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
Farolito
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Poco a poco van naciendo
Poco a poco van naciendo
Como nace el sentimiento
Por las calles de mi pueblo
Por las calles de mi pueblo
Coraz? Que canta
Lleno de esperanza
En la noche buena
Ya se escucha la tambora
Recpicando de alegr?
Recpicando de alegr?
Y mecida por olas
Va la luna en travesia
Va la luna en travesia
Coraz? Que canta
Coraz? Que suena
Lleno de esperanza
En la noche buena
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
Pescador deja tus remos
Guarda pronto tu atarraya
Que te espera con anhelo
El brazo de tu amada
El brazo de tu amada
Coraz? Que canta
Coraz? Que suena
Lleno de esperanza
En la noche buena
Es la noche del ensue?
Al abrigo de la llama
Al abrigo de la llama
Es la llama del consuelo
Que se lleva aqui en el alma
Que se lleva aqui en el alma
Coraz? Que canta
Coraz? Que suena
Lleno de esperanza
En la noche buena
Coraz? Que canta
Coraz? Que suena
Lleno de esperanza
En la noche buena
Farolito a donde vas
A abrazarme con el mar
Farolito buscame
El amor que se me fue
El amor que se me fue
El amor que se me fue
El amor que se me fue
El amor que se me fue
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan’s song “Farolito” are about the excitement and joy of Christmas Eve in a small town in Latin America. The “farolitos” in the sky symbolize the stars and the hope that the season brings. The song talks about how the feeling of Christmas grows gradually, like the stars slowly shining brighter in the sky. The tambourine and other instruments announce the arrival of Christmas with their rhythm, filling the heart with hope. The singer also talks about the anticipation of being with a loved one and the comfort that the warmth of the fire brings. The arrival of Christmas brings together those who have been separated and gives hope to those who have lost love.
The lyrics paint a picture of a hopeful community, ready to celebrate the joyous occasion of Christmas Eve. The tamboura sounds and the rises and falls of the melody all convey the celebratory spirit of Latin American Christmas. The sentiment of the song is that Christmas Eve is a time of reunions, of lost loves found and happy hearts that sing with hope. All in all, the lyrics show the joyous atmosphere that surrounds this special moment in time.
Line by Line Meaning
Farolitos en el cielo
Stars twinkle in the sky
Poco a poco van naciendo
Slowly and steadily they come into existence
Como nace el sentimiento
Like the birth of a feeling
Por las calles de mi pueblo
Through the streets of my town
Coraz? Que canta
A heart that sings
Coraz? Que suena
A heart that echoes
Lleno de esperanza
Full of hope
En la noche buena
On Christmas Eve
Ya se escucha la tambora
Now you can hear the drum
Recpicando de alegr?
Pulsating with joy
Y mecida por olas
And swayed by waves
Va la luna en travesia
The moon is on a journey
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
The drums are sounding
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Announcing their loves
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Their hearts fill with joy
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
For it's finally Christmas Eve
Pescador deja tus remos
Fisherman, put down your oars
Guarda pronto tu atarraya
Hurry and put away your nets
Que te espera con anhelo
Your beloved is waiting for you with eagerness
El brazo de tu amada
To embrace you
Es la noche del ensue?
It's the night of dreams
Al abrigo de la llama
In the warmth of the flame
Es la llama del consuelo
It's the comforting flame
Que se lleva aqui en el alma
That carries comfort in our souls
Farolito a donde vas
Little lantern, where are you off to?
A abrazarme con el mar
To embrace me with the sea
Farolito buscame
Little lantern, look for me
El amor que se me fue
The love that slipped away from me
El amor que se me fue
The love that slipped away from me
El amor que se me fue
The love that slipped away from me
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
The drums are sounding
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Announcing their loves
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Their hearts fill with joy
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
For it's finally Christmas Eve
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
The drums are sounding
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Announcing their loves
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Their hearts fill with joy
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
For it's finally Christmas Eve
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
The drums are sounding
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Announcing their loves
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Their hearts fill with joy
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
For it's finally Christmas Eve
Ae ea van sonando los tamores
The drums are sounding
Ae ea pregonando sus amores
Announcing their loves
Ae ea coraz? Es que se alegran
Their hearts fill with joy
Ae ea pues llego la noche buena
For it's finally Christmas Eve
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KIKE SANTANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind