Siblings include Saned, Edwin, Ito, and José, who all have careers in salsa (one of his brothers was with Puerto Rican Power). In an interview with Maria Conchita Alonso (for "Al día con Maria Conchita"), Jerry talks about how sure his father was that he would succeed.
His parents, also musicians, inspired him to become a musician and as a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows.
His favorite singers are Eddie Santiago, Lalo Rodriguez and, in particular, Frankie Ruiz. In 1986, when he was 13 years old, he accompanied his father who was performing at a hotel in Isla Verde, San Juan. Ruiz, who was a guest at the hotel, appeared and sang a couple of songs with them and had his picture taken alongside Rivera. In 2003 this picture was used by Rivera to make the album cover for his tribute Canto a mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('I sing to my Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), who had died in 1998.
In 1988, Tommy Olivencia heard Rivera sing alongside his father and recommended that he sing solo. When Jerry was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department. They signed Rivera.
With his first album, Empezando A Vivir, Jerry Rivera earned the title "El Bebé de la Salsa" (the salsa baby). This project generated the hit, De La Cabeza A Los Pies (loosely translates to "From Head To Toes").
His second album, Abriendo Puertas ('Opening Doors'), produced the hit songs Esa Niña ('That Girl'), Dime ('Tell Me') and Como un Milagro ('Like a Miracle') became number one hits first in Puerto Rico, then among the Hispanic populations in the United States and finally across Latin America.
His third album, Cuenta Conmigo ('Count on Me'), won three Platinum Record awards in the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. It became the most-sold salsa album in history, a record previously held by Willie Colon,[1] and held the number-one spot in the Latin American Billboards for three consecutive months. Its hit songs included the Cuenta Conmigo, Me Estoy Enamorado ('I am in Love') and Casi Un Hechizo. The number one hit for the album was Amores Como El Nuestro (Loves Like Ours) which is considered to be the best song by Rivera. Rivera was awarded two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for "Singer of the Year" and "Album of the Year" and Sony Records presented him with three Crystal Awards.
The introduction of Amores Como El Nuestro was sampled by Haitian-rapper Wyclef Jean in his 2004 song "Dance Like This" from the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights which would later become the worldwide number-one 2006 hit "Hips Don't Lie" by Colombian-singer Shakira and Wyclef, too.
In 1993, he released Cara de Niño ('Baby Face') with Que Hay De Malo ('That There of Bad') and Cara de Niño as hits.
In 1994, as his popularity was rising, he released his first compilation album, Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor (The New and the Best), and contained the single hit Me Estoy Enloqueciendo Por Ti.
In 1996, Rivera released "Fresco" and Una y Mil Veces (One Thousand and One Tries) became another hit for Rivera.
In 1999, Rivera recorded De Otra Manera ('Another Way'), which featured the bolero Ese. Jerry sang the song with his father at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.
In 2000, Rivera recorded Para Siempre ('Forever'), and the hits were Amor de Novela, Navegándote, and Puerta Abierta. This was his album on Sony Latin records.
He has performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Spain and Japan.
In 2001, he released his self-titled album Jerry Rivera, which would include ballad songs for the first time in his salsa career, and Quiero (I Want) would be the only hit. The year after, he recorded Vuela Muy Alto (She Flies High) which brought him a new fanbase all over Latin-America and the U.S., with the title track hit the top spot and the top 10 in many charts. The following year he released Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), a tribute album to one of his idol Frankie Ruiz. The album ganer him a Latin Grammy nominatation and his hit was Ruiz's Mi Libertad featuring Voltio.
Rivera played a small role in the movie I Like It Like That and will appear as himself in a Latin American soap opera titled Mi destino eres tu ('You are my destiny') slated to air on Univision in the US during on November 2005. Rivera has also appeared in various Banco Popular de Puerto Rico productions, including Al Compas de un Sentimiento (dedicated to the late Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores) and Con la musica por Dentro. Amores Como El Nuestro and Magia is another of his hit songs.
