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
Real Woman
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A real woman tonight
Someone that does you right
Keeps you awake at night now, honey
A real woman tonight, a real woman tonight
One that holds you tight
Don't you put up a fight now, honey
A real woman tonight
Even you don't know what's good for you
All the girls you had, just had no clue
You need a woman by your side
Who can turn on both your body and mind
Someone who gives you what your really need
After tonight you're gonna beg me please
What you need is a real, real woman tonight
A real woman tonight
Someone that does you right
Keeps you awake at night now, honey
A real woman tonight, a real woman tonight
One that holds you tight
Don't put a fight up now, honey
A real woman tonight
What a shame you wasted time
Make it up and tell me all the right lines
You want a lover who's in control
An' not afraid to love you body and soul
Someone who gives you what you really need
After tonight you're gonna beg me please
What you need is a real, real woman tonight
A real woman tonight
One that does you right
Keeps you awake at night now, honey
A real woman tonight, oh real woman tonight
Someone that holds you tight
Don't you put up a fight now, honey
A real woman tonight
All you wanna know, gonna show you tonight
Gonna give it, give it, give it, give it, give it, give it, give it
Give it everything, yeah yeah
Give it everything
Don't you put up a fight now, honey
Real woman, real, real woman, yeah
In "Real Woman," Gloria Estefan sings to a man who she believes needs a real woman in his life. She repeatedly emphasizes the need for a "real woman" who can give him everything he desires, both physically and emotionally. The lyrics suggest that the man has been with many other women, but none of them were capable of satisfying him the way that Estefan believes she can.
The song's lyrics touch upon themes of power and control in relationships, as well as the desire to be loved and appreciated by a partner. Estefan presents herself as a woman who can take charge in the bedroom while also providing love and affection. She asserts that her brand of womanhood is what the man needs in order to truly be happy, and that he shouldn't resist her advances.
Overall, "Real Woman" is a seductive and confident song that celebrates the power of femininity and the pleasures of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
What you need is a real, real woman tonight
The singer identifies the need of the listener for a genuine woman for the night.
A real woman tonight
The singer emphasizes the search for a genuine woman for the present night.
Someone that does you right
The singer is looking for a woman who is capable of treating the listener right.
Keeps you awake at night now, honey
The artist wants the woman to be able to keep the listener alert all night.
A real woman tonight, a real woman tonight
The artist repeats that the listener needs a real woman tonight for emphasis.
One that holds you tight
The singer wants a woman who can give the listener a firm embrace.
Don't you put up a fight now, honey
The singer requests that the listener does not resist or put up a fight.
Even you don't know what's good for you
The artist is aware that the listener is not familiar with what he needs.
All the girls you had, just had no clue
The artist suggests that the previous girls the listener has encountered were not able to meet his needs.
You need a woman by your side
The artist informs the listener that his need is a woman to be with him.
Who can turn on both your body and mind
The singer needs a woman who can stimulate both the physical and mental aspects of the listener.
Someone who gives you what your really need
The artist wants a woman who is capable of providing the listener with exactly what he needs.
After tonight you're gonna beg me please
The singer is confident that the listener will ask for her service in the future.
What a shame you wasted time
The singer expresses disappointment in the amount of time wasted by the listener before realizing his true need.
Make it up and tell me all the right lines
The singer hopes that the listener can rectify his mistakes and say the right things.
You want a lover who's in control
The artist acknowledges that the listener wants a partner who is in charge.
An' not afraid to love you body and soul
The artist emphasizes that the listener needs a partner who can love him in totality.
All you wanna know, gonna show you tonight
The singer is confident that she can satisfy all the needs of the listener tonight.
Gonna give it, give it, give it, give it, give it, give it, give it
The singer is planning to give the listener everything he needs for the night.
Give it everything, yeah yeah
The artist is committed to giving the listener everything he requires.
Real woman, real, real woman, yeah
The artist emphasizes that the listener needs a genuine woman for the night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, LAWRENCE DERMER, EMILIO JR. ESTEFAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind