As of 2013, Gabriel had released twenty studio albums, three live albums, and fifteen compilation albums. Three Gabriel albums reached number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums, and seven singles reached number one on the Billboard Latin Songs chart, including "Ay Amor", "Es Demasiado Tarde", and "Quién Como Tú". Her work earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award nomination, four Latin Grammy Award nominations, thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards, as well as awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; in 2006, she received the Excellence Award at the Lo Nuestro Awards.
In 1987, Ana Gabriel won third place at the OTI Festival in 1987, celebrated in Lisbon, Portugal, where she performed an orchestral version of the pop-power ballad song "Ay Amor", which later was released as a single in its album version; it climbed to the top position in Mexico, all-over Ibero-America and on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for 14 consecutive weeks.
In 1988 Gabriel released her first album, Tierra de Nadie, followed by Pecado Original in 1989, which met with some chart success. Her 1990 album Quien Como Tú made her a force within the Mexican music industry. Eight months later, her live album En Vivo showcased her powerful stage act and scored several hits: "Hice Bien Quererte", "Propuesta", and "Solamente una Vez".
Throughout the 1990s Gabriel released an album almost every year. A versatile singer, she showcased her talent as an interpreter of many different musical styles, from lambada to mariachi and romantic ballads to pop music. She also honed her skills as a songwriter and a producer, releasing Mi Mexico, a ranchera-influenced, mariachi-backed pop album, in 1991. This unique blend of styles was also reflected in the songs, all written by Gabriel. Her lyrics described strong, active women involved in their love lives, counter to their passive, traditional depiction in older songs. The album also included a tribute to Mexico's most popular singer-songwriter, Juan Gabriel (no relation).
Gabriel scored a number-one hit with the duet "Cosas del Amor" in 1991, which she sang with Vikki Carr, a Mexican-American pop singer famous in the 1960s. The single earned Gabriel a Lo Nuestro Award for Song of the Year in 1992. At the same awards ceremony Gabriel was also named Female Artist of the Year in the Regional Mexican category and Pop Female Artist of the Year; Mi México was named Regional Mexican Album of the Year. In 1993, Gabriel was awarded Best Pop Female Performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards.
In 1996 she released the pop-oriented Viven-cias. She followed this with the traditional ranchera album Con un Mismo Corazón in 1997, an album she wrote and produced herself. Of particular interest is her title-track duet with Vicente Fernandez, one of the most prolific and popular ranchera singers in Mexican history. Burr wrote of the duet, "The beauty here lies in the melding of two great voices—Gabriel's husky sensuality and Fernandez's powerful, understated expressions—set against a 25-piece symphony."
Gabriel released another live album in 1998, En la Plaza de Toros Mexico, a 30-track boxed set. That same year she traveled to Miami to work with the renowned producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., on her 1999 album Soy Como Soy. The result was a pop-influenced ranchera album that went gold in the Latin music market and helped Gabriel win the Ritmo Latino Music Award for Female Pop Artist of the Year in 2000.
With the release of Eternamente in 2000 Gabriel returned to mariachi love ballads, using only guitar as accompaniment. That same year she also appeared with other Mexican music icons in an independence day television special called Viva Mexico, a celebration of Mexican music and history. In 2001 Gabriel released Huelo a Soledad, once again balancing the traditional sounds of Eternamente with sophisticated pop songs, a cappella numbers, and dance tracks.
In 2002 Gabriel's platinum-selling album Sagitario was released. In that same year she won the Billboard Latin Music Estrella Award in recognition of her contribution to the Latin music industry, performed at a tribute concert for Vicente Fernandez sponsored by the Latin Music Awards, and participated in the ninth annual Las Cruces International Mariachi Concert and Festival in New Mexico. In December of that year she was scheduled to perform at the eleventh annual Christmas Mariachi Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, but was denied a work visa and refused entry into the United States.
Gabriel is a devout Catholic, telling Luther Orrick-Guzman of QV Magazine, "I believe and have a lot of faith in God." She places a red rose and a white carnation onstage at each of her performances, telling Orrick-Guzman the flowers symbolize "communication between myself and God." Her performances are also noted for their power and the respect she has for all of her fans.
Simplemente Amigos
Ana Gabriel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No hay nada que decir ante la gente es así
Amigos, simplemente amigos y nada más
Pero quién sabe en realidad lo que sucede entre los dos
Si cada quien llegando la noche finge un adiós
Cuánto daría por gritarles nuestro amor
Decirles que al cerrar la puerta nos amamos sin control
Que despertamos abrazados, con ganas de seguir amándonos
Pero es que en realidad no acepten nuestro amor
Siempre, con miradas siempre nos damos todo el amor
Háblanos sin hablar todo es silencio en nuestro andar
Amigos, simplemente amigos y nada más
Pero quien sabe en realidad lo que sucede entre los dos
Si cada quien llegando la noche finge un adiós
Cuánto daría por gritarles nuestro amor
Decirles que al cerrar la puerta nos amamos sin control
Que despertamos abrazados, con ganas de seguir amándonos
Pero es que en realidad no aceptan nuestro amor
Cuánto daría por gritarles nuestro amor
Decirles que al cerrar la puerta nos amamos sin control
Que despertamos abrazados, con ganas de seguir amándonos
Pero es que en realidad no acepten nuestro amor
No aceptan nuestro amor
No aceptan nuestro amor
The lyrics of Ana Gabriel's song Simplemente Amigos tell the story of two people who are trying to keep their love a secret from the world. The song's verses describe how the two characters have fallen in love but are unable to express it openly. They pretend to be just friends in front of others, going through the motions of their daily routine. Yet, they cannot deny the powerful attraction and deep emotions that they feel for each other. They exchange silent glances and, at night, they say goodbye as if they are just friends. However, the truth is that they are deeply in love and cannot resist each other's passion.
The chorus of the song reveals the secret desire of the lovers to shout out their love to the world. They want to tell everyone that their love is real, intense, and unstoppable. They want to declare that they wake up in each other’s arms, craving for more love. However, they are held back by the fear of not being accepted by society, family, or friends. The song expresses the bittersweet feeling of being in love but having to keep it hidden.
Overall, the lyrics of Simplemente Amigos convey the tension between the public and private lives of two people in love. The song speaks to anyone who has had to keep their love a secret, and also to those who have struggled to accept the love of others.
Line by Line Meaning
Siempre, como ya es costumbre día a día es igual
Everyday is the same, just like it always has been
No hay nada que decir ante la gente es así
There's nothing to say, that's just the way it is in front of people
Amigos, simplemente amigos y nada más
Friends, simply friends and nothing more
Pero quién sabe en realidad lo que sucede entre los dos
But who really knows what happens between us
Si cada quien llegando la noche finge un adiós
If each of us pretends to say goodbye every night
Cuánto daría por gritarles nuestro amor
How much I wish I could shout to them about our love
Decirles que al cerrar la puerta nos amamos sin control
Tell them that when we close the door, we love each other without restraint
Que despertamos abrazados, con ganas de seguir amándonos
That we wake up in each other's arms, wanting to keep loving each other
Pero es que en realidad no acepten nuestro amor
But the truth is they don't accept our love
No aceptan nuestro amor
They don't accept our love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ana Gabriel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind