In 1959, Fender recorded the blues ballad "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." The song became popular in 1959, but he was beset by legal troubles after he and a band member were arrested for possession of marijuana. After a two years in Louisiana's Angola prison farm, he was released through the intercession of Gov. Jimmie Davis, also a songwriter and musician. Davis requested that Fender stay away from music while on probation as a condition of his release. By the end of the 1960s, Fender was back in Texas working as a mechanic, and attending a local junior college, while only playing music on the weekends.
Number One Pop and Country
In 1974, Fender recorded "Before The Next Teardrop Falls." The single was selected for national distribution, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country and Pop charts. His next four singles, including a remake of "Wasted Days", all hit the number one spot on the Billboard Country charts. During the next few years, Fender had several major country hits, including the No. 1 hits "Secret Love" (1975) and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" (1976).
Texas Tornados
In the 1990s, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez and Augie Myers to form the Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, whose work was widely acclaimed. Following the death of Sahm, the production of the Tornadoes slowed.
Los Super Seven
Freddy Fender continued to still be on top with a groundbreaking collaboration with several musical legends to produce another supergroup, Los Super Seven which consisted of David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, drums, bass, percussion, requinto, hidalguera); Rick Trevino, Joe Ely (vocals, guitar); Flaco Jimenez (vocals, accordion); Cesar Rosas (vocals, six-string bass, guitar, guitarron, jarana); Freddy Fender (vocals, acoustic bass); Ruben Ramos (vocals). This Super Seven effort won a Grammy in 1999.
On February 4, 1999, Freddy's star was installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2004, the Texas Folklife Resources produced a widely acclaimed sell-out show at the Paramount in Austin, Texas " Fifty Years of Freddy Fender", where Freddy was honored and then performed to a packed house. Also in 2004, Freddy's hometown of San Benito Texas honored Freddy with his likeness emblazoned on their new watertower with "Hometown of Freddy Fender". Freddy would later say that this honor meant more to him than any other accolade he had ever won.
Freddy Fender's Masterpiece...
La Musica De Baldemar Huerta
Freddy delves deeply into the music of his forefathers: the boleros and rancheras that would have played in the ghettos of his native San Benito, Texas, and that he sang as a youth in border-town cantinas. Especially gorgeous are "Adios Muchachos," a melancholy meditation on final farewells, and the delicate opener, "Rayito de Luna." El Be Bop Kid isn't just back; he sounds reborn. Freddy won his last Grammy for this album.
Freddy Fender underwent a kidney transplant in 2002 donated by his daughter and a transplant of the liver in 2004. Nonetheless, his condition continued to worsen. He was suffering from an "incurable cancer" in which he had tumors on his lungs. On December 31, 2005, Fender performed his last concert and resumed chemotherapy.
Fender has Passed on...
Rest in Peace, Vaya Con Dios
Freddy Fender passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2006, after a long battle with lung cancer. He is buried in his Hometown of San Benito, Texas.
Plans are underway for a Freddy Fender Museum to be located in his beloved hometown, San Benito, Texas. Check back at: www.freddyfendermuseum.org or
www.freddyfender.com
Freddy Fender
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have left for you behind
For you don't belong to me
You heart belongs to someone else
Why should I keep loving you
When I know that you're not true
And why should I call your name
Don't you remember the day
That you went away and left me
I was so lonely
Prayed for you only, my love
Why should I keep loving you
When I know that you're not true
And why should I call your name
When you're to blame for making me blue
In the song "Wasted Days & Wasted Nights" by Freddy Fender, the singer laments a lost love that he has been holding onto despite knowing that it's time to let go. The opening line "wasted days and wasted nights, I have left for you behind" speaks to the time and energy he has spent on this relationship that has ultimately proven to be fruitless. He then acknowledges that the person he loves doesn't belong to him, and never truly did, stating "your heart belongs to someone else".
The chorus of the song is where the true heartbreak is heard. Freddy questions why he should continue to love someone who he knows is not true and why he keeps calling out her name when it only brings him sadness. He recognizes that the person he loves is to blame for his misery, and that he needs to move on. However, the verse that follows shows just how difficult it is for the singer to let go. He references a time when the person he loves left him, and how lonely he was without her. Despite everything, he still prays for his love to return.
Overall, the lyrics of this song touch on the universal struggles of heartbreak and moving on from a love that we know is not good for us. Despite knowing that it's time to let go, it can be incredibly difficult to do so, and Freddy Fender captures this struggle beautifully in this song.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasted days and wasted nights
I've spent a lot of time thinking about us and trying to make things work, but it was all a waste.
I have left for you behind
I've decided to move on and leave my feelings for you in the past.
For you don't belong to me
I've come to realize that you're not mine to have.
You heart belongs to someone else
I know that your love is directed towards another person, not me.
Why should I keep loving you
I no longer see the point in continuing to love you.
When I know that you're not true
Because I know that you're not loyal or committed to me.
And why should I call your name
Why bother calling out for you when you're not going to come back to me anyway?
When you're to blame for making me blue
You're the reason for my sadness and heartache, so why would I want to keep calling out to you?
Don't you remember the day
Do you even have any recollection of the day you left me and broke my heart?
That you went away and left me
The day you abandoned me and walked out of my life forever.
I was so lonely
I felt completely alone and without purpose.
Prayed for you only, my love
I was praying that you would come back to me and we could be together again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HUEY P. MEAUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ruthc8407
Freddy Fender was one of the finest tenors of the 20th Century. We were fortunate to have him.
@r.f.campbell7856
My Mom and Dad danced to his music deep in the Amazon jungles of Guyana, South America. Love his songs!
@jayco39
Definitely makes me think of home...Guyana.
@miriamflores7632
Excelente siempre me gustó esta música
@garywheeler-xu9wd
in memory of George P Hemme who died today 2 06 23 , he took me to mexico when i was a kid , several times had a blast with real woman . listened to Freddie Fender drinking Carta Blanco beer and stumbling back across the border at 3 am in the morning . we had some damn good times earley 70's . im 64 now RIP George P Hemme
@reneeleonard242
Mamma used to put on his record, pick me up ( I was 3?) ... and dance around the living room... Freddy blaring out the speakers. Love, love, love those memories! Miss those days! 😊🤗😪
@donaldphilip6517
Hello beautiful lady
@shggyfnf2473
Me to 🙁
@josienguyen2618
☺️😆
@steveclinton4084
Hello Renee how are you doing hope you’re having a great time with your family may God bless you all and I hope you and your family stay safe