Born in New York City where he has always lived.
Father: Puerto Rican
Mother: Italian-American
Children: Henry Fiol is the father of three children. Orlando, the oldest, is a pianist/arranger/percussionist who sometimes performs with his father.
Education: Graduated from Hunter College where he studied art and received his bachelor’s degree, BFA.
Work Experience: Before beginning his career in music, he worked as an art teacher in the Catholic schools of New York, and then as a counselor for students with behavior problems for the NYC Board of Education.
Artist: During the era of the LP, he painted the cover illustrations for all of his albums---in 1978 he won Latin New York magazine’s award for best album cover of the year for the cover of his first album with Saoco, “Siempre Seré Guajiro”---but ever since the format for recordings was reduced down to the size of a CD, he has forsaken the use of his original art in favor of photography instead.
Composer: Over the years, the majority of the songs recorded by Henry Fiol have been of his own composition, and although he doesn’t read or write music, he has always been actively involved in the preparation of his arrangements as well.
Writer: In the late nineties, he dedicated himself to the writing of his first book, a novel in English, entitled, The Short End of the Stick. Although finished, it remains unpublished.
Musical Career: Began all most forty years ago, initially as a conga player/coro singer.
1974-1978: Co-founder, co-leader, conga player, and lead singer of Saoco, where he composed most of the group’s material and recorded two LP’s.
1980-1982: Recorded two LP’s with SAR Records as a soloist, and was fortunate enough to score several number-one hits in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Dominican Republic. He subsequently toured Latin-America, doing numerous concerts and television appearances.
1983-1987: Formed his own band, “Corazón”, and introduced his signature brass instrumentation of trumpet with tenor sax.
1984-1987: Founded his own record company, Corazón Records, and began using the characteristic red-and-black stage clothing with the symbol of the heart. During this period, he recorded three albums on the Corazón label.
1987-1991: Returned to working as a soloist, and in 1989 he recorded a solo album with his son, Orlando. A year later, he re-organized his band---this time augmenting his horn section to two trumpets and a tenor sax---and, with his new instrumentation, he continued to travel and do live performances.
1991-2002: In 1991, Earthworks/Virgin released a compilation album worldwide. Also, in this period, two additional albums were recorded (one in New York and the other in Colombia), and another compilation album, entitled “Lo Máximo”, was released.
2002-present: In 2002, the album "Guapería" was recorded and produced by Henry Fiol for his own production company, Corazón Productions. It Contains seven original Fiol compositions and three adaptations of old Cuban favorites. In 2008, Henry Fiol Produced and Recorded the album "De Cachete" in Cali,Colombia with the help of some excellent Colombian musicians. This recording, on Fiol's own label, Corazón Records, contains nine original Fiol Compositions and is available to be downloaded free from his website.
To this day, Henry Fiol continues to travel and perform on an international level, particularly in Latin America and Europe, where, over the years, he has acheived the status of being considered a "classic artist" and a perennial favorite.
Travels: USA, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, etc.
Oriente
Henry Fiol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
King Henry Fifths Conquest Of France
King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France
A king was sitting on his throne,
And on his throne was sitting he;
He bethought himself of a tribute due,
Then he called up his little page,
His littIe page then called he;
Saying, "You must go to the king of France
And demand that tribute due to me."
Away, away went that little page,
Away, away and away went he,
Until he came to the king of France,
Then he fell down on his bended knee.
"My master's great as well as you,
My master's great as well as you;
He demands that tribute, tribute due,
Or in French land you will him see."
"Your master's young, of tender age,
Nor fit to come to my degree;
To him I send five tennis balls,
That in French land he dare not be."
Away, away went that little page,
Away, away and away went he,
Until he came to his master dear,
Then he fell down on his bended knee.
"What news, what news, my little page
What news, what news do you bring to me?"
"Such news, such news, my master dear
The king and you will not agree."
"He says you're young, of tender age,
Not fit to come to his degree;
To you he sends five tennis balls,
That in French land you dare not be."
The king he numbered up his men,
One by two and two by three,
Until he got thirty thousand men,
A noble jolly bold company.
"No married men, no widow's son,
No married men can follow me;
No married men, no widow's son,
A widow's son can't follow me."
Now he's marched off to the King of France
With drums and trumpets so merrily
And the first that spoke was the King of France
Saying, "Yonder comes proud King Henry"
The first broadside those Frenchmen gave
They slew our men so bitterly;
And the next broadside our English gave
They killed five thousand and thirty-three.
And the next that spoke was the King of France
Saying: "Lord, have mercy on my men and me."
"Now if you'll march back from whence you came
With drums and trumpets so merrily,
The finest flower in all French land,
Five tons of gold shall be your fee."
Now he's marched back from whence he came
With drums and trumpets so merrily
W'ith the finest flower in all French land
Five tons of gold now is his fee.
From New Green Mountain Songster, Flanders et al.
Child #164
@England @war @royalty
filename[ HENRYV
play.exe HENRYV
RG
===DOCUMENT BOUNDARY===
The song "Oriente" by Henry Fiol tells the story of a man who is torn between two sides - his roots in the East (Oriente) and his life in the West (Occidente). The singer speaks of feeling like a foreigner in his own country and longing for the familiar sights, smells, and sounds of his childhood in Oriente. He speaks of the struggle of trying to adapt to the fast-paced lifestyle of Occidente while still holding onto his cultural identity.
In the chorus, Fiol sings, "Mi gente es Oriente, aunque viva en Occidente" which translates to "My people are from the East, even though we live in the West." This line encapsulates the theme of the song - that no matter where we go or where we live, our roots and culture remain a part of us.
