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
Say
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm a fool for your sweet caress
Don't mean to be obsessed
But all that I can do is guess
And when I miss you
I try to keep my head
But when I kiss you
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
Say do you say, that you need me still
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
And if it's someone else
I'd rather be just by myself
Your honesty would help
Right now it seems so hard to tell
Don't wanna worry
But is our love alive
I'm in a hurry
My feelings I can't hide
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
Say do you say, that you need me still
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
Faithfully yours my love is real, babe
If that is what you want then I'll be there
'Cause I feel so sure this is the real thing
My heart with you will stay, yeah
Say do you say
Say do you say
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
And when I miss you
I try to keep my head
'Cause when I kiss you
My heart speaks out instead
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
Say do you say, that you need me still
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
Say do you say, that you need me still
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
Say do you say
Say do you say
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Say we always will
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
The lyrics of Gloria Estefan's song "Say" express the uncertainty and anxiety that can arise when a relationship feels up in the air. The singer is not one for making promises, but finds themselves obsessed with their partner's sweet touch nonetheless. They wonder whether their love is still alive and try to keep their head when they miss the other person, but their heart always speaks out instead when they kiss. The chorus asks the partner to clarify their feelings and intentions: do you love me, do you need me still, can we stay together and always will? The singer desires honesty and reassurance from their loved one, and feels faithful and committed in return.
The song is a classic example of Estefan's ability to combine Latin rhythms with pop sensibilities, blending contemporary dance beats with traditional Cuban music. The lyrics were written by Estefan and her husband Emilio, who have often collaborated on songwriting. "Say" was released in 1994 as the lead single from Estefan's tenth studio album "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", which was a collection of cover songs and a few new tracks. The song was co-produced by Estefan and Emilio, along with various other producers.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't much for promises
I am not someone who makes a lot of promises.
But I'm a fool for your sweet caress
However, I cannot resist your touch.
Don't mean to be obsessed
I know I shouldn't be so fixated on you.
But all that I can do is guess
But it's hard for me to know what you're thinking.
And when I miss you
When I'm not with you,
I try to keep my head
I try to stay level-headed.
But when I kiss you
But as soon as I'm close to you and we kiss,
My heart speaks out instead
My emotions take over and I can't help but express my feelings.
Say do you say, won't you say you love me
Tell me, will you say that you love me?
Say do you say, that you need me still
Do you also need me in your life, just as much as before?
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Can you promise that we'll stay together?
Say we always will
That we'll stay committed to each other forever.
And if it's someone else
Thinking about the possibility of there being someone else in your life.
I'd rather be just by myself
I would prefer to be alone than with anyone else.
Your honesty would help
If you could be honest with me, it would make things clearer.
Right now it seems so hard to tell
It's hard to tell how you really feel right now.
Don't wanna worry
I don't want to be anxious about this.
But is our love alive
But I do wonder if our love is still strong and healthy.
I'm in a hurry
I'm eager to know the truth.
My feelings I can't hide
I cannot conceal my emotions.
Faithfully yours my love is real, babe
I am fully committed to you, my love is genuine, and I address you lovingly.
If that is what you want then I'll be there
If staying together is truly what you want, I'll be there for you.
'Cause I feel so sure this is the real thing
Because I am certain that our love is genuine and true.
My heart with you will stay, yeah
I'll always love you and only you.
Say do you say
Will you tell me?
Say won't you say that we'll stay together
Promise me that we'll stay committed to each other.
Say we always will
That we'll stay together forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN WILLIAM III DUNCAN, JON SECADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew Flood
I LOVE GLORIA ESTEFAN !!!!!!!
Franco Templet
Epic bass line,,,,
Princessduff83
Amazing
Mike Cruz
This song, talk about strait from the heart !
Scott Paul
Say that you love me. Yes I need that. ❤️🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️ Gloria Estefan 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️
Jeff Bell
She's my wifes absolute idol. Lol. Dances around like a cute little maniac.
Rachel King
lol
SWRadioConcepts
Listened to this on the Radio Shack Digital Audio Spectacular CD Volume 2
mohed chiraghuddin
another great album of the 80s besides jacksons bad
mohamad kasem
Nice .