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
Ayer
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Imagen del amor que me ofreciste
Aún guarda fiel el aroma, aquel tierno clavel
Ayer encontré la flor que tú me diste
Aún guardo aquella carta que me escribiste
De un rojo pasional tenia una marca
Tu firma junto al clavel me puso triste
Regresa por favor pues la vida es muy corta
Salgamos de la duda y del rencor
Muy bien dice el cantor, lo pasado no importa
De todo, nuestro orgullo es lo peor
Renovemos la pasión pues la vida es muy corta
Llenemos de calor el corazón
Aroma de perdón añora nuestro ser
Perfume de ilusión de un nuevo amanecer
Frescor de primavera por toda eternidad
Aroma de perdón añora nuestro ser
Regresa por favor pues la vida es muy corta
Salgamos de la duda y del rencor
Muy bien dice el cantor, lo pasado no importa
De todo nuestro orgullo es lo peor
Renovemos la pasión pues la vida es muy corta
Llenemos de calor el corazón
Ayer encontré la flor que tú me diste
Imagen del amor que me ofreciste
Aún guarda fiel el aroma, aquel tierno clavel
Ayer encontré la flor que tú me diste
Parapapara
Parapapaia
(Levántense y gocen que la vida es corta)
(Alégrense por fin que lo demás no importa)
Oigan bien sin temor lo que enseña la vida, señores
No te busques otra herida con el mismo error
Oigan bien
(Levántense y gocen que la vida es corta)
Alégrense por fin que lo demás no importa)
Tiren ya todas las penas y busquen la vida buena
Con cariño y armonía como el agua y la arena
Qué bueno
(Levántense y gocen que la vida es corta) Levántense
Alégrense (alégrense)
Sí señor (por fin que lo demás no importa)
Animense, sacúdanse
Acérquense sin problema familia
Racatacata, cuncunpra
Ya los cueros te llaman, te llaman
Racatacata, cuncunpra
Los cueros te llaman, te llaman
In the song "Ayer" by Gloria Estefan, the singer reflects on a past love, specifically through the flower and letter that her lover gave her. The flower symbolizes the offering of love, and its scent gives her the longing for forgiveness and a new beginning. The letter, marked with passion and signed with a clavel, brings sadness to the singer because she still cherishes it. The song is a plea to her lover to come back and renew their relationship, as life is short and they should not dwell on past mistakes or resentments. The final lines urge the listener to enjoy life, putting aside their troubles and embracing love and harmony.
The lyrics in "Ayer" are defined by their use of symbolism, from the mentioning of the flower, a letter, signature and odor, to the idea of a "new dawn." The song's message is one of hope and renewal, a plea to readers to acknowledge their mistakes, recognize their shortcomings, and move on. Gloria Estefan sings the message with a hopeful, upbeat tone, urging us to forget the past and focus on the joy that lies ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Ayer encontré la flor que tú me diste
Yesterday, I found the flower that you gave to me. It represents the love you offered and I still hold its sweet aroma in my heart.
Aún guarda fiel el aroma, aquel tierno clavel
The scent of that gentle carnation still remains true and faithful in my memories.
Aún guardo aquella carta que me escribiste
I still have the letter you wrote, with a passionate red mark and your signature beside the carnation, which made me sad.
Regresa por favor pues la vida es muy corta
Please come back because life is short and we should not waste a moment of it being doubtful or resentful.
Muy bien dice el cantor, lo pasado no importa
As the singer wisely says, what happened in the past is not important.
De todo nuestro orgullo es lo peor
Our pride is the worst obstacle for us to overcome.
Renovemos la pasión pues la vida es muy corta
Let us renew our passion, as life is too short to be without it.
Aroma de perdón añora nuestro ser
Our souls yearn for the scent of forgiveness,
Perfume de ilusión de un nuevo amanecer
The fragrance of hope for a new beginning.
Regresa por favor pues la vida es muy corta
Please come back because life is short and we should not waste a moment of it being doubtful or resentful.
Salgamos de la duda y del rencor
Let us leave behind our doubts and resentments.
Levántense y gocen que la vida es corta
Get up and enjoy life because it is short.
Alégrense por fin que lo demás no importa
Finally, be happy because nothing else matters.
Oigan bien sin temor lo que enseña la vida, señores
Listen well, without fear, to the teachings of life, gentlemen.
No te busques otra herida con el mismo error
Don't cause yourself further pain by making the same mistake.
Tiren ya todas las penas y busquen la vida buena
Let go of all your sorrows and seek a good life.
Con cariño y armonía como el agua y la arena
Let love and harmony flow between us, like water and sand.
Animense, sacúdanse, acérquense sin problema familia
Encourage each other, shake off your worries, and come together without any problems, family.
Los cueros te llaman, te llaman
The drums are calling out to you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Juan Rafael Marquez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind