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 Goodbye
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've cried for all it's worth a few times
I've lived and loved in search of truth
I've seen a lot of pain oh, oh, oh, to finally realize
The reason for this life
Is to say goodbye to sorrow
Don't hang on to the tears we borrow
That we are so free, we are free
I've seen the bottom once or twice
I've soared above the earth as suddenly
I've made a few mistakes, it's true
I've seen enough of hate, oh, oh, oh, to finally realize
There's not much more to life
Than to say goodbye to sorrow
Don't hold on to the fears we borrow
Say goodbye to sorrow and feel
We are so free, we are free
We may long for happiness
Pray to God that we be blessed
Save us from this loneliness
After all that I've been through
I believe the thing to do
Is to look inside of you
And just say goodbye to sorrow
Don't give up all the years we borrow
Say goodbye to sorrow and feel
That we are so free, we are free
In "Say Goodbye", Gloria Estefan reflects on the different experiences she has had throughout her life, from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. She acknowledges that she has cried and loved, searching for the truth and for happiness. But in the end, she has come to the realization that the reason for her life is to say goodbye to sorrow. She encourages us not to hang on to the pain and tears we borrow from life, but rather to let them go and feel free.
The verses of the song suggest that life is a journey filled with both joys and sorrows. Gloria Estefan uses the metaphor of borrowing tears and fears to highlight the idea that these emotions are not meant to be held onto forever, but rather to be experienced and then released. The chorus reinforces this idea, urging listeners to say goodbye to sorrow and to be free from the pain that can weigh us down.
Overall, "Say Goodbye" is a message of hope and encouragement, reminding us that we have the power to let go of our sorrows and to find happiness and freedom in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen and done it all it seems
I've experienced many things in my life.
I've cried for all it's worth a few times
I've shed tears and felt deep emotion.
I've lived and loved in search of truth
I've sought the purpose and meaning of life through my experiences and relationships.
I've seen a lot of pain oh, oh, oh, to finally realize
I've witnessed much suffering and have come to understand.
The reason for this life
The purpose of our existence.
Is to say goodbye to sorrow
We are meant to move on from sadness and heartache.
Don't hang on to the tears we borrow
We should not cling to our temporary pain.
Say goodbye to sorrow and feel
Let go of sadness and experience freedom.
That we are so free, we are free
We can feel liberated by releasing our sorrow.
I've seen the bottom once or twice
I've experienced rock bottom.
I've soared above the earth as suddenly
I've had moments of great joy and triumph.
I've made a few mistakes, it's true
I've erred and have not always been perfect.
I've seen enough of hate, oh, oh, oh, to finally realize
I've witnessed much enmity and have learned from it.
There's not much more to life
At its core, life is simple.
Than to say goodbye to sorrow
Our focus should be on letting go of sadness.
Don't hold on to the fears we borrow
We should let go of our fear and anxiety.
We may long for happiness
We may yearn for positivity in our lives.
Pray to God that we be blessed
We may hope for blessings from a higher power.
Save us from this loneliness
We may struggle with feelings of aloneness.
After all that I've been through
Despite my life experiences.
I believe the thing to do
I have come to a conclusion.
Is to look inside of you
We must introspect and turn inward.
And just say goodbye to sorrow
The solution is to let go of our pain.
Don't give up all the years we borrow
We should not waste our limited time on earth held captive by sadness.
Say goodbye to sorrow and feel
Focus on saying goodbye to sadness and embracing freedom.
That we are so free, we are free
We can feel free by letting go of our sorrow.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, JOHN FALCONE, JON SECADA, SEBASTIAN KRYS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind