One of the most important bands to appear in Spain immediately after the en… Read Full Bio ↴One of the most important bands to appear in Spain immediately after the end of the Franco regime (1939-1975). With Parálisis Permanente, Gabinete Caligari and Alaska y los Pegamoides, they were very influential in the movement soon to be branded as "Movida Madrileña". At the beginning, their sound was deeply influenced by the British New Wave, although they appropriated their influences in a very particular way. Later developments would lead them to embrace other rhythms and influences, mainly from the Caribbean.

In 1979, painter, singer and synthesizer experimenter Herminio Molero joined several other musicians to form a new rock group. Among them were the Auserón brothers (Luis and Santiago), who wrote then in a music magazine called Disco Express under the name Corazones Automáticos; Enrique Sierra, guitar player from Kaka de Luxe and percussionist Javier Pérez Grueso. They took their name from an Italian independent radio station.

Molero contributed a fusion of electronic and traditional music to the style of the group, while Sierra added a punk tone. After months of rehearsing and a few live performances, they released their first album Musica Moderna (Modern Music) in 1980, which was an unexpected success beyond the specialized circles.

Molero and Javier Pérez Grueso abandoned the group due to disagreements on the concept of their music, and the group is completed in 1981 with Solrac (Carlos Velázquez) who had already participated in the first album.

In 1981 they recorded the single "La estatua del jardín botánico" (The Statue of the Botanical Gardens), produced by Jaime Stinus, followed by "Dance usted" (You dance), in which they developed a new fusion style ("funky-punk") that made them successful all around Spain.

In 1984 they recorded their second album, La ley del desierto, la ley del mar (The Law of the Desert, The Law of the Sea), another unexpected commercial success, with the singles "Escuela de calor" (School of heat), "Historia de play-back" (History of play-back), "En Portugal" (In Portugal), "El nadador" (The swimmer) and "Semilla Negra" (Black seed). The album has two distinct parts, the dry and hard sounding Law of the Desert and a more watery Law of the Sea.

The following year they published De un país en llamas (From a country in flames), a risky and more baroque album due to the introduced technological innovations. A remarkable eight singles were taken from this album.

In 1989, the band is elected by popular vote as the best Spanish band of the 80s. By January 1990 they had completed what came to be their last studio LP, entitled Veneno en la piel. The self produced album kept in the trail of the Latin Rock its predecessor had defined, with no major style changes other than an even more basic or "clean" sound.

The album went straight to #1 in the charts and stayed there for weeks; impulsed by their record company, the band engaged in their biggest to date live tour. On Sept. 30th, 1990, the band closed it in Madrid with what was going to be their last live performance as a band.

By the time when the tour was finished, the band members had grown weary of the musical business and the enormous amounts of money generated around the band, with no precedent in the Spanish indie pop-rock scene. Having achieved a huge notoriorety and a near absolute lead in the Spanish pop-rock scene (only contested by the synth-pop oriented trio Mecano), and also influenced by Enrique Sierra's health problems and Halsall's death by overdose in 1992, they decided it was time to disband at the height of their careers before the music industry devoured their creativity as artists.

Al Otro Lado
Radio Futura Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Al otro lado del río
se ha encendido una luz
y tu vuelves la espalda
no vas a cruzar.

ya ves que no es un juego
te van a probar
tienes que estar seguro

son más fuertes que tú.

Cuidado con esa chica
es tan joven aún
sabe cosas que no
puedes imaginar.

Al otro lado las sombras
parecen aguardar
cierra los ojos
siente tu cuerpo temblar.

Si quieres algo
ven a buscarlo aquí
es la voz del diablo
que se ríe de ti

Y poco a poco
crece la ira en tu corazón.

Ellos están
al otro lado del río
y tú quisieras estar
al otro lado del sol.

Al otro lado, al otro lado del río
al otro lado , al otro lado del sol

Al otro lado del sol
al otro lado del sol

al otro lado del sol
al otro lado del río

Overall Meaning

The song "Al Otro Lado" by Radio Futura talks about the metaphorical journey across the river to the other side. It describes how a light has been lit on the other side of the river, enticing the person to cross over. However, they hesitate as they know that it's not going to be an easy task. The lyrics warn the person that they will be tested and will need to be strong to overcome the obstacles that await them.

The song also talks about the unknown and the fear of the unseen. The shadows on the other side of the river seem to be waiting for the person, and the lyrics suggest that closing one's eyes and feeling their body tremble might actually help them face the unknown with courage. However, the voice of the devil is heard, tempting the person to cross over and take what they want, leading to the inevitable growth of anger and frustration within their heart.

The song ends with the desire to be on the other side of the river and the sun, perhaps representing a desire for a better life, free from the darkness of the unknown.

Overall, "Al Otro Lado" is a powerful and evocative song about the human desire to overcome their fears and cross over to uncharted territories.

Line by Line Meaning

Al otro lado del río
On the other side of the river

se ha encendido una luz
A light has turned on

y tu vuelves la espalda
And you turn your back

no vas a cruzar.
You're not going to cross

ya ves que no es un juego
You see that it's not a game

te van a probar
They're going to test you

tienes que estar seguro
You have to be sure

son más fuertes que tú.
They're stronger than you

Cuidado con esa chica
Be careful with that girl

es tan joven aún
She's still so young