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.
Lamento de concepción
Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Como si el mundo se le cayera encima
Concepción contaba su desconsuelo
Y decia: "hay niños que mantener"
Y decia: "hay niños que mantener"
Si yo soy de los de abajo
Yo tengo el mismo derecho de vivir
Si yo soy de los de abajo
¿Qué tiene que ver?
Yo tengo el mismo derecho de vivir
Que mucho trabajo da, hallar en qué trabajar
¿Qué trabajo da el no trabajar?
Pero que mucho trabajo da, hallar en qué trabajar
¿Qué trabajo da el no trabajar?
Como si todo en la vida le faltara
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Como si el mundo se le cayera encima
Concepción contaba su desconsuelo
(¡Llora!)
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
Concepción en su lamento y en su terrible agonía
Va pidiéndole al señor
Que le ayude a buscarse el pan de cada día
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
Oiga, el que yo sea de abajo
Nadita tiene que ver
Yo también tengo derecho
De mis hijos mantener y comer
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
(Por favor, no me llores más)
(Y no te lamentes)
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
(Luty, ¡A conversar!)
(Otra ve′)
No importa que lo' de arriba
No te quieran ayudar
Si el señor sabe que eres bueno
Sí, ese a ti te va a aliviar
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
Con-cep-ción me dice a mí
Que anda muy desespera′o
Y se la pasa diciendo
Que todo su ser está sala'o
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
¡No te dejes engañar!
Echa pa'lante cobarde
No importa que te critiquen
¡Sí, la cosa está que arde!
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
Ese fue, el lamento de Concepción
The song "Lamento de Concepción" by Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound tells the tale of a woman named Concepción who is struggling to make ends meet while caring for her children. The lyrics describe her looking up to the heavens as if everything in life was against her, and counting her sorrows. She laments that it is hard to find work and wonders if there is any work to be found at all. She repeats, "hay niños que mantener" (there are children to support), emphasizing the importance of providing for her kids, even though she is at the bottom of the social ladder.
The song touches on the theme of social inequality and the struggles that people in poverty face. It highlights how even though people at the bottom of the social hierarchy have the same rights as everyone else, they are usually the ones that struggle the most to have access to basic necessities like food and shelter. It speaks to the struggle of living in a society where one's social class can easily determine their fate, making it hard for people to break out of the cycle of poverty.
Line by Line Meaning
Como si todo en la vida le faltara
Concepción feels like she is lacking in everything in life.
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Concepción looks up at the sky.
Como si el mundo se le cayera encima
Concepción feels like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.
Concepción contaba su desconsuelo
Concepción expressed her deep sadness.
Y decia: "hay niños que mantener"
She said, "I have to provide for my children."
Si yo soy de los de abajo
¿Qué tiene que ver?
Yo tengo el mismo derecho de vivir
Being poor doesn't make her any less deserving of a good life.
Que mucho trabajo da, hallar en qué trabajar
¿Qué trabajo da el no trabajar?
It's difficult to find a job, but it's even harder not to have one at all.
Concepción eleva la vista al cielo
Va gritando: "¡hay niños que mantener!"
Concepción continues to look up and proclaim that she has children to care for.
Concepción en su lamento y en su terrible agonía
Va pidiéndole al señor
Que le ayude a buscarse el pan de cada día
In her sorrow and pain, Concepción asks God to help her find a way to feed her family.
Oiga, el que yo sea de abajo
Nadita tiene que ver
Yo también tengo derecho
De mis hijos mantener y comer
She asserts that being poor doesn't mean she has any less right to provide for her children.
(Por favor, no me llores más)
(Y no te lamentes)
She pleads with someone not to cry for her and not to feel sorry for her.
No importa que lo' de arriba
No te quieran ayudar
Si el señor sabe que eres bueno
Sí, ese a ti te va a aliviar
Even if the people in power do not want to help, she has faith that God will ease her suffering if she is a good person.
Concepción me dice a mí
Que anda muy desespera′o
Y se la pasa diciendo
Que todo su ser está sala'o
Concepción has confided in the singer that she is very desperate and feels like everything is falling apart.
¡No te dejes engañar!
Echa pa'lante cobarde
No importa que te critiquen
¡Sí, la cosa está que arde!
She encourages someone to not be fooled and to keep moving forward despite criticism and difficult circumstances.
Ese fue, el lamento de Concepción
That was the lament of Concepción.
Contributed by Levi E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.