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®
Olaya
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mas nadie sabe del lugar
Sirenas cuidan mi secretos
Los guardan entre cielo y mar
Refugio contra las tormentas
Las penas de la realidad
Solo ella puede comprenderme
Preciosa ella se aparece
Mas linda que un atardecer
Sus ojos dos cielos profundos
Su oca colmena de miel.
Su cuerpo precioso y ardiente
Me abraza y se vuelve mi piel
Olaya se acerca a decirme
Lo que siempre he querido saber.
Pero sonó el despertador y me interrumpe la visita con Olaya.
The lyrics to Rubén Blades's song Olaya speak of a secret and perfect place that nobody else knows about, a haven that is guarded by sirens between the sea and the sky, a refuge from the storms and hardships of reality. The singer finds comfort and understanding in this place, which is presided over by Olaya, the queen of the sea. Described as a beautiful and mysterious figure who appears more lovely than a sunset, with deep eyes and honey skin, Olaya embraces the singer, becoming one with him, enveloping him in her warm embrace, and offering him the knowledge that he seeks.
The song is imbued with themes of escape, mysticism, and longing, with Olaya representing the idealized feminine figure who can offer solace and understanding. The lyrics are infused with a sense of heightened sensuality as the singer describes the allure of Olaya's body, comparing her to an enchanted bee hive that can make him lose himself. The song's ultimate message is one of transcendence, with the singer being reluctantly called back to consciousness by the ringing of his alarm clock, breaking the spell of Olaya's enchantment and returning him to the mundane world.
Line by Line Meaning
Conozco de un sitio perfecto
I know of a perfect place
Mas nadie sabe del lugar
But no one knows of the place
Sirenas cuidan mi secretos
Mermaids guard my secrets
Los guardan entre cielo y mar
They keep them safe between the sky and sea
Refugio contra las tormentas
A refuge against storms
Las penas de la realidad
The sorrows of reality
Solo ella puede comprenderme
Only she can understand me
Olaya la reina del mar
Olaya, the queen of the sea
Preciosa ella se aparece
Beautifully she appears
Mas linda que un atardecer
More beautiful than a sunset
Sus ojos dos cielos profundos
Her eyes, two deep skies
Su oca colmena de miel.
Her mouth a honeycomb.
Su cuerpo precioso y ardiente
Her precious and fiery body
Me abraza y se vuelve mi piel
She embraces me and becomes my skin
Olaya se acerca a decirme
Olaya approaches me to tell me
Lo que siempre he querido saber.
What I've always wanted to know.
Pero sonó el despertador y me interrumpe la visita con Olaya.
But the alarm clock went off and interrupted my visit with Olaya.
Writer(s): Ruben Blades
Contributed by Madelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alejandro Lopez
sacado del fb de Ruben: "OLAYA es el nombre de una joven vasca de San Sebastián, que trabajo como parte de la producción en una de mis giras Europeas. Luego del último concierto, en San Sebastián, le pregunte su nombre al despedirme y respondió, "me llamo Olaya". Esta canción tenia por titulo original, SORAYA. Pero el nombre Olaya, que me sonó mas cubano que vasco, me pareció mas adecuado y exótico. Le dije, “te voy a dedicar un tema” y ella, que sospecho me creía medio loco, me obsequio una de esas sonrisas que nos dicen, "no te vas a acordar". Olaya: tarde pero seguro, aquí está!
Creo que el coro principal de esta canción es uno de los mejores que he creado y en cierta forma es mi homenaje al gran cantante y compositor cubano Francisco Fellove, a quien tuve el honor de conocer en Panamá. Fellove fue el autor del excelente tema El Jamaiquino, canción poseedora de giros cromáticos completamente innovadores para su época.
Con un estilo único, combinaba elementos de "feeling" con los modos tradicionales de la música popular cubana y desafiaba la tradicional forma de cantar. Un "fuera de serie" es el gran Fellove. En el me inspire para el coro de Olaya."
Olaya Oviaño
Se refiere a un amor que nunca podrá tener, sueña con ella, pero suena el despertador y vuelve a la realidad. Olaya es un nombre de chica, así me llamo yo. un beso.
Samuel Gonzalez
El hizo una segunda versión de Olaya con la orquesta de Roberto Delgado en la cual incluye soneos muy sabrosos.
David Martinez Duran
Sus ojos, dos cielos profundos. Su boca, colmena de miel.. No necesito saber mas, me enamorè de ella!
delmanglar
Para mí es la mejor del disco.
josephsk8rocklover
El cambio que da la canción con el coro es magistral, mi favorito en el género de la salsa.
Marlon Emilio
Tremendo tema, este fue dedicado a una mujer llamada olaya, mi nombre es marlon posada, cuando compuse la cancion "En olaya naci", ironicamente, no sabia que uno de mis compositores e interpretes preferidos (ruben blade) con el cual me identifico mucho, habia grabado una cancion llamada "Olaya". Cuanto me gustaria que algun dia ruben escuchara mi cancio, tambien hecha a olaya, mi barrio querido, un barrio de la verdadera cartatagena(colombia) el que pocos conocen, pero del que mucho se habla, y casi siempre negativamente, mi cancion es a todo lo bueno de este barrio maravilloso
chato8
Al gran genio no se le acaba la calidad, gracias por tanto maestro Ruben.
batakarojo
En sus sueños estuvo con ella....buenisima!! gracias por subirla!! saludos hermanos panameños desde El Salvador.
Frank Patiño
¿Alguien sabe a qué lugar se refiere? Tremenda canción