Blades's father is a percussionist-turned-detective and his mother was a singer and radio performer. His grandfather, Reuben Blades, was an English-speaking native of St. Lucia who came to work on the canal, as he tells in the song West Indian Man on the album Amor y Control ("That's where the Blades comes from.") (1992)
After obtaining degrees in political science and law at Panama's Universidad Nacional, Blades worked at the Bank of Panama as a lawyer. In 1974, Blades moved to the United States, staying temporarily with his exiled parents in Miami before moving to New York City. Blades began his musical career in New York writing songs while working in the mailroom at Fania Records, and soon was working with salseros Ray Barretto and Larry Harlow. Shortly thereafter Blades started collaborating with trombonist and band leader Willie Colón, and they recorded several albums together. Their album Siembra (1978) became the best-selling salsa record in history.
After 1980, Blades tried to terminate his contract with Fania, but he was contractually obliged to record several more albums. These are generally considered toss-offs and Blades himself told his fans to avoid them. When he was free of his contractual obligations, Blades signed with another label, Elektra, and assembled a top-notch band (known variously as Seis Del Solar or Son Del Solar) and recorded a number of albums with them.
In the early 1980s, Blades began his career in films as a composer of soundtracks.
In 1982, Blades got his first acting role in The Last Fight writing the title song as well as portraying a singer-turned-boxer vying for a championship against a fighter who was played by real life world champion boxer Salvador Sánchez.
In 1985, Blades gained widespread recognition as co-writer and star of the independent film Crossover Dreams as a New York salsa singer willing to do anything to break into the mainstream. This same year he earned a master's degree in international law from Harvard University. He was also the subject of Robert Mugge's documentary The Return of Ruben Blades, which debuted at that year's Denver Film Festival. During the 1990s, he acted in films, mounted his unsuccessful presidential bid, founding the party Movimiento Papa Egoró, and continued to make salsa records.
His many film appearances include The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Devil's Own (1997). In 1999, he played Mexican artist Diego Rivera in Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock.
In 1997, Blades headed the cast of singer/songwriter Paul Simon's first Broadway musical, The Capeman, based on a true story about a violent youth who becomes a poet in prison. In the 2003 film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, starring Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, and Willem Dafoe, he played the role of a retired FBI agent.
Blades' 1999 album Tiempos which he made with the 12-piece Costa Rican band Editus, represented a break from his salsa past and a rejection of commercial trends in Latin music.
Some might say that "his biggest mistake was releasing an English-language album in 1988 in the wake of his 1987 Grammy for Escenas" [sic] but in fact, he tends to avoid commercial choices. After winning his first Grammy for Escenas in 1986 he recorded the album Agua de Luna based on the short stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1987. The next year he released the English language collaboration with rock artists Sting, Elvis Costello, and Lou Reed the same year as Antecedente, another Grammy winner. In 2003 he followed the World Music Grammy winner Mundo with a web site free download project. As he said in 2005 when receiving the ASCAP Founders Award about his non-commercial choices, "That's the way I think."
In 2004 he put his artistic careers on hold when he began serving as Minister of Tourism of Panama.
Source: Wikipedia®
Baby's In Black
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby's in black
And I'm feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?
She thinks of him
And so she dresses in black
And though he'll never come back
She's dressed in black
Oh dear, what can I do?
Baby's in black
And I'm feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?
I think of her
But she thinks only of him
And though it's only a whim
She thinks of him
Oh how long will it take
Till she sees the mistake
She has made?
Dear what can I do?
Baby's in black
And I'm feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?
The song "Baby's in Black" by Ruben Blades is a melancholy tale of unrequited love. The singer is feeling blue because his love interest, referred to as "baby," is always dressed in black as she thinks of another man who has left her. Although she knows that he is never going to come back, she still clings to the memory of him, and the singer is left feeling helpless and heartbroken.
The lyrics perfectly capture the sense of longing and sadness that comes with unrequited love. The singer is tormented by the fact that although he thinks of his love interest, she only has thoughts for someone else. The lines "Oh how long will it take/Till she sees the mistake/She has made?" suggest that the singer hopes that one day his love interest will realise her mistake and turn to him instead.
The repeated refrain of "Baby's in black/And I'm feeling blue/Tell me, oh what can I do?" underscores the singer's sense of desperation and highlights the fact that he feels powerless to change the situation. The song is a beautiful expression of the pain and sadness that comes with unrequited love and showcases the powerful emotions that can be conveyed through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh dear, what can I do?
I'm feeling helpless and lost
Baby's in black
She's mourning and in pain
And I'm feeling blue
I'm sad and down
Tell me, oh what can I do?
I'm asking for advice and guidance
She thinks of him
Her mind is filled with thoughts of him
And so she dresses in black
She uses black clothes to express her grief
And though he'll never come back
She knows there's no chance he'll return
She's dressed in black
Still mourning and grieving
I think of her
My thoughts are with her
But she thinks only of him
Her heart belongs to someone else
And though it's only a whim
It's a temporary feeling
She thinks of him
Her mind is filled with thoughts of him
Oh how long will it take
I wonder how much time she'll need
Till she sees the mistake
Until she realizes she's wrong
She has made?
The choice she's taken
Dear what can I do?
I'm feeling helpless and in need of help
Baby's in black
She's still mourning and in pain
And I'm feeling blue
I'm still sad and down
Tell me, oh what can I do?
I'm asking again for advice and guidance
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danny Mclean Paz
Aparte de beatlemaniaco soy también un apasionado melómano. Realmente ésta versión de Ruben, del clásico de los chicos de Liverpool, Baby´s in black (Nena de negro) es una Oda al talento puro de uno de los más grandes poetas de la salsa. Un arreglo descomunal en cuanto a lo dificil que es convertir una balada inglesa en una joya musical latina. Wow! una fusión exquisita entre elementos de Flamenco, Bosa Nova y, obviamente, latin jazz.. Bravo! Ruben..!
JURDK
Qué comentario! 👌
J Avila
Un gran arreglo de un gran Maestro Viva Blades!
Juan Carlos Hernandez
ohh.........dear o what can I do baby is in black and I feeling good..............gran composición(musical ya que la letra es de Lennon sino me equivoco) como siempre Ruben saludos desde caracas
Caleb Motta
tremendo sonero si te gusta la salsa esta es una..
salsadreams22
solo conocia esta version!
Natalie Rigaud
Yo también! Tengo un vívido recuerdo de mi padre siendo muy feliz escuchando y cantando esto. Recién de adulta me vine a enterar que era de los Beatles (con razón todo).
Amo Blades 🙌🔥
Manuel Vasquez
el homenaje de un grande a los mas grandes
Yeruin RD
baby!!!
supraludwick83
cómo la destrozo completamente.