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
Along Came You
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I knew all about love
I lived the highs and made it through the lows
I knew all about love
But now I must admit I'm surprised
And feel I've only scratched the surface
'Cause baby when I look in your eyes
I understand my one true purpose
You were sent to me
By angels up above, I'm certain
I thought I'd show you what love can be
But what did I know
Until along came you
To teach me about love
Oh yes, along came you
To teach me about love
And as this feeling grows with every day
You awaken my heart
A heart so full I fear that it may break
If we're ever apart
And though one day you'll be own your own
You know I always will be near you
As near as on the day you were born
Call on me, you know I'll hear you
You were sent to me
For one reason, I can tell you
You're here to show me what love can be
'Cause what did I know
Until along came you
To teach me about love
Oh yes, along came you
To teach me about love
Thula thula sana
You mama uyeza
Thula Thula sana
Thula thula sana
You mama uyeza
You were sent to me
By angels up above, I'm certain
You're here to show me what love can be
'Cause what did I know
Until along came you
To teach me about love, oh
Oh yes, along came you
To teach me about love
Teach me about love
Oh yes, along came you
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby
Teach me about love
Baby, baby teach me about love
Oh yes, along came you
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan's song "Along Came You" paint a picture of a person who thought they knew all there was to know about love. They had experienced the highs and lows of love and thought they had a complete understanding of it. But then, someone special came into their life and changed everything. The singer is admitting that this person has taught them more about love than they ever thought possible.
The person who came into their life is seen as a gift sent from the heavens above. They were brought into the singer's life to teach them about love, and they have done just that. As the feelings grow stronger, the singer's heart is overflowing with love for this person. They fear that this person is so important to them that their heart may break if they ever have to be apart.
The lyrics end with the singer declaring that this person was "sent to me by angels up above." They believe that this person is here to teach them about love and that they have achieved this purpose. The song captures the idea that sometimes we don't know everything about love, and we need someone special to come along and teach us.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought that I knew all there was to know
I had prior knowledge about love
I knew all about love
I believed that I was an expert in love
I lived the highs and made it through the lows
I have experienced different levels of love in my life
But now I must admit I'm surprised
I realize that I was wrong in thinking I knew everything
And feel I've only scratched the surface
I acknowledge that there is more to love than what I thought I knew
'Cause baby when I look in your eyes
I see something that makes me feel different about love
I understand my one true purpose
I have come to know what I really want in terms of love
You were sent to me
I believe that you were brought to me for a reason
By angels up above, I'm certain
I'm convinced that a higher being sent you to me
I thought I'd show you what love can be
I initially intended to teach you about love
But what did I know
I realize that I was ignorant about love
Until along came you
But then you came into my life
To teach me about love
And you made me learn more about love
And as this feeling grows with every day
My emotions keep getting stronger every day
You awaken my heart
You give me a new kind of emotional awakening
A heart so full I fear that it may break
My feelings for you are so intense that it scares me
If we're ever apart
The mere thought of us being apart is unbearable
And though one day you'll be own your own
I know that at some point, you'll have to go your own way
You know I always will be near you
But I promise to always be there for you
Call on me, you know I'll hear you
You can always count on me to be there for you when you need me
For one reason, I can tell you
I'm sure that there is a specific reason why you were sent to me
'Cause what did I know
Just like before, I admit my ignorance about love
Teach me about love, oh
Please enlighten me more about love
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby
An expression of affection towards the person being addressed
Teach me about love
Please teach me more about love
Oh yes, along came you
And then you came into my life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Foreign Imported Productions & Publishing
Written by: GLORIA ESTEFAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind