The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinéad O'Connor, James Galway, Jackson Browne, Nancy Griffith and numerous Country-western artists. In 1975, the group won praise for their playing of "Women of Ireland" for Stanley Kubrick's movie Barry Lyndon.
They have won six Grammy Awards and have been nominated eighteen times. In 2002 they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the UK's BBC Radio 2. The front covers of the first four albums were designed by Edward Delaney.
Paddy Moloney is the band's leader, and composes or arranges most of the band's music. While the band's members changed numerous times in the band's early history, the membership solidified in 1979 when Matt Molloy replaced Michael Tubridy.
From then until 2002, members included:
Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, button accordion, bodhrán)
Matt Molloy (flute, tin whistle)
Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals)
Seán Keane (fiddle, tin whistle)
Martin Fay (fiddle, bones) (born 1938; died 14 November 2012)
Derek Bell (Irish harp, keyboard instruments, oboe) (born 21 October 1935; died 17 October 2002)
In 2002, Fay retired from active membership. In the same year, Bell died due to complications following a minor operation. Fay died on 14 November 2012.
Luz de Luna
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Para mi noche triste
Para soñar divina
La ilusión que me trajiste
Para sentirte mía, mía tú
Como ninguna
Pues desde que te fuiste
Pues desde que te fuiste
No he tenido luz de luna
Si ya no vuelves nunca
Provincianita mía
A mi senda querida
Que está triste y está fría
En vez de en mi almohada
Lloraré sobre mi tumba
Pues desde que te fuiste
No he tenido luz de luna
Pues desde que te fuiste
No he tenido luz de luna
Yo siento tus amarras
Como garfios, como garras
Que me ahogan en la playa
De la farra y el dolor
Y siento tus cadenas a rastras
En mi noche callada
Que sea plenilunada
Y azul como ninguna
Pues desde que te fuiste
No he tenido luz de luna
Pues desde que te fuiste
No he tenido
Luz de luna
The song "Luz De Luna" is a Spanish ballad that tells the story of a person who has lost their significant other and is desperately seeking to get them back. The singer talks about how he/she needs the light of the moon to dream of his/her lost love and feel closer to them. The moon symbolizes hope and longing, and without it, the singer feels lost and incomplete. The lyrics are full of raw emotions that convey the deep pain of loss and the desire to bring back what was once lost.
The song is beautifully rendered by Ry Cooder and The Chieftains, who have added their unique touch to the Spanish ballad. The combination of instruments, including guitar and traditional Irish instruments like the uilleann pipes, creates a haunting and soulful atmosphere that underlines the emotions conveyed in the lyrics. Cooder's guitar playing is particularly noteworthy, as it adds a distinct flamenco style to the song and enhances its melancholic mood.
Overall, "Luz De Luna" is a powerful and emotionally charged song that speaks to the universal experiences of loss, love, and longing. The haunting melody and the evocative lyrics make it a standout track that showcases the beauty and complexity of Spanish ballads.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo quiero luz de luna
I long for the moonlight
Para mi noche triste
To illuminate my sad night
Para soñar divina
So I can dream divinely
La ilusión que me trajiste
The illusion that you brought me
Para sentirte mía, mía tú
So I can feel you as mine, mine only
Como ninguna
Like no one else
Pues desde que te fuiste
Because ever since you left
No he tenido luz de luna
I haven't had moonlight
Si ya no vuelves nunca
If you never return again
Provincianita mía
My provincial girl
A mi senda querida
To my beloved path
Que está triste y está fría
That is sad and cold
En vez de en mi almohada
Instead of on my pillow
Lloraré sobre mi tumba
I will cry on my tomb
Pues desde que te fuiste
Because ever since you left
No he tenido luz de luna
I haven't had moonlight
Yo siento tus amarras
I feel your ties
Como garfios, como garras
Like hooks, like claws
Que me ahogan en la playa
That suffocate me on the beach
De la farra y el dolor
Of revelry and pain
Y siento tus cadenas a rastras
And I feel your dragging chains
En mi noche callada
In my quiet night
Que sea plenilunada
May it be full moonlit
Y azul como ninguna
And as blue as no other
Pues desde que te fuiste
Because ever since you left
No he tenido luz de luna
I haven't had moonlight
Pues desde que te fuiste
Because ever since you left
No he tenido
I haven't had
Luz de luna
Moonlight
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Alvaro Carrillo Alarcon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist