Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter,… Read Full Bio ↴Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor and politician. As songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of South American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova to salsa, creating thinking persons' dance music. He remains wildly popular in that country and much admired throughout Latin America, and he managed to attract 20% of the vote in his failed attempt to win the Panamanian presidency in 1994. In September 2004, he was appointed minister of tourism by Panamanian president Martín Torrijos. Blades is completely bilingual, working both in English and Spanish. His most famous song is "Pedro Navaja", a song about a panderer whose day to die has come.

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®

Ganas De Verte
Rubén Blades Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tengo ganas de verte,
siento una extraña sensación.
Quiero volver a conocerte,
porque ha pasado el tiempo
y se me ha confundido el corazón.

Dicen que mucho has cambiado,
me han dicho que no encuentras el ayer.

Espero que no te hallas olvidado
que fui yo quien te ha enseñado a querer.

Coro:
A veces pienso haber oido tu llamar
sobre el rugido de las olas en el mar.
Espero que mañana traiga un despertar
contigo junto a mi,
no quiero más penar,
no quiero ya más soñar.

Y aunque mucho tiempo ha pasado
nadie olvida lo que quiso alguna vez;
te extraño y te quiero a mi lado,
por eso, de noche a sol te buscaré.

Coro:
A veces pienso haber oido tu llamar
sobre el rugido de las olas en el mar.
Espero que mañana traiga un despertar
contigo junto a mi,

ya no quiero penar,
ni quiero ya más soñar.

Overall Meaning

In Rubén Blades's song "Ganas De Verte," he expresses his desire to see someone he once knew. He feels a strange sensation and his heart is confused because time has passed and he hasn't seen this person in a while. Although he has heard that this person has changed and can't find their past, he hopes they haven't forgotten that he's the one who taught them how to love.

Blades sings about the memories and feelings he has for this person, and how he sometimes thinks he hears them calling out to him over the sounds of the waves. He hopes that tomorrow will bring a new awakening with this person by his side, so he doesn't have to suffer anymore or dream.

The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia, longing, and hope for a reconnection with someone from the past. It shows that even though time may have passed, the emotions and memories can still be strong, and the desire to reconnect and reconcile can still burn brightly.

Line by Line Meaning

Tengo ganas de verte,
I have a strong desire to see you,

siento una extraña sensación.
I feel a strange sensation.

Quiero volver a conocerte,
I want to get to know you again,

porque ha pasado el tiempo
because time has passed

y se me ha confundido el corazón.
and my heart is confused.

Dicen que mucho has cambiado,
They say that you've changed a lot,

me han dicho que no encuentras el ayer.
They told me that you can't find yesterday.

Espero que no te hallas olvidado
I hope you haven't forgotten

que fui yo quien te ha enseñado a querer.
that I was the one who taught you how to love.

Coro:
Chorus:

A veces pienso haber oido tu llamar
Sometimes I think I hear you call

sobre el rugido de las olas en el mar.
above the roar of the waves in the sea.

Espero que mañana traiga un despertar
I hope tomorrow brings a waking

contigo junto a mi,
with you beside me,

no quiero más penar,
I don't want to suffer anymore,

no quiero ya más soñar.
I don't want to dream anymore.

Y aunque mucho tiempo ha pasado
And although much time has passed

nadie olvida lo que quiso alguna vez;
no one forgets what they once wanted;

te extraño y te quiero a mi lado,
I miss you and I want you by my side,

por eso, de noche a sol te buscaré.
that's why I'll search for you day and night.

Contributed by Austin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

maries

6y↑15

Tú perteneces a otro hombre
Yo pertenezco a otra mujer
Pero me tienes ganas
Y yo te las tengo también
Pero me tienes ganas
Y yo te las tengo también.
Cuando te encuentro por la calle
Siento que me busca tu mirar
Y es que me tienes ganas
Y no me lo puede negar
Es que me tienes ganas
Y no me lo puedes negar.
Ya no perdamos más tiempo
Nuestros sentimientos reclaman la unión
Aunque lo llamen pecado
Tú me has demostrado que quieres mi amor.
Rompe la cadena del dolor
Que en tu ausencia da mi corazón
Aunque tú perteneces a otro hombre
Yo pertenezco a otra mujer
Pero me tienes ganas
Y yo te las tengo también
Pero me tienes ganas
Y yo te las tengo también.
Es que me tienes ganas
Y en ti quiero retratarme
Es que me tienes ganas
Ay pa, pa' que no puedas olvidarme
Es que me tienes ganas
Y aunque digan que es pecado
Es que me tienes ganas
Ay corazón va pa'l mercado
Es que me tienes ganas
No, no, no te dan lo que tú quieres
Es que me tienes ganas
Por eso tú por mí te mueres
Es que me tienes ganas
Él tu frío y yo tu abrigo
Es que me tienes ganas
Sólo quiero estar, sólo quiero estar, sólo quiero estar contigo
Es que me tienes ganas
Sin vergüenza te lo digo
Es que me tienes ganas.
Es que me tienes ganas
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no puedo ser tu amigo
Es que me tienes ganas
Che, y en confianza te lo digo
Es que me tienes ganas
Y aunque es un amor prohibido
Es que me tienes ganas
Tú quieres algo conmigo
Es que me tienes ganas
Si en la cara se te ve
Es que me tienes ganas
Ven y ven y dime qué es lo que es.
Es que me tienes ganas
Ay, ay, ay, ayayey, te conozco mascarita
Es que me tienes ganas
Aunque te hagas la bobita
Es que me tienes ganas
Me lo dice tu mirada
Es que me tienes ganas
Ay, amor de lejos no está en nada
Es que me tienes ganas
Ven a cama, nanana, chiquilla loca
Es que me tienes ganas
Pa' enredarme en esa boca.