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®
Prohibido Olvidar
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E ir a la universidad
Prohibieron las garantías
Y el fin constitucional
Prohibieron todas las ciencias
Excepto la militar
Prohibiendo el derecho a queja
Hoy te sugiero, mi hermano
Pa' que no vuelva a pasar
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido esperar respuestas
Prohibida la voluntad
Prohibidas las discusiones
Prohibida la realidad
Prohibida la libre prensa
Y prohibido el opinar
Prohibieron la inteligencia
Con un decreto especial
Si tú no usas la cabeza
Otro por ti la va a usar
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido el derecho a huelga
Y el aumento salarial
Prohibieron ir a la calle
Y al estado criticar
Prohibieron reírse del chiste
De su triste gobernar
Prohibieron el desarrollo
Del futuro nacional
Yo creo que la única forma
De darle a esto un final es
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibidos los comentarios
Sin "Visto bueno" oficial
Prohibieron el rebelarse
Contra la mediocridad
Prohibieron las elecciones
Y la esperanza popular
Y prohibieron la conciencia
Al prohibirnos el pensar
Si tú crees en tu bandera
Y crees en la libertad
Prohibido olvidar
Prohibido olvidar
Pobre del país donde
Lo malo controla donde
El civil se enamora de la corrupción
Pobre del país alienado
Por la droga porque una mente
Que afloja, pierde la razón
Pobre del país
Que con la violencia crea
Que puede matar
La idea de su liberación
Pobre del país
Que ve la justicia hecha añicos
Por la voluntad del rico
O por orden militar
Cada nación depende
Del corazón de su gente
Y a un país que no se vende
Nadie lo podrá comparar
No te olvides
de lo que pasó
De las prohibiciones que nos impusieron
De todas las libertades que nos quitaron
De la opresión que nos ahogó
En "Prohibido Olvidar", Rubén Blades highlights the oppression and prohibitions that existed during the time of dictatorship in Latin America. The lyrics focus on the limitations on basic human rights such as education, freedom of speech, and the right to protest. The government outlawed many forms of expression, including the media, which limited access to the truth and the spread of knowledge. The song urges the listener to remember the past and the effects of such oppression, to move forward with a greater appreciation for the freedoms we have and with a greater commitment to protect them.
Throughout the song, Blades emphasizes the importance of remembering the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself. Through the repetition of the phrase "Prohibido Olvidar", which translates to "Forbidden to Forget", Blades highlights the importance of acknowledging the past, understanding its effects, and moving forward to prevent the same injustices from happening again.
Interestingly, "Prohibido Olvidar" was written in 1984, a year before the Central American crisis began. The song was prophetic in its message, as it resonated with many people throughout the region as they experienced oppression and limitations on their basic rights.
Line by Line Meaning
Prohibieron ir a la escuela
The authorities forbade attending school
E ir a la universidad
They also disallowed university education
Prohibieron las garantías
Basic rights were prohibited
Y el fin constitucional
The constitutional goals were prevented
Prohibieron todas las ciencias
All fields of knowledge were banned
Excepto la militar
Except for military education
Prohibiendo el derecho a queja
The right to protest was not allowed
Prohibieron el preguntar
Asking questions was also prohibited
Hoy te sugiero, mi hermano
Now I advise you, my brother
Pa' que no vuelva a pasar
So that this doesn't happen again
Prohibido olvidar
Remembering is prohibited
Prohibido esperar respuestas
Expecting answers is also forbidden
Prohibida la voluntad
One's own will is not allowed either
Prohibidas las discusiones
Discussions are prohibited
Prohibida la realidad
Even the truth is prohibited
Prohibida la libre prensa
The press is not allowed to report freely
Y prohibido el opinar
Expressing opinions is also prohibited
Prohibieron la inteligencia
Intelligence is prohibited by special decree
Con un decreto especial
Using a special decree
Si tú no usas la cabeza
If you don't use your brain
Otro por ti la va a usar
Someone else will use it for you
Prohibido el derecho a huelga
The right to strike is not allowed
Y el aumento salarial
Increasing wages is also forbidden
Prohibieron ir a la calle
People are not allowed to go out on the streets
Y al estado criticar
And criticizing the government is not allowed
Prohibieron reírse del chiste
Even laughing at a joke is prohibited
De su triste gobernar
If it relates to the sad condition of the government
Prohibieron el desarrollo
The country's development is prohibited
Del futuro nacional
In terms of the nation's future
Yo creo que la única forma
I believe that the only way
De darle a esto un final es
To end this is
Prohibido olvidar
Remembering is prohibited
Prohibidos los comentarios
Comments are not allowed
Sin 'Visto bueno' oficial
Without official approval
Prohibieron el rebelarse
Rebellion is prohibited
Contra la mediocridad
Against mediocrity in government
Prohibieron las elecciones
Even elections are prohibited
Y la esperanza popular
Along with the hope of the people
Y prohibieron la conciencia
And even conscience is prohibited
Al prohibirnos el pensar
By forbidding us to think
Si tú crees en tu bandera
If you believe in your flag
Y crees en la libertad
And you believe in freedom
Prohibido olvidar
Remembering is prohibited
Pobre del país donde
Pity the country where
Lo malo controla donde
Evil rules the land
El civil se enamora de la corrupción
The people fall in love with corruption
Pobre del país alienado
Pity the alienated country
Por la droga porque una mente
Because of the drugs that a mind
Que afloja, pierde la razón
That loosens, loses its reason
Pobre del país
Pity the country
Que con la violencia crea
Which believes in violence
Que puede matar
That can kill
La idea de su liberación
The idea of its own liberation
Pobre del país
Pity the country
Que ve la justicia hecha añicos
Which sees justice shattered
Por la voluntad del rico
By the will of the rich
O por orden militar
Or by military order
Cada nación depende
Every nation depends
Del corazón de su gente
On the hearts of its people
Y a un país que no se vende
And a country that cannot be bought
Nadie lo podrá comparar
No one can compare it
No te olvides
Don't forget
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind