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
I Don
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For I, just love you only and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of
I know, you love another and baby I know you don't want my love
But I, I love you only and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of
I don't want to be forsaken, just dreaming babe, 'bout your love
I don't want to be mistaken, but I think babe you're the one I'm thinkin' of
Cause I, I'll be the lonely one. Baby, you're the one I'm thinkin' of.
But I, could never love no one else and I will be your love forever more
But I don't want to be lonely, lonely for your love
Cause I, I'll be the lonely one and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of.
And baby you're the on I'm thinkin' of
In Freddy Fender's song "I Don't Want to Be Lonely," the singer expresses his desire to be with a woman he loves, even though he knows she loves another and doesn't want him. He fears being forsaken and doesn't want to be mistaken in his feelings for her. Despite this, he knows he could never love anyone else and will always love her. He doesn't want to be lonely and wants to be with her instead. The repetition of "baby you're the one I'm thinking of" highlights the intensity of the singer's feelings for this woman.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to be lonely, lonely for your love
I don't want to feel alone and abandoned without your love.
For I, just love you only and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of
I only love you and you are always on my mind, baby.
I know, you love another and baby I know you don't want my love
I understand that you love someone else and you don't want to be with me.
But I, I love you only and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of
Despite that, I still only love you and you are always on my mind, baby.
I don't want to be forsaken, just dreaming babe, 'bout your love
I don't want to feel abandoned and alone, just dreaming about your love.
I don't want to be mistaken, but I think babe you're the one I'm thinkin' of
I don't want to be wrong, but I believe that you are the one I am thinking of, baby.
Cause I, I'll be the lonely one. Baby, you're the one I'm thinkin' of.
Because if I don't have you, I will be the one who is alone and you are always on my mind, baby.
I know you love another and I know you don't want me anymore
I know that you have feelings for someone else and you no longer want to be with me.
But I, could never love no one else and I will be your love forever more
But I could never love anyone else and I will always love you, forever.
But I don't want to be lonely, lonely for your love
But I don't want to feel alone and abandoned without your love.
Cause I, I'll be the lonely one and baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of.
Because if I don't have you, I will be the one who is alone and you are always on my mind, baby.
And baby you're the one I'm thinkin' of
And you, baby, are the one who is always on my mind.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: BALDEMAR HUERTA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind