Beginning her career in 1975 as lead vocalist for the then exclusively Spanish-language band, Miami Sound Machine, before crossing over to mainstream pop success with the international hit singles "Dr. Beat" (1984) and "Conga" (1986), Estefan emerged as one of the biggest new stars in the mid-'80s, predating the still nascent Latin pop explosion by a decade, and scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba, before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare.
Born in Havana, Cuba, the young Gloria Fajardo was raised primarily in Miami, FL, after her father, a bodyguard of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. In the fall of 1975, Fajardo and her cousin Merci Murciano auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. With their addition, the group was rechristened Miami Sound Machine and four years later, Fajardo and Estefan were wed. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and in 1979 the group issued their first Spanish-language LP on CBS International. Despite a growing Hispanic fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until "Dr. Beat" topped European dance charts in 1984.
With 1985's Primitive Love, Miami Sound Machine recorded their first English-language effort, scoring three Top Ten pop hits in the U.S. alone with the infectious "Conga", "Bad Boy", and "Words Get in the Way". Following 1987's triple-platinum Let It Loose, Estefan took top billing and the group changed its name to Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine in 1988, reeling off four Top Ten hits - "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "Can't Stay Away from You", the chart-topping "Anything for You", and "1-2-3". 1989's Cuts Both Ways was credited to Estefan alone and generated her second #1 hit, "Don't Wanna Lose You". However, on March 20, 1990, while touring in support of the album, her bus was struck by a tractor trailer. Estefan suffered a broken vertebra that required extensive surgery and kept her off the road for over a year. Her husband Emilio and the couple's son were injured in the crash as well, but all three recovered. Estefan resurfaced in 1991 with Into the Light, again topping the charts with "Coming Out of the Dark", a single inspired by her near-fatal accident. Two more cuts from the album, "Can't Forget You" and "Live for Loving You", secured her foothold on the adult contemporary charts.
With 1993's Mi Tierra, Estefan returned to her roots, recording her first Spanish-language record in nearly a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album; on the follow-up 1994 covers collection, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, she also recalled her dance-pop origins with a rendition of the Vicki Sue Robinson disco classic, "Turn the Beat Around". Another all-Spanish effort, Abriendo Puertas (1995), earned her a Grammy as well, while Destiny featured "Reach", named the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics. As Latin pop made new commercial headway, thanks to the efforts of acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Estefan reigned as the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history, with international record sales close to the 50 million mark. In 1999, she also made her feature film debut alongside Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, recording the film's title song as a duet with *NSYNC, and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination in the process. A new Spanish-language album, Alma Caribeña, followed in the spring of 2000. Several months later, Estefan was awarded a Grammy for Best Music Video for "No Me Dehes de Querer" at the inaugural annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her husband, Emilio, won for Producer of the Year. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Appearances and tours
In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company’s program, American Idol, but declined an offer to be an official judge, saying she did not like to “judge” others.
On July 28, 2004, in a press conference hosted by Donald Trump at the Trump Tower, Estefan announced that her then-upcoming tour would be her final one. The Live and Re-Wrapped Summer/Fall 2004 Tour, her first tour in eight years was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment. The tour featured Estefan’s greatest hits, along with new material from Unwrapped.
In December 2006, Estefan appeared as a special guest singer on the UK talent show The X Factor.
Gloria's 11th studio album,Miss Little Havana. The Miss Little Havana Songfacts says that the first nine tracks tells the tale of a young girl who hooks up with the wrong guy in Miami after moving there from Cuba. All of these tracks were written or co-written by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes. It is described by Estefan as a project in the vein of her 1998 hit album gloria!.
Songfacts reports that "Hotel Nacional" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin countdown - the first time a female artist had achieved that feat since the chart was introduced in 1986. Both "Wepa" and "Hotel Nacional" achieved number one on Billboard Latin Songs and on Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.
Estefan started a reality show called The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep opposite Joe Jonas, Nelly and John Rich on the CW Network, where she, and the other three mentors are searched for the next big star, to record an album with Atlantic Records. Unlike other music reality shows, in this program, the mentors selected the "candidates" for the show, and trained them for a live performance, where they'd be voted for the best act of the day. The first season ended in October 2012, with musician Michael Ray, as the big finalist.
This same year, Estefan appeared as a musical guest in Tony Bennett's compilation of duets with Latin-American musicians, Viva Duets with a rendition of the song, "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)". Weeks later, she helped the American version of Teleton, releasing the charity single "Por Un Mundo Mejor" along with Mexican singer Lucero, Dominican rapper El Cata and Mexican pop band, Reik. A video for the song was shot, with them recording the song, which was marked as the official hymn for the foundation.
In May 2013, she appears doing another duet with the song "Think I'm In Love Again" as part of the albums Duets released by Paul Anka.
Estefan has announced she was working on a new album of covers, The Standards, released in September 2013. The album will feature some collaborations with artists like Laura Pausini, Dave Koz and Joshua Bell, and the selection of songs are mostly songs from the Great American songbook. Estefan released the first single, "How Long Has This Been Going On?", digitally on Amazon and iTunes on July 9, 2013
Official website: http://www.gloriaestefan.com
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Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard somebody say
But if all I've been is fun then baby let me go
Don't wanna be in your way
And I don't wanna be your second choice
Don't wanna be just your friend
You keep telling me that you're not in love
But I can't stay away from you
I don't wanna let you go
And though it's killing me, that's true
There's just some things I can't control
Your love is slipping through my hands
And though I've heard it all before
I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you
Hold on to every bit of hope that's all I ever do
Hoping you might change
Your mind and call me up
To say how much you need me too
And though you're leaving me no other choice
Than to turn and walk away
Look over your shoulder, I'll be there
You can count on me to stay
'Cause I can't stay away from you
I don't wanna let you go
And though it's killing me, that's true
There's just some things I can't control
Your love slipping through my hands
And though I've heard it all before
I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you
I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you
The song "Can't Stay Away from You" by Gloria Estefan is a heart-wrenching love song about a woman who can't let go of her love for someone, even though they don't feel the same. The opening line sets the tone for the song: "Time flies when you're having fun, I heard somebody say." This signifies that while the relationship may have started off enjoyable and exciting, it has now turned into a situation that is difficult and painful for the singer.
The chorus of the song drives home the message that the singer can't help but love this person, even though they can't give her what she wants. She knows it's futile to hold onto hope, but she can't stay away from this person. The lyrics "Your love is slipping through my hands" emphasizes the idea that she is losing grip over the relationship and the person she loves. Despite knowing that the situation is not going to change, she still hopes that one day they will change their mind and call her back.
Towards the end of the song, the singer comes to terms with the fact that the love is one-sided and that she needs to move on. However, even in doing so, she lets the person know that they can always count on her to be there. This last verse is a bittersweet goodbye, as the singer knows deep down that she can't get over this person and that they will always have a special place in her heart.
Overall, "Can't Stay Away from You" is a powerful song that captures the painful struggle of unrequited love. The lyrics perfectly convey the feelings of the singer and evoke a sense of empathy in the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Time flies when you're having fun
Someone once said that time passes quickly when you're enjoying yourself.
But if all I've been is fun then baby let me go
If being with me has only been entertaining for you, then I want you to release me from this relationship.
Don't wanna be in your way
I don't want to obstruct your path in life.
And I don't wanna be your second choice
I refuse to be an option in your life.
Don't wanna be just your friend
I cannot settle for being just a friend of yours.
You keep telling me that you're not in love
You repeatedly utter to me that you don't love me.
You wanna throw it all away
You want to end our relationship completely.
But I can't stay away from you
Despite your feelings and actions, I am drawn to you and cannot stay away.
I don't wanna let you go
I don't want to lose you.
And though it's killing me, that's true
Despite the pain it causes me, I am still very much in love with you.
There's just some things I can't control
Even though my feelings for you are beyond my control, I cannot force you to reciprocate them.
Your love is slipping through my hands
You are losing interest in me, and I cannot stop it from happening.
And though I've heard it all before
Although I've heard your words countless times, they still hurt just as much.
I know you're telling me the truth
I know deep down that you are being honest with me.
I know it's just no use
Even though I recognize the futility of it all, I can't help still loving you.
Hold on to every bit of hope that's all I ever do
All I can do is cling to every shred of hope that you may come back to me.
Hoping you might change your mind and call me up
I have faith that you might change your stance and decide to reach out to me again.
To say how much you need me too
To express how much you want and require my love as well.
And though you're leaving me no other choice
Even though you are essentially leaving me with no other option.
Than to turn and walk away
Other than to let you depart from my life.
Look over your shoulder, I'll be there
If you ever need me again in the future, I'll be there for you like I always have been.
You can count on me to stay
I will always be here for you, standing by your side through thick and thin.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLORIA ESTEFAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mstammy2u800
Whose here in 2024? 🙋🏽♀️ The first concert I ever went to was Gloria. Will never forget! Loved growing up in the 80’s. We had the best music.
@MJJ628
🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️MEEEEEEEEE😍❤❤❤
@johnnoonan5802
god we had wounderful times , we never realised it would never come back , but alas its just great to have U tube to help us along the way with this beautiful song
@gwendagoddard2926
Me
@johnnoonan5802
She is so attractive isint she with a beautiful voice , its such a greal romantic love song that can really pull the heart strings, My late wife Maria loved Gloria Estefan and indeed the Miami Sound Machine
@johnnoonan5802
@@gwendagoddard2926 You have great taste in beautiful music well done Gwen
@hollydatsopoulos7998
When my boyfriend went back to Greece in 1989 and told me that he wasn’t coming back, I listened to this song over and over again. Turns out he couldn’t stay away from me either. He came back, and we were married 2 years later. Just celebrated our 28th anniversary a couple of weeks ago. :)
@gregochiengturner3737
Congratulations. Music like this always brings back the memories. Love is true.
@lordmalvada8212
Congratulations, It was also mine and my wife's 28th this year. Time flies too quickly, I remember this song as if it came out yesterday.
@niveamartinez4264
😭😭😭😭❤💚💚