merengue and cumbia, and Afro-Cuban like mambo and yes, salsa if you ask nicely through a unique set of artistic sensibilities, this versatile collection of expert performers create a celebratory spectacle and engaging sonic ecstasy. Thrilling audiences around the world, from the Fez Festival (in Morocco) to the Playboy Jazz Festival, Plena Libre is a train that just keeps picking up steam as it charges ahead in unexpected and exciting directions.
Plena Libre Members
Gary Nuñez - Music Director, Bassist and Founder
Emanuel Santana - Singer/Hand Drums
Victor Velez - Singer/Hand Drums
Luisga Nuñez - Chorus/Percussion
Rafael Falu - Requinto
Luis rivera - Singer/Percussion
Julieta
Plena Libre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(1)
- Julieta Mi Amor -
(coro)
Pero que bueno, que bueno
Pero que bueno al compass
De la pandereta.
(coro)
Pero que bueno baila Julieta
Y con este ritmo de plena
Ella ensena su belleza.
(coro)
Y la gente me pregunta
Quien es Julieta
Todavia yo no la conosco
Pero baila bien la plena.
(coro)
Israel me presento
A la bella Julieta
Y me puse tan nervioso
Que no podia mover las piernas.
(coro)
Yo la invite a bailar
Una rica plena
Y lo menos que hize
Fue bailar con ella.
(coro)
-Vamos pa' encima-
Panderos
(coro)
Julieta
(cont 2)
Julieta cuando tu bailas
O tu caminas
Todos los muchachos te miran
De abajo para arriba.
(coro)
-Yo no se porque-
Este ritmo es de mi plena.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Por eso mi plena es Buena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Asi yo conoci a mi Julieta
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Atravez de mi plena Buena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Ella cantaba y bailaba
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Cuando yo pedia el coro de plena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Con el sabor que Julieta lo decia
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de . . .
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Que todo Puerto Rico baile mi plena
→Al compass de la pandereta.
Con el sabor de Julieta
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Como mueve su cadera
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Con este ritmo se prendio la fiesta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Ya la fiesta te digo que se prendio
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Mira como baila la Linda Julieta
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Julieta
(cont 3)
Tambien como la goza
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Y ensena su belleza
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Julieta mira y Puerto Rico
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Tienen sabor, sabor, sabor a plena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Pues mi coro siempre dice
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Que viva mi ritmo de plena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Y todo el mundo vamo a cantar
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Mi plena esta como Julieta
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Sencilla pero buena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Tu puedes bailar siempre con ella
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Con Julieta no, pero si con mi plena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Y la banda de plena libre
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Quiere viva mi ritmo de plena
→Al compas de la pandereta.
A travez de la pandereta
→Al compas de la pandereta.
Vamos pa' encima
(coro) 2x
-Ahora es-
(Pita)
The song "Julieta" by Plena Libre is a lively celebration of a beautiful woman named Julieta, who is an amazing dancer. The song has a catchy and upbeat rhythm, which is perfect for dancing. The lyrics are in Spanish and talk about how good Julieta is at dancing to the rhythm of the plena (a type of music native to Puerto Rico) and the pandereta (a type of tambourine). The song also mentions how everyone admires her moves and how she can light up any party with her dancing.
The song begins with the chorus, which talks about Julieta's exceptional dancing skills to the sound of the pandereta. The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing Julieta's dancing and the infectious rhythm of the plena. The singer goes on to say that he was introduced to Julieta by his friend Israel, and he was so nervous that he couldn't move his legs when he invited her to dance. However, he goes on to describe how he saw her dance and was in awe of her moves. The song ends with a repeat of the chorus, with the singer encouraging everyone to dance to the rhythm of the pandereta in celebration of Julieta's beauty and her incredible dancing skills.
Line by Line Meaning
Pero que bueno, que bueno
It's so good, so good
Baila Julieta.
Julieta dances well
Pero que bueno al compass
It's so good to the rhythm
De la pandereta.
Of the pandereta
Y con este ritmo de plena
And with this rhythm of plena
Ella ensena su belleza.
She shows her beauty
Y la gente me pregunta
And people ask me
Quien es Julieta
Who is Julieta
Todavia yo no la conosco
I still don't know her
Pero baila bien la plena.
But she dances plena well
Israel me presento
Israel introduced me
A la bella Julieta
To the beautiful Julieta
Y me puse tan nervioso
And I got so nervous
Que no podia mover las piernas.
That I couldn't move my legs
Yo la invite a bailar
I invited her to dance
Una rica plena
A rich plena
Y lo menos que hize
And the least I did
Fue bailar con ella.
Was to dance with her
-Vamos pa' encima-
-Let's go on top-
Julieta cuando tu bailas
Julieta when you dance
O tu caminas
Or when you walk
Todos los muchachos te miran
All the boys look at you
De abajo para arriba.
From bottom to top
-Yo no se porque-
-I don't know why-
Este ritmo es de mi plena.
This rhythm is of my plena
Al compas de la pandereta.
To the rhythm of the pandereta
Por eso mi plena es Buena
That's why my plena is good
Asi yo conoci a mi Julieta
That's how I met my Julieta
Atravez de mi plena Buena
Through my good plena
Ella cantaba y bailaba
She sang and danced
Cuando yo pedia el coro de plena
When I asked for the plena chorus
Con el sabor que Julieta lo decia
With the flavor that Julieta said it
Que todo Puerto Rico baile mi plena
That all of Puerto Rico dance my plena
Como mueve su cadera
How she moves her hips
Con este ritmo se prendio la fiesta.
With this rhythm, the party got started
Ya la fiesta te digo que se prendio
I tell you the party got started
Mira como baila la Linda Julieta
Look at how beautiful Julieta dances
Tambien como la goza
Also, how she enjoys it
Y ensena su belleza
And shows her beauty
Julieta mira y Puerto Rico
Julieta sees that Puerto Rico
Tienen sabor, sabor, sabor a plena
Has flavor, flavor, flavor of plena
Pues mi coro siempre dice
Because my chorus always says
Que viva mi ritmo de plena
Long live my plena rhythm
Y todo el mundo vamo a cantar
And everyone is going to sing
Mi plena esta como Julieta
My plena is like Julieta
Sencilla pero buena
Simple but good
Tu puedes bailar siempre con ella
You can always dance with her
Con Julieta no, pero si con mi plena
Not with Julieta, but with my plena
Y la banda de plena libre
And the band Plena Libre
Quiere viva mi ritmo de plena
Wants my plena rhythm to live
Vamos pa' encima
Let's go on top
-Ahora es-
-Now is it-
Contributed by Makayla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.