ZZ Top formed after Gibbons' previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded in 1969. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. Subsequent releases, such as Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975), and the singles "La Grange" and "Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for their live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976–1977), which was a critical and commercial success.
After a hiatus, ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. With the album El Loco (1981), they began to experiment with synthesizers and drum machines. They established a more mainstream sound and rose to international stardom with Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of these albums' music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", gave them mass exposure on television channel MTV and made them prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. The Afterburner tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986.
After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album Recycler (1990), and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). They most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin' 50 (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.
ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million records worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, the members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Gibbons the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.
Studio albums
ZZ Top's First Album (1971)
Rio Grande Mud (1972)
Tres Hombres (1973)
Fandango! (1975)
Tejas (1976)
Degüello (1979)
El Loco (1981)
Eliminator (1983)
Afterburner (1985)
Recycler (1990)
Antenna (1994)
Rhythmeen (1996)
XXX (1999)
Mescalero (2003)
La Futura (2012)
Qué Lástima
ZZ Top Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nadien no quieren cojer
Nuestro corazon no es tan malo
Pero no tenemos mujer
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Nosotros tenemos cerveza
Tambien tenemos tiempo
Importante tener pocos pesos
Mi suerte es mala siempre
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Y nosotros los pobres borachos
Nadien no quieren cojer
Nuestro corazon no es tan malo
Pero no tenemos mujer
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
Que lastima
The lyrics to ZZ Top's "Que Lastima" speak to the plight of poor, lonely men who spend their time drinking and unable to find love. The first two lines of the song roughly translate to "we poor drunks, nobody wants to take us / our hearts aren't so bad, but we don't have a woman." The repeated refrain of "Que lastima" further emphasizes the sense of regret and sadness felt by these men.
The verses go on to describe the only things these men do have - beer and time. They have little money and bad luck, with the singer acknowledging that his luck is always bad. The repetition of "Que lastima" throughout the song drives home the sense of disappointment and missed opportunities.
Overall, "Que Lastima" is a melancholy lament for the struggles of these men, whose desire for love and companionship goes unfulfilled. The lyrics are simple but effective in conveying a sense of hopelessness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Y nosotros los pobres borachos
We are the poor drunkards
Nadien no quieren cojer
No one wants to sleep with us
Nuestro corazon no es tan malo
Our heart isn't so bad
Pero no tenemos mujer
But we don't have a woman
Que lastima
What a pity
Nosotros tenemos cerveza
We have beer
Tambien tenemos tiempo
We also have time
Importante tener pocos pesos
It's important to have little money
Mi suerte es mala siempre
My luck is always bad
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Billy Gibbons
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
O P Parassni Praveen
on future's so bright, i gotta
Which year was this single released