They followed up with an ultra-slow cover of "Rock Around the Clock", a hilariously relaxed and dispassionate version of one-hit-wonder Plastic Bertrand's punk song "Ça Plane Pour Moi", and a perversely mechanical cover of "Dance to the Music", originally by Sly Stone.
Like Kraftwerk, Telex built their music entirely from electronic instruments, and the sounds of the two groups have a certain similarity. However, unlike Kraftwerk's studied Teutonic irony, Telex favour a more joyously irreverent humour.
Their debut album, "Looking for Saint Tropez", featured the worldwide hit single "Moskow Diskow", one of the first ever electronic dance/pop songs.
In 1980 Telex's manager asked them to enter for the Eurovision Song Contest. They entered, and were eventually sent to the finals, although they apparently hoped to come last: "We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise. We got ten points from them and finished on the 19th spot." (Marc Moulin)
Their song "Euro-Vision" was a cheerful bleepy song with deliberately banal lyrics about the contest itself.
The Eurovision audience seemed unsure how to react to the performance, and after the band stopped playing there was mostly stunned silence, with scattered polite applause; Michel Moers took a photograph of the bewildered audience. A mark of the confusion caused by the performance was when vote-counting began, and Greece awarded Belgium three points, the announcer thought she had misheard and tried to award the points to The Netherlands.
All of this was clearly bad news for the band's English record label, Virgin Records, who were trying to pass them off as part of the New Romantic movement. The self-mockery of tracks like "We Are All Getting Old" didn't help either.
For their third album, Sex, Telex enlisted the suddenly hip US group Sparks to help write the lyrics. However, the band still refused to play live and preferred to remain anonymous — common practice in the techno music artists they later inspired, but unusual in 1981. The fourth Telex album, Wonderful World, was barely distributed.
In 1986, Atlantic Records, perhaps surprisingly, signed Telex and released Looney Tunes. By then, the band's earlier sound had influenced many other groups, but they had abandoned it in favor of sampling and a more up-tempo humorous style. "Temporary Chicken", for example, was a strange joke track about a man so desperate for work that he accepts a part time job in a chicken costume.
In 1989, Telex revisited all of their old tracks and remixed them to resemble the house music and other genres that had followed in the wake of Telex and others' early pioneering work in electronic pop. The result was Les Rhythmes Automatiques, which apparently inspired Kraftwerk to do the same for their album The Mix in 1991.
After almost two decades of silence, Telex made a come-back in March 2006 with How Do You Dance on EMI. It comprised five original compositions as well as five covers. Their last release, as of 2006, is a cover of "On the Road Again", originally by Canned Heat. They also began producing remixes for other artists' single releases, including "A Pain that I'm Used To" by Depeche Mode and "Minimal" by the Pet Shop Boys.
There are other artists ith the same name:
2. A Turkish Heavy Metal band from Istanbul.
3. Telex is also a Czech oldschool punk band from Strakonice. They were one of the first bands playing punkrock in former Czechoslovakia. Their songs such as Skateboardova Ruzena show (in late 80s in eastern Europe!) a strong hardcore influence as well. The band never became a commercial or a major label band, so their fan audience is still very strong and they are one of the most respected rare punk bands in CZ.
La Bamba
Telex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa′ mi pa' ti y arriba y arriba
Ah y arriba y arriba por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré
Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán,
Soy capitán, soy capitán
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
The Telex version of the popular traditional Mexican folk song La Bamba is a catchy and upbeat dance track that retains the essence of the original while adding electronic elements. The lyrics speak to the joy and fun of dancing the bamba, a lively and traditional dance that has been passed down through generations in Mexico. The first line, "Para bailar la bamba" translates to "to dance the bamba" and sets the tone for the entire song.
The repeated phrase "una poca de gracia" emphasizes the importance of grace and skill in dancing the bamba. The singer sings that they will be up, up, and up for "you," possibly referring to a dance partner, and declares "por ti seré" ("I will be for you") multiple times, bringing a sense of dedication and passion to the song.
The other distinct lyrics describe the singer's identity, stating that they are not a sailor but rather a captain, reinforcing the idea that everyone, regardless of their background or profession, can take part in the joyful and inclusive act of dancing the bamba.
Overall, the Telex version of La Bamba is a fun and energetic take on a traditional folk song that celebrates the joy and skill of dancing, while also recognizing the individuality of each person.
Line by Line Meaning
Para bailar la bamba
The song La Bamba invites us to dance to the lively rhythm of the Bamba
Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia
To dance the Bamba, one needs a bit of grace and rhythm
Una poca de gracia pa′ mi pa' ti y arriba y arriba
The grace and rhythm required for dancing the Bamba is necessary for both you and me, as we dance and jump up and up
Ah y arriba y arriba por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré
As we dance and jump higher and higher, I will do it for you, for you, for you
Yo no soy marinero
I am not a sailor
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán
But I am no mere sailor, I am the captain
Bamba la bamba la bamba
The song La Bamba is all about that lively rhythm of the Bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Let's keep on dancing the Bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
As we dance, we sing the joyous tune of the Bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
With each beat of the rhythm, we celebrate the Bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
And we keep on singing and dancing the Bamba
Bamba la bamba la bamba
The lively rhythm of the Bamba never stops
Writer(s): Ritchie Valens
Contributed by Chloe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@l6ST11
hawaiian nights...
@dusk728728
NOCHES DE VERACRUZ!!! AY ARRIBA AY ARRIBA!!!
@honoratatesciowa101
gdzieś to już słyszałem?
@karoo2944
Ja też