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®
Me Recordaras
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu me llamaras en las horas secretas de tu sensualidad
Te arrepentiras de lo cruel que tu fuistes con mi amor
Te lamentaras pero sera muy tarde para volver
Te perseguiran los recuerdos vividos de ayer
Te atormetará tu conciencia infeliz
Me recordaras donde quiera que escuches mi cancion
Porque al fin fui yo el que te enseño todo lo que sabes de amor
Dilo yomo
Te perseguiran los recuerdos vividos de ayer
Te atormetará tu conciencia infeliz
Me recordaras donde quiera que escuches mi cancion
Porque al fin fui yo el que te enseño todo lo que sabes de amor
The lyrics to Ruben Blades's song "Me Recordaras" tell of a person who was mistreated and unappreciated by someone they loved. The opening lines speak of the sunset and the beauty of the evening, but also of the pain and sadness that will come with the memory of their love. The singer believes that the one who hurt them will come to regret their actions, but it will be too late for them to make amends. The haunting repetition of the line "te perseguiran los recuerdos vividos de ayer" (yesterday's memories will haunt you) creates a sense of inevitability and despair.
The middle stanza of the song speaks directly to the person who was cruel, telling them that their conscience will always be tormented by what they did. Again, there is a sense of regret and sorrow that permeates the lyrics. The final stanza offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer asserts that they will always be remembered, both in the listener's memory and in future generations who hear their songs. The final line, "porque al fin fui yo el que te enseño todo lo que sabes de amor" (because in the end it was I who taught you all you know about love), is a powerful statement of the singer's worth and importance.
Overall, "Me Recordaras" is a powerful song that speaks to the pain of lost love and the inevitability of memory. The lyrics are poetic and moving, while the melody is haunting and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Me recordaras, cuando en las tardes muera el sol
You will remember me when the sun dies in the evenings.
Tu me llamaras en las horas secretas de tu sensualidad
You will call me in the secret hours of your sensuality.
Te arrepentiras de lo cruel que tu fuistes con mi amor
You will regret how cruel you were to my love.
Te lamentaras pero sera muy tarde para volver
You will lament, but it will be too late to come back.
Te perseguiran los recuerdos vividos de ayer
You will be haunted by memories from yesterday.
Te atormetará tu conciencia infeliz
Your unhappy conscience will torment you.
Me recordaras donde quiera que escuches mi cancion
You will remember me wherever you hear my song.
Porque al fin fui yo el que te enseño todo lo que sabes de amor
Because in the end, I was the one who taught you everything you know about love.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: FRANK DOMINGUEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind