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
The Way You Look Tonight
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
With each word your tenderness grows
Tearin' my fear apart
And that laugh..wrinkles your nose
Touches my foolish heart
Lovely ... Never, never change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart
Lovely ... Don't you ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you
A-just the way you look tonight
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look tonight
Gloria Estefan's version of the classic song "The Way You Look Tonight" illustrates a love letter that will last a lifetime. In the opening lines, the singer confesses that when the world seems cold and they are feeling low, thoughts of their loved one will provide them with a warm glow. The singer is describing a feeling that many people can relate to; when you are away from your loved ones and life is getting tough, you can find solace in reminiscing about what brings you joy.
The singer then goes on to describe their loved one's smile, saying that it is so warm it lights up their world. They describe their partner's cheeks as soft to the touch, making them irresistible to love. With each word their partner speaks, their tenderness grows, tearing them apart from their fears, and their laugh, which wrinkles their nose, touches the singer's foolish heart. The singer instructs their partner never to change because they love them just the way they are, with their breathless charm and the way they look tonight.
The song captures themes of love, admiration, thoughts of home and comfort, and nostalgia. The way the singer describes their loved one shows how much they are in awe of them and how they make their world brighter. This classic, romantic song, beloved by generations, continues to be a poignant portrayal of the enduring power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Some day, when I'm awfully low
There will come a day when I am feeling very down
When the world is cold
When everything around me feels bleak
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
I will feel a warmth inside just by thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
And by the way you look tonight
Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm
You are so beautiful, especially with your warm smile
And your cheeks so soft
Your softly rounded cheeks are very endearing to me
There is nothing for me but to love you
I cannot help but love you
And the way you look tonight
Especially by the way you look tonight
With each word your tenderness grows
The more you speak, the more tender I find you
Tearin' my fear apart
You are making me feel less afraid
And that laugh..wrinkles your nose
Your laughter causes your nose to crinkle, which I adore
Touches my foolish heart
It touches my heart in a way that might seem illogical to others
Lovely ... Never, never change
You are lovely just the way you are, and should never change
Keep that breathless charm
Maintain that amazing, breathtaking charm you possess
Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you
Could you please make sure to keep your charm intact, since I love you
Just the way you look tonight
Just the way you look tonight
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
Again, it is your laugh that crinkles your nose, which I find endearing
It touches my foolish heart
That laugh touches the silly part of me that is hopelessly in love with you
Lovely ... Don't you ever change
You are so lovely – please never change
Keep that breathless charm
Keep your captivating charm going forever
Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you
I’ll ask again, can you please make sure to keep your charm going? Because I love you
A-just the way you look tonight
In fact, just exactly the way you look tonight
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look tonight
Exactly how you look tonight
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind