Gilberto Santa Rosa was born on 21 August 1962, in Puerto Rico and today is… Read Full Bio ↴Gilberto Santa Rosa was born on 21 August 1962, in Puerto Rico and today is known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" (the gentleman of salsa).

In 1976 he started with a group of amateurs in Puerto Rico, and his first recording was with the Mario Ortiz Orchestra. He then moved on to Orquesta La Grande, and during the two years Gilberto was with them, he met Mr. Elias Lopés who later helped mold and polish the promising young singer, releasing three recordings.

In 1980, he got an important opportunity recording "Homenaje a Eddie Palmieri" with the Puerto Rico All Stars. He then went on to record with Tommy Olivencia. From 1981 through 1986 he was with the Willie Rosario Orchestra where he recorded six albums.

Santa Rosa then signed with Ralph Cartagena's Combo Records. In 1986, he debuted on Good Vibrations fronting his own salsa orquesta. After releasing three more albums on Combo, including "De Amor y Salsa", he switched to CBS Records and issued the chart-topping salsa romantica set Punto De Vista in 1990, which went platinum and spawned the smash hits "Vivir Sin Ella" and "Perdoname". Santa Rosa's 1991 CBS/Sony follow-up, Perspectiva, was another monster hit.

Since the mid-80s, the mainstream salsa recording industry in Puerto Rico and the USA has been largely preoccupied with developing and marketing the images of "good looking" young male vocalists, rather than producing solid, stimulating music performed by swinging soneros (improvising salsa singers). Santa Rosa, however, who was one of the first of this new crop of solo singers, is regarded as being amongst the small number who deserve to be called a sonero.

In 1990, Santa Rosa was in the illustrious company of Andy Montañez and Pedro Brull (from Mulenze ), as one of the contemporary soneros assembled by bandleader Don Perignon for his all-star La Puertorriqueña project. In 1990, he won the Billboard Lo Nuestro award for Best Male Singer. He has also performed at New York's prestigious annual salsa festival. But 1990 was an important year in other respects. Santa Rosa made acting debut in the play "La pareja dispareja", where he was joined by Rafo Muñiz and Luis Vigoreaux.

He visited Japan in 1995 as Puerto Rico's musical ambassador and sang one of his songs, "De cara al viento" in Japanese in his effort to bridge the cultural barriers. Since then Santa Rosa's fame reached across borders and continents; commanding recognition as salsa artist in most demand. In 1996 he released yet another smash album Esencia which included hit songs such as No Quiero Nada Regala'o.

Santa Rosa's recent work has not been limited to soloist recordings. He joined other artists in the First President's Festival in the Dominican Republic; Andy Montañez in New York's Lincoln Center, in 1997; and Olga Tañon in the Universal Studios Amphitheater in Holloywood, in 1997.

In 1999, he released Expresión, which reinforced his international fame. The album included the hit song "Que alguien me diga", written by Omar Alfanno, which was at the top of Billboard‘s latin chart for various weeks. The album also included the song Fulana, unlike his well known salsa, demonstrating his wide range of interests and ability. The album was selected as one of the 20 best recordings of the year by the National Foundation Popular Culture of Puerto Rico.

Pueden Decir
Gilberto Santa Rosa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dicen que no debo ilusionarme
que tu amor no esta a mi alcance
que haré mucho que perdí
Ríen cuando digo convencido
que vas a volver conmigo
y que voy a ser feliz

Juran que ya rayo en la locura

y es que me han visto por ahí hablando solo

Pueden decir lo que quieran de mi amor por ti
encerrarme para siempre entre cuatro paredes y un techo
Pueden jurar que en tu nueva vida no hay lugar
para el hombre que te supo dar los momentos mas bellos
Pueden hacer lo que quieran con mi corazón
arrancarlo de mi pecho y no, nunca voy a negarte
Pueden pasar cuatro siglos y una eternidad
y yo seguiré en mi soledad cada día esperándote
Pueden hacer lo que quieran conmigo
y yo nunca, nunca, nunca voy a olvidarte