Discography
Empezando a Vivir (Beginning to Live) (1989)
Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (1991)
Cuenta Conmigo (Count On Me) (1992)
Cara de Niño (Baby Face) (1993)
Jerry Rivera: Lo Nuevo Y Lo Mejor (Jerry Rivera: The New and the Best)
Magia (Magic) (1995)
Fresco (album) (Fresh) (1996)
Ya No Soy El Niño Aquel(I'm Not That Child Anymore) (1997)
De Otra Manera (In Other Words) (1998)
Oro Salsero (Salsa Gold) (2000)
Historia 1 (History 1) (2000)
Para Siempre (Forever) (2000)
Jerry Rivera (Rivera) (2001)
No Me Olvidaras (You Won't Forget Me) (2001)
Vuela Muy Alto (Fly Very High) (2002)
Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz (Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz) (2003)
Ay Mi Vida (Oh My Life) (2005)
20 Exitos Originales (20 originals) (2007)
Official Website
http://www.jerryrivera.com/
Dime
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que llena igual aquel lugar
Que yo llenaba para ti
Dime si puedes ser feliz
Si sabes apreciar cuanto te di
Decir puedes vivir sin mi
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidar
Dime si con el tiempo mis huellas pudiste borrar
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Dime si un dia junto a mi
No vale mas que todo el tiempo
Que te ofrecen los demas
Dime si puedes distinguir
Si sabes apreciar cuanto te di
Decir puedes vivir sin mi
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidar
Dime si con el tiempo mis huellas pudiste borrar
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Como olvidarte asi de mí
Si te di lo mejor de mi vida en un instante
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
En el diario de tu amor ya me entere
Que no has podido borrarme
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu
Si hay alguien en mi lugar que pueda llenarte
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Dime si con el tiempo esta pasiOn
De tu pecho has podido arrancarte
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
A mi se me ha hecho dificil borrar las huellas
Que sobre mi cuerpo dejaste
Dime tu,dime tu,dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Se que se te a hecho la vida dificil tan lejos de mi
Y tan fácil que me encontraste
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Tanto temor que senti de pensar en no verte
Y ahora vives tan distante
Dime tu,dime tu,dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Cuando te estreche los brazos otro hombre
Ten mucho cuidado que no se te safe mi nombre
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Si no puedes borrarme de tí
Recuerda que tambien yo pienso en tí
The song "Dime" by Jerry Rivera is a heart-wrenching ballad that speaks of love lost and the residual pain that lingers even after a break-up has occurred. The lyrics center around Rivera lamenting the fact that he has been replaced in someone's affections and questioning whether or not his former love can truly be happy without him. He asks her to tell him honestly if there is someone else that fills the same space in her heart that he once did, and if she has truly been able to forget him as she claims.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, as Rivera repeats the phrase "dime tu" (tell me) in an attempt to coax out the truth from his ex-lover. He wonders if she still thinks of him, if she mentions his name, or if she has truly been able to move on with someone else. Despite the fact that he knows it is painful to think about, he cannot help but ask these questions in an attempt to assuage his own pain and find some kind of closure.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dime" are incredibly emotive and speak to the universal experience of heartbreak and longing. Rivera's beautiful voice conveys all the raw emotion and vulnerability that comes with a failed relationship, and this song has become a classic for fans of Latin music worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Dime si hay alguien junto a ti
Que llena igual aquel lugar
Que yo llenaba para ti
Tell me if there is someone next to you who fills that same place that I used to fill for you
Dime si puedes ser feliz
Si sabes apreciar cuanto te di
Decir puedes vivir sin mi
Tell me if you can be happy if you appreciate what I gave you and say that you can live without me
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidar
Dime si con el tiempo mis huellas pudiste borrar
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, if my footprints have faded with time, if you don't mention my name, if you don't ask for me, and if someone takes you far away from here
Dime si un dia junto a mi
No vale mas que todo el tiempo
Que te ofrecen los demas
Tell me if one day with me is not worth more than all the time that others offer you
Dime si puedes distinguir
Si sabes apreciar cuanto te di
Decir puedes vivir sin mi
Tell me if you can differentiate and appreciate what I gave you and say that you can live without me
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidar
Dime si con el tiempo mis huellas pudiste borrar
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, if my footprints have faded with time, if you don't mention my name, if you don't ask for me, and if someone takes you far away from here
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu
Tell me, tell me, tell me
Dime si no mencionas mi nombre
Dime si no preguntas por mi
Dime si alguien te lleva en sus brazos muy lejos de aqui
Tell me if you don't mention my name, if you don't ask for me, and if someone takes you far away from here
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Como olvidarte asi de mí
Si te di lo mejor de mi vida en un instante
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, how to forget me so quickly when I gave you the best of my life in a moment
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
En el diario de tu amor ya me entere
Que no has podido borrarme
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, I already found out in the diary of your love that you haven't been able to erase me
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu
Si hay alguien en mi lugar que pueda llenarte
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, tell me, tell me, tell me if there is someone in my place who can fill you
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Dime si con el tiempo esta pasiOn
De tu pecho has podido arrancarte
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, tell me if you were able to remove this passion from your chest with time
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
A mi se me ha hecho dificil borrar las huellas
Que sobre mi cuerpo dejaste
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, to me it has been difficult to erase the marks that you left on my body
Dime tu,dime tu,dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Se que se te a hecho la vida dificil tan lejos de mi
Y tan fácil que me encontraste
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, I know that life has been difficult for you so far away from me and it was so easy for you to find me
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Tanto temor que senti de pensar en no verte
Y ahora vives tan distante
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, so much fear that I felt about not seeing you, and now you live so far away
Dime tu,dime tu,dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Cuando te estreche los brazos otro hombre
Ten mucho cuidado que no se te safe mi nombre
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, when another man embraces you, be careful not to slip out my name
Dime tu, dime tu, dime tu si has podido olvidarme
Si no puedes borrarme de tí
Recuerda que tambien yo pienso en tí
Tell me, tell me, tell me if you were able to forget me, if you can't erase me from you, remember that I also think about you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JORGE LUIS PILOTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind