After Menudo, Rosa went on to star in a minor Hollywood hit, the 1988 movie Salsa. On the set, Rosa fell in love with his co-star Angela Alvarado. They wed a few months after the movie's release, started raising a family and have also been working as partners in Rosa's different projects ever since.
In 1990 Rosa moved to Los Angeles and formed a rock band called "Maggie's Dream" which released an album under Capitol Records. In the early 1990's Rosa legally changed his name to "Draco Cornelius Rosa" (draco means "dragon" in Latin) saying he wanted to leave his old image and lifestyle behind. During this time, he released two albums which differ greatly from each other. The first one, Frío was released in 1994 and featured a pop sound along with soft rock influences. His second major work, Vagabundo, was released in 1996 and marked a drastic change from the previous album and image. Under the name Draco, Rosa created a heavy and dark album that carried elements of goth, psychedelia, and heavy metal. Vagabundo is considered one of the greatest Rock en Español albums of all time.
During this time Rosa began collaborating with former Menudo colleague Ricky Martin, co-writing many of Martin's biggest hits, among them "Livin' La Vida Loca", "She Bangs", "Maria" and "The Cup of Life". He and co-writer Desmond Child earned Grammy nominatios for their work with Martin.
In 1998 he released his first english-language album, titled Songbirds and Roosters. It featured the english versions of the tracks from his debut album Frío. In 2001 Rosa released a Greatest Hits album called Libertad del Alma which featured songs from an upcoming album in which he had been working for more than three years.
In 2003, Draco again re-invented himself yet again, in preparation for the release of his most ambitious project yet, an album titled Mad Love Released in March 2004, the album contained tragic love themes in different musical genres ranging from hard rock to flamenco ballads. The album was comprised of 15 songs, 3 of which are sung in Spanish. The album was the first to earn Rosa international recognition beyond Latin America, becoming widely popular in Europe. Rosa toured the continent with Lenny Kravitz in the summer of 2004.
Rosa received a Latin Grammy Award in 2004 for the video clip of the song "Más y Más". In September 2004, Draco took his show to Puerto Rico's new 18,000-capacity Coliseo de Puerto Rico, selling out the venue. A CD/DVD of the event was released on December 6, 2005, titled DRACO Al Natural. He capped 2005 with 7 sold out concerts at Puerto Rico's "Bellas Artes" theatre in the month of September and proceeded to focus on a new spanish-language album for 2007.
Rosa currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Angela and two sons, Revel and Redamo, although he also has a residence in Puerto Rico. Rosa has been known for using many different pseudonyms when writing songs for other artists. Among them are "Dolores del Infante", "Ian Blake" and "Phantom Vox". On December 19, 2005 multi-artist Celso Gonzalez introduced an instalation called "El Ultimo Viaje: El Entierro de Robi Rosa" ("The Final Voyage: The Burial of Robi Rosa") at Puerto Rico's Museo de Arte Contemporaneo.
Volver
Robi Draco Rosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La gente en mi barrio siempre peliando
La droga en la calle la policía
La bala que silba su melodía
Óyeme, la droga en la calle la policía
Aquí vengo sólo con mis amigos
Hablando me entiendo con mi enemigo
Oye mi canto que te la cura
Ala, Ala, que te la cura
Ven ven, ven y busca bajo la piel
Ven ven, más allá está el poder
Agua en el mar, fuego en el sol
Y en su sitio el corazón
Y ahora ven, luego te lo explico
América canta con Puerto Rico
Mi cielo, mi tierra, la buena gente,
Yo quiero mi estado independiente
Óyeme, mi cielo, mi tierra, la buena gente
Óyeme Ala, Ala, la buena gente
Ven ven, ven y busca bajo la piel
Ven ven, más allá está el poder
Agua en el mar, fuego en el sol
Y en su sitio el corazón
Camino solitario bajo el sol
Por el aire llega el eco de tu voz
Ven ven, ven y busca bajo la piel
Ven ven, más allá está el poder
Agua en el mar, fuego en el sol
Y en su sitio el corazón
Ven ven, ven y busca bajo la piel
Ven ven, más allá está el poder
Agua en el mar, fuego en el sol
Y en su sitio el corazón
The lyrics of Robi Draco Rosa's song Volver portray the harsh realities of life in his neighborhood, where people are fighting and there is drug use and police presence. Draco Rosa laments the situation and urges his listeners to come together despite their differences. He speaks directly to his community, reminding them to control their anger and to listen to his message of hope and healing. He reminds his listeners that the power lies within themselves and that they have the ability to overcome their struggles.
Draco Rosa's lyrics take a political stance when he sings, "América canta con Puerto Rico, mi cielo, mi tierra, la buena gente, yo quiero mi estado independiente," which translates to "America sings with Puerto Rico, my sky, my land, the good people, I want my independent state." He is expressing his desire for Puerto Rico to be independent from the United States, a sentiment that is shared by many in the country.
Overall, Volver is a song that speaks to the struggles of a community, but also offers hope and encouragement for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo no se lo que está pasando
I don't know what is happening
La gente en mi barrio siempre peliando
People in my neighborhood are always fighting
La droga en la calle la policía
Drugs on the street and the police
La bala que silba su melodía
The bullet that sings its melody
Óyeme, la droga en la calle la policía
Listen to me, drugs on the street and the police
Aquí vengo sólo con mis amigos
Here I come only with my friends
Hablando me entiendo con mi enemigo
By talking, I understand my enemy
Hermano controla tu calentura
Brother, control your temper
Oye mi canto que te la cura
Listen to my song that will heal you
Ala, Ala, que te la cura
Come on, come on, it will heal you
Ven ven, ven y busca bajo la piel
Come, come, and search under the skin
Ven ven, más allá está el poder
Come, come, beyond is the power
Agua en el mar, fuego en el sol
Water in the sea, fire in the sun
Y en su sitio el corazón
And in its place, the heart
Y ahora ven, luego te lo explico
And now come, later I will explain it to you
América canta con Puerto Rico
America sings with Puerto Rico
Mi cielo, mi tierra, la buena gente
My sky, my land, the good people
Yo quiero mi estado independiente
I want my independent state
Óyeme, mi cielo, mi tierra, la buena gente
Listen to me, my sky, my land, the good people
Óyeme Ala, Ala, la buena gente
Listen to me, come on, come on, the good people
Camino solitario bajo el sol
I walk alone under the sun
Por el aire llega el eco de tu voz
Through the air comes the echo of your voice
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.