Que tu amor no esta a mi alcance
que no debo ilusionarme eso dicen
(digan lo que digan, pero no me pidan que te olvide)
que te borre de mi mente para siempre
lo saben que es imposible
(digan lo que digan, pero no me pidan que te olvide)
que no vivo en tu recuerdo
que tu amor por mi no existe
(digan lo que digan )
pero no me digan, ni me pidan que te olvide

(Pueden decir lo que quieran)
que estoy medio loco, que he perdido la razón
(Pueden decir lo que quieran)
que no hay espacio para mi en tu corazón
(Pueden decir lo que quieran)
que estoy aferrado a una ilusión, a una quimera
(Pueden decir lo que quieran)
que de alguna manera yo puedo ser feliz

(Pueden decir lo que quieran)
que no te puedo olvidar también lo pueden decir

Overall Meaning

The song Pueden Decir by Gilberto Santa Rosa is about holding onto love against all odds. The lyrics describe the doubts and criticisms from those around him, who warn him against holding onto the hope that his love will return to him. The singer acknowledges that he may be seen as crazy for remaining hopeful, but he cannot help it. The chorus repeats the phrase "Pueden decir lo que quieran" (They can say whatever they want), emphasizing that the singer will not let go of his love even if others try to convince him to do so.

The song captures the intensity and power of love, particularly in the face of adversity. The singer refuses to give up on what he feels is meant to be, even if others do not see it the same way. Through his words, he shows the strength of his emotions and his determination to hold onto them no matter what.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was written by Omar Alfanno, a prolific songwriter who has worked with many famous Latin American artists. Alfanno is known for his ability to capture the emotions of love and romance in his music, and Pueden Decir is no exception. Another interesting fact is that the song was a hit in the 1990s, reaching the top of the charts in several Latin American countries.

Line by Line Meaning

Dicen que no debo ilusionarme
People are telling me not to get my hopes up

que tu amor no esta a mi alcance
That your love is not attainable for me

que haré mucho que perdí
That it's been a long time since I lost you

Ríen cuando digo convencido
They laugh when I confidently say

que vas a volver conmigo
That you will come back to me

y que voy a ser feliz
And I will be happy

Juran que ya rayo en la locura
They swear that I'm already crazy

y es que me han visto por ahí hablando solo
And it's because they've seen me talking to myself around

Pueden decir lo que quieran de mi amor por ti
They can say anything they want about my love for you

encerrarme para siempre entre cuatro paredes y un techo
Lock me up forever between four walls and a roof

Pueden jurar que en tu nueva vida no hay lugar
They can swear that there is no place for me in your new life

para el hombre que te supo dar los momentos mas bellos
For the man who gave you the most beautiful moments

Pueden hacer lo que quieran con mi corazón
They can do whatever they want with my heart

arrancarlo de mi pecho y no, nunca voy a negarte
Rip it out of my chest, and I will never deny you

Pueden pasar cuatro siglos y una eternidad
Four centuries and an eternity can pass

y yo seguiré en mi soledad cada día esperándote
And I will continue to wait for you every day in my loneliness

Pueden hacer lo que quieran conmigo
They can do whatever they want with me

y yo nunca, nunca, nunca voy a olvidarte
And I will never, never, never forget you

Que tu amor no esta a mi alcance
That your love is not within my reach

que no debo ilusionarme eso dicen
They say I shouldn't get my hopes up

(digan lo que digan, pero no me pidan que te olvide)
(No matter what they may say, don't ask me to forget you)

que te borre de mi mente para siempre
To erase you from my mind forever

lo saben que es imposible
They know it's impossible

que no vivo en tu recuerdo
That I don't live in your memory

que tu amor por mi no existe
That your love for me does not exist

(digan lo que digan )
(No matter what they may say)

pero no me digan, ni me pidan que te olvide
But do not tell me or ask me to forget you