Roberto Roena has also been a long-time member of the Fania All Stars, the showcase group for the Fania Records label, which has enjoyed worldwide success since the 1970s. He recorded his signature song, "Coro Miyare", with the group; live performances of the song featured Roena playing the bongos and dancing with his uncle, legendary salsa dancer Aníbal Vázquez, in a choreographed section that almost always received standing ovations from the audience.
Mr. Roena took a giant step in the fusion of salsa with jazz, in the 1970s, by joining forces with African superstar (saxophonist) Manu Dibango of "Soul Makossa" fame.
Even without knowing how to read or write music, and probably because of it, Roena knew how to surround himself with excellent musicians and arrangers. "Apollo Sound" featured musicians from the ensemble of Tito Puente, "Cortijo y Su Combo", "El Gran Combo" and "Los Sunsets", among others. Some of the well renowned arrangers and composers who nourished his repertoire were Mario Ortiz, Bobby Valentín, Elias Lopés, Luis “Perico” Ortiz and Papo Lucca. With "Apollo Sound", Roberto introduced a “new” sound to salsa music by utilizing two trumpets, a trombone and a saxophone, a combination he took from the influence of the wind section of the rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears (in honor of which his band recorded a successful version of “Spinning Wheel”).
Roberto always considered variety as the key to success, leading him to include in his musical repertoire everything from go-go to the romantic, the same in English as in Spanish. Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound’s first album produced hits of great impact like “Tú loco loco y yo tranquilo,” “El escapulario,” and “El sordo.” In fact, it was Apollo Sound who popularized the Bobby Capó classic, “Soñando con Puerto Rico.”
Apollo Sound recorded under the label International Records (a subsidiary of Fania) for a decade, in which they harvested successes like “Traición,” “Chotorro,” “Mi Desengaño,” “Fea,” “Marejada feliz,” “Cui cui,” and “El progreso,” among others. His popularity on the radio waves came accompanied with tours around the United States and Latin America.
Complementing the musicality of the salsa group was always the showmanship inherent in Roberto Roena. Dying his hair in new colors, playing percussion in his underwear and sporting a harness so he could “fly” around the stage of New York City's Madison Square Garden were some of the tricks that he used to stand out among the other groups in vogue. In fact, a noted journalist that followed Apollo Sound once remarked that they were “the first group in Puerto Rico with a system of psychedelic lights and go-go girls.”
Beginning in the 1980s, Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound experienced a fade in popularity, reflecting a crisis that was sweeping through the salsa movement in general. Nevertheless, Roberto maintained himself by collaborating and recording independently with local groups. In 1990, Roena tried to revive the concept of Apollo Sound. He opened a concert for British rock singer Sting at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, where he presented his hit salsa version of "Every Breath You Take" (with an amused Sting watching from the sidelines).
In 1994, he celebrated 25 years with his orchestra in a successful concert at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan. This performance was recorded and released, validating his music for a new generation.
Guaguancó del adios
Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
opino que no se debe de llorar
la mente que no se dé por destruida
nació para legislar para pensar.
Si, yo sé quien eres tu
tu no sabes quien soy yo.
tu fuistes el silencio criminal
yo te vi pasar, miré tu adios, juré callar
fué mi alma la que te nombró.
Con lágrimas no se curan heridas
opino que no se debe de llorar
la mente que no se de por destruida
nació para legislar para pensar.
Negrita te digo que yo sé quien eres tú
tú, que va, no sabes quien soy yo.
Aunque tu vuelvas a mi
despues de lo que ha pasado
yo voy a decirte así:
alejate de mi lado.
Después de lo que pasó
yo no te quiero a mi lado
alejate bandolera
que me dejaste agotado.
Te digo no, no, no
ya no te puedo querer
si eres mala y traicionera
que te lleve Lucifer.
Se acabó, mi amor lo mataste
si acaso me ves por esos caminos que recorrimos
olvida que lo pasastes.
Desde el dia en que te fuistes
tranquilo me encuentro yo
y es por eso que hoy te canto
mi guaguancó del adiós.
Yo, yo soy una voz
que siempre te llamó
si yo sé quien eres tú
tu no sabes quien soy yo.
The lyrics of Guaguanco Del Adios by Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound are about moving on from hurtful relationships and not allowing oneself to be destroyed by them. The song opens with the powerful line, "Con lágrimas no se curan heridas" which means "Tears don't heal wounds." The singer then goes on to suggest that instead of crying, one's mind should not be destroyed and should instead legislate and think.
The song seems to be directed towards someone who has hurt the singer deeply, and is represented in the lyrics as a "silencio criminal" or "criminal silence." The singer declares that they are a voice who called out to the person who hurt them because they loved them. But after seeing them leave and promising to stay silent, their soul was the one who named them.
Later in the song, the singer addresses the person directly and tells them that they know who they are, but the person does not know who the singer is. They then express their desire to move on and not be hurt again, ultimately declaring that their love has been killed and the person who hurt them should forget the times they spent together.
Overall, the lyrics are a poignant reflection on the pain caused by hurtful relationships and the need to move on and not allow oneself to be destroyed by them.
Line by Line Meaning
Con lágrimas no se curan heridas
Crying doesn't heal wounds.
opino que no se debe de llorar
I think one should not cry.
la mente que no se dé por destruida
The mind that does not give up is destined to legislate and think.
nació para legislar para pensar.
It was born to legislate and think.
Si, yo sé quien eres tu
Yes, I know who you are.
tu no sabes quien soy yo.
You don't know who I am.
Yo soy una voz que te llamó, porque te amó
I am a voice that called you, because I loved you.
tu fuistes el silencio criminal
You were the criminal silence.
yo te vi pasar, miré tu adios, juré callar
I saw you go by, watched your farewell, and swore to be silent.
fué mi alma la que te nombró.
It was my soul that named you.
Negrita te digo que yo sé quien eres tú
My dear, I tell you that I know who you are.
tú, que va, no sabes quien soy yo.
You, of course, don't know who I am.
Aunque tu vuelvas a mi
Even if you come back to me
despues de lo que ha pasado
after what happened
yo voy a decirte así:
I'm going to tell you like this:
alejate de mi lado.
Stay away from me.
Después de lo que pasó
After what happened
yo no te quiero a mi lado
I don't want you by my side
alejate bandolera
Go away, you thief
que me dejaste agotado.
You left me exhausted.
Te digo no, no, no
I'm telling you no, no, no
ya no te puedo querer
I can't love you anymore
si eres mala y traicionera
if you are wicked and deceitful
que te lleve Lucifer.
Let Lucifer take you.
Se acabó, mi amor lo mataste
It's over, you killed my love.
si acaso me ves por esos caminos que recorrimos
if you ever see me on those paths we walked
olvida que lo pasastes.
Forget that it ever happened.
Desde el dia en que te fuistes
From the day you left
tranquilo me encuentro yo
I find myself at peace
y es por eso que hoy te canto mi guaguancó del adiós.
And that's why today I sing to you my guaguancó of farewell.
Yo, yo soy una voz
I, I am a voice
que siempre te llamó
that always called you
si yo sé quien eres tú
if I know who you are
tu no sabes quien soy yo.
you don't know who I am.
Writer(s): Catalino Curet Alonso
Contributed by Joshua L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.