El Gran Combo originated as an offshoot of the popular Puerto Rican band El Combo de Rafael Cortijo. Invited to start a new group with Joseito Mateo, a singer from the Dominican Republic, Ithier and six fellow musicians dropped out of Cortijo's band to start their new enterprise. The move shocked the Latin music world. "You were not supposed to leave Puerto Rico's favorite group like that," Ithier told Montreal's Gazette, "but the discipline was not very good anymore…. I did not want to be with a band that was not ready to work."
The new band was not lacking in discipline. Its members—including Rafael Alvarez Guedes (who chose the band's name), Eddie Pérez, Héctor Santos, Roberto Rohena, Rogelio Vélez, Martín Quiñones, and Miguel Cruz —prized teamwork and organization as much as they did musical talent. In 1962 the group recorded its first album, Meneame los Mangos (Shake My Mangos). The album was not a hit and the band was not an overnight sensation, but El Gran Combo were willing to work for their success.
It was three or four years before El Gran Combo reached that success, which arrived not long after the group recruited a promising young singer named Junior Montañhez (later known as Andy Montañez). With Montañez joining singer Pellin Rodriguez on vocals, the band turned out hit after hit—catchy dance tunes with such names as "El Menu," "Telefono," and "Goyito Sabater." The songwriting talent behind these and other hits was Perin Vazquez, whose lyrics told tales of everyday passions and universal longings. Working closely with Vazquez, Ithier created lively arrangements for piano, bass, trumpets, saxophone, congas, timbales, and bongos.
The group had released the album Acangana in 1963, just two days before the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Although distribution of the album was postponed because of the tragedy, the recording eventually reached gold-record status. In 1970 the band created EGC, an independent record label under which they released a number of albums, beginning with that year's recording, El Momo de Oro.
El Gran Combo gradually rose to become the first name in salsa within Puerto Rico, winning the island's prestigious Agueybana de Oro prize for the Best Band of 1969. Slowly, word about the band began to spread beyond the island's borders, and from 1971 to 1986 the band's international popularity was at its peak. During this time, El Gran Combo attracted a series of gifted young salsa performers—including singers Charlie Aponte, Johnny Ventura, Celia Cruz, and Jerry Rivas, and musicians Miguel Marrero, Milton Correa, Edwin Cortes, and Martin Quinones. In fact, so many exceptional salsa performers "graduated" from El Gran Combo that the band became affectionately known as the University of Salsa.
For many fans, El Gran Combo is synonymous with salsa—a musical genre that fuses Cuban and Puerto Rican sounds. Headed by three lead singers, El Gran Combo has always drawn dynamic energy from vocals. True to the salsa style, the group balances a vibrant horn section and a rhythmic percussion beat, tempered by the less-prominent bass and piano. One secret to El Gran Combo's long-lived success has been the group's ability to keep its music evolving and to remain open to new, fresh sounds. In 1971 the band added a trombone to its repertoire, played by Epifanio (Fanny) Ceballo. The recording De Punta a Punta, which won best album at Miami's Gold Record Festival, marked the debut of Ceballo, who remained with the band until his death in 1991.
More changes came for El Gran Combo in the mid-1970s, when Pellin Rodriguez left the band and was eventually replaced by the popular vocalist Charlie Aponte. By 1977 the vocalist Montañez also departed, joining the Venezuelan group La Dimensión Latina. Montañez's departure shocked and saddened fans, but his replacement, Jerry Rivas, soon won over audiences.
In 1984 El Gran Combo toured Alaska, where they produced Breaking the Ice—El Gran Combo en Alaska, which received a Grammy Award nomination. The band toured internationally throughout the 1980s and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1987 with a historic concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Although many music critics thought El Gran Combo was past its peak by the 1990s, the band held on to its core group of devoted fans. "When they had singer Andy Montañez, they used to be the music machine of the Caribbean," Rudolph Mangual, publisher of the Los Angeles dance-music magazine Latin Beat, told the Los Angeles Times in 1996. "Obviously, they're way past their prime, but they're so good that they still matter…. [T]heir collective presence has a unique magnetism."
Although the band is an ensemble, one key figure stands out in El Gran Combo: Ithier, who has either outlasted or outlived the band's other cofounders. Many fans regard him as the group's heart and soul, yet Ithier has always emphasized the band's lack of hierarchy. "[El Gran Combo] has persevered because of its system," Ithier told Billboard magazine. "We share everything: our successes, our failures, our earnings. Everything is evenly distributed. And this is an incentive for the band. Everything we make, we divide."
Me liberé
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico Lyrics
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Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Me liberé, me liberé
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
Me liberé de mujeres perversas que quieren hacer mi vida de cuadritos
Me liberé de chicas sin escrúpulos, me liberé de Olga y Socorrito
Me liberé de Nancy, de Rebeca, de Olga, Damaris, Celia y de Gissel
Me liberé también de Raquel
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Me liberé de Mariela y de Fe
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
Me liberé de mujeres perversas que quieren hacer mi vida de cuadritos
Me liberé de chicas sin escrúpulos me liberé de Olga y Socorrito
Me liberé de Nancy, de Rebeca, de Olga, Damaris, Celia y de Gissel
Me liberé tambien de Raquel
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Me liberé de Mariela y de Fe
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
Todas me insultaban, me decían: mujeriego, no te dejaré vivir en paz
Donde quiera que te encuentre te la formo
Y no sé por qué será
Pero que todas me insultaban, me decían: mujeriego, no te dejaré vivir en paz
Donde quiera que te encuentre te la formo
Y yo me pregunto, y yo no me explico
¿Qué razón ellas tendrán?