The lyrics are emotive and relatable, particularly for those who have experienced the struggle of balancing different cultures and identities. Fiol's smooth vocals and the understated yet beautiful instrumentation serve as the perfect backdrop for the introspective and poignant lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
A king was sitting on his throne,
And on his throne was sitting he;
The king was seated on his throne and was thinking of a tribute that was due in France.
He bethought himself of a tribute due,
Been due in France so many years.
The king remembered the tribute that was due in France for many years.
Then he called up his little page,
His little page then called he;
The king ordered his page to go to the King of France and demand that the tribute be paid.
Saying, "You must go to the king of France
And demand that tribute due to me."
The king instructed his page to demand the payment of tribute from the King of France.
Away, away went that little page,
Away, away and away went he,
Until he came to the king of France,
Then he fell down on his bended knee.
The page journeyed to the King of France and prostrated himself before him.
"My master's great as well as you,
My master's great as well as you;
He demands that tribute, tribute due,
Or in French land you will him see."
The page informed the King of France that his master is as great as the king and demanded the payment of the tribute. He threatened the French King that otherwise he will have to face his master in France.
"Your master's young, of tender age,
Nor fit to come to my degree;
To him I send five tennis balls,
That in French land he dare not be."
The French King refused to pay the tribute and insulted the English King by saying that he is too young to be his equal. He sent a gift of five tennis balls to signify that the English King is not worthy of his attention and cannot come to France.
Away, away went that little page,
Away, away and away went he,
Until he came to his master dear,
Then he fell down on his bended knee.
The page returned to his master and informed him of the King of France's refusal and insult.
"What news, what news, my little page
What news, what news do you bring to me?"
"Such news, such news, my master dear
The king and you will not agree."
The English King asked his page what news he had brought back. The page informed him of the French King's refusal to pay the tribute and his insult.
"He says you're young, of tender age,
Not fit to come to his degree;
To you he sends five tennis balls,
That in French land you dare not be."
The page conveyed the message from the French King that the English King is young and not equal to his degree. He sent the five tennis balls as a symbol to signify that the English King cannot come to France.
The king he numbered up his men,
One by two and two by three,
Until he got thirty thousand men,
A noble jolly bold company.
The English King raised an army of thirty thousand men, a noble and brave company.
"No married men, no widow's son,
No married men can follow me;
No married men, no widow's son,
A widow's son can't follow me."
The English King announced that no married man or widow's son can join his army.
Now he's marched off to the King of France
With drums and trumpets so merrily
And the first that spoke was the King of France
Saying, "Yonder comes proud King Henry"
The English King marched towards the French King's army with joyous music. The first to speak was the French King, who called the English King proud.
The first broadside those Frenchmen gave
They slew our men so bitterly;
And the next broadside our English gave
They killed five thousand and thirty-three.
The French attacked the English causing heavy casualties. In the next attack, the English killed five thousand and thirty-three Frenchmen.
And the next that spoke was the King of France
Saying: "Lord, have mercy on my men and me."
The French King appealed to God for mercy for himself and his men after attaining heavy losses in the battle.
"Now if you'll march back from whence you came
With drums and trumpets so merrily,
The finest flower in all French land,
Five tons of gold shall be your fee."
The French King proposed that the English King return to England and in return, he would gift him with the finest flower in France and five tons of gold.
Now he's marched back from whence he came
With drums and trumpets so merrily
With the finest flower in all French land
Five tons of gold now is his fee.
The English King accepted the French King's offer, accepted the gift of the finest flower in France and five tons of gold, and returned to England triumphantly with his army.
Writer(s): Ernie Henry Copyright: Orpheum Music
Contributed by David Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Luis Alberto Bonilla
Me llega una sensación divina de mi infancia, al recordar a mi padre y sus amigos en sus fines de semana escuchando temas como este. Sabor latino y que reflejaban el sentir del hombre en su vida cotidiana y aunque simple y sin muchas decoraciones materiales la vida se impregnaba de colores y sabores con esencia inolvidable. Saludos desde Panamá 🇵🇦
Gilberto Marulanda
A mi me recuerda mi juventud, cuando subía trotando a un lugar llamado el seminario los domingos, todas las demás personas que también subían haciendo deporte llevaban su radio, en ese entonces radio no de audífono eran de altavoces y escuchando sala brava incluyendo esta canción q era de las mas sonadas. Saludos.
luis
"el producir mas cubano , sobre poetico plano.."
Diego Gil
Canción inolvidable... Uno de los puntos más altos a los que ha ascendido la salsa, y la música popular en general...
John Vinicio Romero Romero
Saludos
Elena Zhindon
Hermoso son, cuando lo escucho siento que se filtra en mi mente y corazón...¡¡¡Me encanta!!!
Darwing Diaz
Soy nacido en los 80 y les confieso que oir esta canción es recordar a mis padres, era muy pequeño pero creci escuchando estas canciones de salsa, mi mama que ya esta en el cielo cantaba esta canción con una gran sonrisa en la cara. Que viva la salsa!
LUIS ANGEL CASTRO RESTREPO
La sangre se alvorota, el corazon se constriñe y el espiritu vuela, la musica como esta engrandece el alma
leonardo capoverde
Un Clásico muy coreado y galardonado en nuestra America Latina ,Gracias Henrry Fiol por tu Música y por poseer un estilo único ,q tumbao Amigos
Roberto Green
Belleza de salsa HENRY FIOL maestro de maestros. Ecuador presente Oriente..