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
Smile
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I talk to you when I see you
And I'm so glad that you just missed it
The way I stared to memorize your face
To kiss you in my mind
Love you all the time
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
Please believe it's true
When I tell you I love you
I've taken too many chances
Searching for the truth in love that's in my heart
Tell me if I made the wrong advances
Tell me if I've made you feel ashamed
'Cause I know I have to do this
Would you hold my hand right through it?
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
Please believe it's true
When I tell you I love you
I had to let you know just what would happen
Yes I had to let you know the truth
I know I've got to do this
Would you hold my hand right through it? Would you?
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
You know now this is true
When I tell you I love you
Ooh oh yeah
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan's song I See Your Smile express the emotions of a person who is enamored by someone they love. The singer is tongue-tied every time they talk to their love interest and is afraid that they might have given away their feelings by staring too much. The singer is filled with joy at the mere sight of their love interest, and even though they haven’t yet kissed them in person, they have imagined it often in their mind. The singer is convincingly in love and reassures their love interest that what they say is true. They have taken many chances in love, but they feel that this time, they have found the truth in their heart. They make one last plea for their love interest to hold their hand as they come clean and tell the truth.
The lyrics capture a moment of intimacy, longing and vulnerability. The singer's words convey the impression of someone who is hesitating about taking a chance on love but is, at the same time, resolute about their feelings. The singer is afraid of rejection and scared of making the wrong moves. They hope for the best, but at the same time, they're prepared to accept the consequences of their actions.
Overall, I See Your Smile is a song that captures the bittersweet emotions of love with its highs and lows. The poignant lyrics are a testament to Gloria Estefan's innate ability to plumb the depths of human emotions, which is why this song is still popular today, over two decades after it was first released.
Line by Line Meaning
I get a little tongue twisted
I find it hard to express myself when I talk to you.
Every time I talk to you when I see you
Whenever I'm around you and we speak, my words become mixed up.
And I'm so glad that you just missed it
Thankfully, you didn't notice my nervousness and hesitation.
The way I stared to memorize your face
I was intently studying your features to remember them.
To kiss you in my mind
In my thoughts, I long to kiss you.
Love you all the time
I care about you continually and constantly.
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
Even when I close my eyes, I can picture your smile, and it uplifts me even in my darkest moments.
Please believe it's true
When I tell you I love you
I want you to have faith in the sincerity of my affection for you.
I've taken too many chances
I have pursued numerous opportunities to find genuine love.
Searching for the truth in love that's in my heart
I endeavor to discover the authentic love that exists within me.
Tell me if I made the wrong advances
If my actions and intentions have been inappropriate or misguided, please inform me.
Tell me if I've made you feel ashamed
I want to know if I have caused you to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable in any way.
'Cause I know I have to do this
I am certain that I need to reveal the truth to you.
Would you hold my hand right through it?
Can you offer me your support and comfort during this time?
I had to let you know just what would happen
It was crucial to me to inform you of what was going to take place.
Yes I had to let you know the truth
I needed to be honest with you and reveal the reality of my emotions and intentions.
You know now this is true
When I tell you I love you
Ooh oh yeah
You are now aware that my love for you is real and genuine.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MIGUEL MOREJON, JON SECADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elainecaroline4762
I, get a little tongue twisted
Every time I talk to you
When I see you
And I'm so glad that you just missed it
The way I stared
To memorize your face.
To kiss you in my mind
Love you all the time
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
Please believe it's true
When I tell you I love you
I've taken too many chances
Searching for the truth in love
That's in my heart
Tell me if I made the wrong advances
Tell me if I've made you feel ashamed
'Cause I know I have to do this
Would you hold my hand right through it
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
Please believe it's true
When I tell you I love you
I had to let you know
Just what would happen
Yes, I had to let
You know the truth
I know I've got to do this
Would you hold my
Hand right through it
Would you
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
'Cause when I close my eyes
I still can see your smile
It's bright enough to light my life
Out of my darkest hour
I know this
Is true when I
Tell you I love you
@natskivna
When you think about it, there really aren't that many ballads sung by women towards men so when you hear one...especially one this well performed with heartfelt lyrics...it's wonderful. As a man, if a woman expressed her feelings to me and said "would you hold my hand right through it", I would be so touched.
@caramelspice7244
Bc wmn have to tread lightly when it comes to expressing feelings or they'll be labeled "crazy." So most of the wmn men think are cold really have feelings that run miles deep...
@sunshineofrays6977
You sir , must be a gentleman to say that 👌
@RDC_Autosports
women were women back then, not the pigs they are now …
@Jessie-Marie
@sunshine of rays I agree with you today it’s hard for any younger woman to express there love to that special person
I grew up in 1970’s and 1980’s got married right out of HS to my HS sweetheart Joe back in September 1990 I always told Joe how much I loved him how much I appreciate his friendship over 7 years from our middle school years through our graduation times were different back then to what it’s like living in 2023 now I loss my husband Joe 4 years ago in line of duty (federal law enforcement agent) and there isn’t a day gone by that I don’t miss him that I just wish Joe was here reassuring me holding my hand telling me everything would be alright never thought I’d be in this spot in my life 53 years old already loss the love of my life looking where do I go from here I honestly don’t want to be involved with someone else not at this point in my life I may live another 25 years at most if you go off average age my family has passed away at I could be wrong I don’t know that answer I’m guessing at it it’s harder on younger women to express love today most have grown up in broken household parents divorced or in jail and all they have seen is how men and women act fight among each other and not care if kids see this or not that’s one of the biggest problems today everyone wants the easy way out when faced with issues or problems when together no one stands back and just listen to one another work the issues out god Joe and I had our arguments are little fights Joe and I always said when our daughter was around us there was NO ARGUING AMONG US and we did that we didn’t want our daughter to see or hear when we had a fight heck we use to take our arguments outside in our car/truck just so our daughter didn’t here it I will admit there’s way too much of that going on today and it’s only getting worse with each generation something has to change it’s matter of time when
My apologies being long winded just giving my opinion here
@sunshineofrays6977
I am so sorry for the loss of the love of your life , we are the same age , and I can't imagine how painful that must be. And to die in the line of duty , what a wonderful man you had throughout the years. Please don't say sorry for expressing how you feel , it is hard to know where to go in life after such an awful experience. I just hope that you can find strength in the time ahead ....🙏
@econprofaj
Sometimes a song gets underrated. This certainly fits that category. Can't tell you how many times I've listened to this.
@WARDMAN3
Agree 100 percent. I always though this was one of her strongest songs and a beautiful song
@garyfoster73
Gloria was and still is absolutely phenomenal !!! All around she still got it. Love her ballads so much.
@Superbook4Eva
That this song only reached #50 in the Billboard Hot 100 is a crime against music. This may be my favorite ballad of Gloria's ever.