Por eso lo tuve que hacer
Me liberé, me liberé
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Me liberé, me liberé
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
(Que yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Fueron tantas las presiones que me puse los patines
Me puse en bolina y tuve que correr
(Yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Mujeres egoístas, me querían solo para ellas
Para ellas nada más y así no puede ser
(Yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Recuerdo a mi madre cuando les decía
"Bendito, si él es un muchacho bueno, si ese es un hombre de bien"
(No quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
A toditas les quiero decir que el amor hay que compartirlo
Y si no: I′m sorry, goodbye my girl
(Yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Libre yo soy (me liberé)
(Me liberé)
(Que yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Y no me debo a nadie (me liberé)
(Me liberé)
(Más complicaciones yo no quiero, ¿para qué?)
De sombras y de ese olvido ya yo no quiero saber
(Más complicaciones yo no quiero, ¿para qué?)
Ahora soy libre, sin problema, buena vida me daré
Sí, yo (me liberé, me liberé)
Me liberé (me liberé, me liberé)
Sí, yo (me liberé, me liberé)
Me liberé (me liberé, me liberé)
(Más complicaciones yo no quiero, ¿para qué?)
Yo no quiero que me digan lo que yo tengo que hacer
(Más complicaciones yo no quiero, ¿para qué?)
Que yo no quiero cantaleta, de todo yo me cansé
Sí, yo (me liberé, me liberé)
Me liberé (me liberé, me liberé)
Sí, yo (me liberé, me liberé)
Me liberé (me liberé, me liberé)
(Que yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Sí, me siento bien
Me liberé
Me liberé
(Que yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé)
Pregúntale a Julito, o Aitier
Me liberé
Me liberé
The lyrics to El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico's song "Me liberé" talk about the singer's liberation from toxic relationships with women. The song begins with expressions of gratitude to God and the heavens for this newfound freedom. The lyrics describe how the singer has freed himself from manipulative and unscrupulous women who want to control his life. Specific names like Olga, Socorrito, Nancy, Rebeca, Damaris, Celia, Gissel, Raquel, Mariela, and Fe are mentioned, suggesting the multiple relationships he has left behind. The chorus repeats the refrain of being liberated, thanking God and the heavens.
The verses reveal that these women insulted the singer, calling him a womanizer and vowing to make his life difficult. It is not clear why these women have such animosity towards him. Despite their actions, the singer questions their motives and realizes that he had to free himself from their grasp.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses a desire for a peaceful life, without complications and burdens. He recalls his mother defending him as a good person, and he believes that love should be shared, not monopolized. The song ends with the singer affirming his freedom and his refusal to be controlled or told what to do.
Overall, the lyrics of "Me liberé" convey a sense of empowerment and liberation from toxic relationships. It highlights the importance of personal freedom and the need to prioritize one's well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Me liberé, me liberé
I freed myself, I freed myself
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Thanks to God, I freed myself
Me liberé de mujeres perversas que quieren hacer mi vida de cuadritos
I freed myself from perverse women who want to complicate my life
Me liberé de chicas sin escrúpulos, me liberé de Olga y Socorrito
I freed myself from unscrupulous girls, I freed myself from Olga and Socorrito
Me liberé de Nancy, de Rebeca, de Olga, Damaris, Celia y de Gissel
I freed myself from Nancy, Rebeca, Olga, Damaris, Celia, and Gissel
Me liberé también de Raquel
I also freed myself from Raquel
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Thanks to God, I freed myself
Me liberé de Mariela y de Fe
I freed myself from Mariela and Fe
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
Thanks to heaven, I freed myself
Todas me insultaban, me decían: mujeriego, no te dejaré vivir en paz
They all insulted me, called me womanizer, and said they would not let me live in peace
Donde quiera que te encuentre te la formo
Wherever I find you, I will cause trouble for you
Y no sé por qué será
And I don't know why it will be
Pero que todas me insultaban, me decían: mujeriego, no te dejaré vivir en paz
But they all insulted me, called me womanizer, and said they would not let me live in peace
Y yo me pregunto, y yo no me explico
And I wonder, and I can't explain
¿Qué razón ellas tendrán?
What reason do they have?
Por eso lo tuve que hacer
That's why I had to do it
Que yo no quiero más complicaciones, por eso me liberé
I don't want any more complications, that's why I freed myself
Fueron tantas las presiones que me puse los patines
There were so many pressures that I put on my skates
Me puse en bolina y tuve que correr
I put myself in a spin and had to run
Mujeres egoístas, me querían solo para ellas
Selfish women, they wanted me just for themselves
Para ellas nada más y así no puede ser
Only for them and that can't be
Recuerdo a mi madre cuando les decía
I remember my mother when she used to tell them
"Bendito, si él es un muchacho bueno, si ese es un hombre de bien"
"Blessed, if he is a good boy, if he is a good man"
A toditas les quiero decir que el amor hay que compartirlo
I want to tell all of them that love must be shared
Y si no: I′m sorry, goodbye my girl
And if not: I'm sorry, goodbye my girl
De sombras y de ese olvido ya yo no quiero saber
I don't want to know about shadows and that forgetfulness anymore
Ahora soy libre, sin problema, buena vida me daré
Now I am free, without problems, I will have a good life
Yo no quiero que me digan lo que yo tengo que hacer
I don't want them to tell me what I have to do
Que yo no quiero cantaleta, de todo yo me cansé
I don't want nagging, I'm tired of everything
Sí, me siento bien
Yes, I feel good
Pregúntale a Julito, o Aitier
Ask Julito or Aitier
Writer(s): Julio Castro
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.