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
Cuts Both Ways
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our love is like a knife that cuts both ways
It's driven deep into my heart each time
That I realize
How it cuts both ways
Can't be together, cannot live apart
We're heading straight into a broken heart
'Cause I feel too much to let you go
I'm hurting you and it's hard I know
To stay and fight for what we've got
Knowing it'll never be good enough
'Cause you and I are dangerous
We want too much and life ain't that way
Don't ask for more, you'd be a fool
Haven't we already broken every rule?
It cuts both ways
We're in too deep for sorry alibis
Can't have regrets or even question why
We can't say goodbye
Because it cuts both ways
No more illusions of the love we make
No sacrifice would ever be too great
If you would juststay
'Cause I feel too much to let you go
I'm hurting you and it's hard I know
To stay and fight for what we've got
Knowing it'll never be good enough
'Cause you and I are dangerous
We want too much and life ain't that way
Don't ask for more, don't be a fool
Haven't we already broken every rule?
Cuts both ways
Our love is like a knife that cuts both ways
It's driven deep into my heart each time
I see we livin' the lie
And it cuts both ways
Oh, it cuts both ways
It cuts both ways
It cuts both ways
It cuts both ways
It cuts both ways
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan's "Cuts Both Ways" explore the complex nature of love and relationships. The singer compares love to a knife that cuts both ways, meaning that it can bring both pleasure and pain. The lines "Our love is like a knife that cuts both ways / It's driven deep into my heart each time / That I realize" highlight the conflict the singer feels between her desire to be with her partner and the knowledge that their relationship is destructive.
The singer acknowledges that their relationship is heading towards a broken heart, but she can't let go due to the intense emotions she feels for her partner. She knows that their love is dangerous and wants more than life can offer, but they can't help breaking the rules. Despite the pain they cause each other, they can't bring themselves to say goodbye because their love cuts both ways.
Overall, "Cuts Both Ways" is a reflection on the joy and pain of love and the difficulty of letting go even when we know it's for the best.
Line by Line Meaning
It cuts both ways
The relationship is a double-edged sword.
Our love is like a knife that cuts both ways
The love shared by the couple is piercing and has advantages and disadvantages.
It's driven deep into my heart each time
Every time the difficulties of the relationship are recognized, it further buries itself into her heart.
That I realize
It is understood and made clear to her that the relationship has both good and bad aspects.
Can't be together, cannot live apart
They cannot be in or out of the relationship.
We're heading straight into a broken heart
The relationship is leading them to heartbreak.
But I can't stop
She is unable to break off the love affair.
'Cause I feel too much to let you go
Her deep feelings for her partner is preventing her from ending the relationship.
I'm hurting you and it's hard I know
She is aware that the situation is hurting her partner.
To stay and fight for what we've got
She decides to stay and overcome the obstacles in the relationship.
Knowing it'll never be good enough
She understands that the relationship is not perfect and cannot be fixed.
'Cause you and I are dangerous
The two of them together may result in something that is harmful or unsafe.
We want too much and life ain't that way
Their demands exceed what life can give.
Don't ask for more, you'd be a fool
It would be unwise to expect more from life than it can give.
Haven't we already broken every rule?
They have already transgressed all boundaries.
We're in too deep for sorry alibis
The situation is too dire to make quick fixes or simple apologies.
Can't have regrets or even question why
They cannot afford to regret or ponder why they got into this relationship.
We can't say goodbye
They are unable to end the relationship.
No more illusions of the love we make
No more false hopes for their love.
No sacrifice would ever be too great
There is no limit to the sacrifices they need to make to keep the relationship afloat.
If you would just stay
She wishes for her partner to remain with her.
I see we livin' the lie
She has come to the realization that they are living a false reality.
It cuts both ways
The relationship has two different effects.
Oh, it cuts both ways
It goes in both directions.
It cuts both ways
The relationship is two-faced.
It cuts both ways
The relationship has pros and cons.
It cuts both ways
The love brings happiness and sadness.
It cuts both ways
The good comes with the bad.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gloria Estefan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vybzkartelradio.
Quality music, classic love song ❤❤ you GLORIA
@vybzkartelradio.
Memories!
@vybzkartelradio.
LOOOOOOVE YOU GLORIA!
@eopal-uk265
There are certain 80’s songs that give me an overwhelmingly painful and bittersweet sense of nostalgia. This is definitely one of them.
@BlueSky-eb2sv
Looking back 30 years I realize now even more, how amazing Gloria is. ❤
@fredhominal5029
Incroyable c'est vrai qu'elle l'ait ! . 🙏
@David.lovesU
Was
@John907i
Me too bro 👍🍻
@TheBLESS-edOne.
Honestly, this is my exact sentiment right now. 💯💗
She is truly special.
@thomas-zk7zr
😊