Siblings include Saned, Edwin, Ito, and José, who all have careers in salsa (one of his brothers was with Puerto Rican Power). In an interview with Maria Conchita Alonso (for "Al día con Maria Conchita"), Jerry talks about how sure his father was that he would succeed.
His parents, also musicians, inspired him to become a musician and as a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows.
His favorite singers are Eddie Santiago, Lalo Rodriguez and, in particular, Frankie Ruiz. In 1986, when he was 13 years old, he accompanied his father who was performing at a hotel in Isla Verde, San Juan. Ruiz, who was a guest at the hotel, appeared and sang a couple of songs with them and had his picture taken alongside Rivera. In 2003 this picture was used by Rivera to make the album cover for his tribute Canto a mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('I sing to my Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), who had died in 1998.
In 1988, Tommy Olivencia heard Rivera sing alongside his father and recommended that he sing solo. When Jerry was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department. They signed Rivera.
With his first album, Empezando A Vivir, Jerry Rivera earned the title "El Bebé de la Salsa" (the salsa baby). This project generated the hit, De La Cabeza A Los Pies (loosely translates to "From Head To Toes").
His second album, Abriendo Puertas ('Opening Doors'), produced the hit songs Esa Niña ('That Girl'), Dime ('Tell Me') and Como un Milagro ('Like a Miracle') became number one hits first in Puerto Rico, then among the Hispanic populations in the United States and finally across Latin America.
His third album, Cuenta Conmigo ('Count on Me'), won three Platinum Record awards in the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. It became the most-sold salsa album in history, a record previously held by Willie Colon,[1] and held the number-one spot in the Latin American Billboards for three consecutive months. Its hit songs included the Cuenta Conmigo, Me Estoy Enamorado ('I am in Love') and Casi Un Hechizo. The number one hit for the album was Amores Como El Nuestro (Loves Like Ours) which is considered to be the best song by Rivera. Rivera was awarded two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for "Singer of the Year" and "Album of the Year" and Sony Records presented him with three Crystal Awards.
The introduction of Amores Como El Nuestro was sampled by Haitian-rapper Wyclef Jean in his 2004 song "Dance Like This" from the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights which would later become the worldwide number-one 2006 hit "Hips Don't Lie" by Colombian-singer Shakira and Wyclef, too.
In 1993, he released Cara de Niño ('Baby Face') with Que Hay De Malo ('That There of Bad') and Cara de Niño as hits.
In 1994, as his popularity was rising, he released his first compilation album, Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor (The New and the Best), and contained the single hit Me Estoy Enloqueciendo Por Ti.
In 1996, Rivera released "Fresco" and Una y Mil Veces (One Thousand and One Tries) became another hit for Rivera.
In 1999, Rivera recorded De Otra Manera ('Another Way'), which featured the bolero Ese. Jerry sang the song with his father at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.
In 2000, Rivera recorded Para Siempre ('Forever'), and the hits were Amor de Novela, Navegándote, and Puerta Abierta. This was his album on Sony Latin records.
He has performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Spain and Japan.
In 2001, he released his self-titled album Jerry Rivera, which would include ballad songs for the first time in his salsa career, and Quiero (I Want) would be the only hit. The year after, he recorded Vuela Muy Alto (She Flies High) which brought him a new fanbase all over Latin-America and the U.S., with the title track hit the top spot and the top 10 in many charts. The following year he released Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), a tribute album to one of his idol Frankie Ruiz. The album ganer him a Latin Grammy nominatation and his hit was Ruiz's Mi Libertad featuring Voltio.
Rivera played a small role in the movie I Like It Like That and will appear as himself in a Latin American soap opera titled Mi destino eres tu ('You are my destiny') slated to air on Univision in the US during on November 2005. Rivera has also appeared in various Banco Popular de Puerto Rico productions, including Al Compas de un Sentimiento (dedicated to the late Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores) and Con la musica por Dentro. Amores Como El Nuestro and Magia is another of his hit songs.
Discography
Empezando a Vivir (Beginning to Live) (1989)
Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (1991)
Cuenta Conmigo (Count On Me) (1992)
Cara de Niño (Baby Face) (1993)
Jerry Rivera: Lo Nuevo Y Lo Mejor (Jerry Rivera: The New and the Best)
Magia (Magic) (1995)
Fresco (album) (Fresh) (1996)
Ya No Soy El Niño Aquel(I'm Not That Child Anymore) (1997)
De Otra Manera (In Other Words) (1998)
Oro Salsero (Salsa Gold) (2000)
Historia 1 (History 1) (2000)
Para Siempre (Forever) (2000)
Jerry Rivera (Rivera) (2001)
No Me Olvidaras (You Won't Forget Me) (2001)
Vuela Muy Alto (Fly Very High) (2002)
Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz (Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz) (2003)
Ay Mi Vida (Oh My Life) (2005)
20 Exitos Originales (20 originals) (2007)
Official Website
http://www.jerryrivera.com/
A media luz
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Segundo piso asensor,
No hay porteross ni vecinos,
Adentro con mediador,
Pisito que puso maple,
Piano, estera y velador,
Un telefono que contesta,
Una fonoma que llora,
Y un gato de porcelana,
Pa' que no maulle el amor.
Y todo a media luz,
Que es un brujo el amor,
A media luz los besos,
A media luz los dos,
Y todo a media luz,
Crepusculo interior,
Que suave terciopelo.
La media luz de amor.
Un cal 12-24,
Telefonea sin temor,
De tarde tengo mas citas,
De noche tango y cantar,
Los domingos de danzante,
Los lunes desolacion,
Hay de todo en la casita,
Almohadones y divanes,
Come en boquita coco,
Alfombras que no hacen ruido,
Y mesa puesta el amor.
Y todo a media luz,
Que es un brujo el amor,
A media luz los besos,
A media luz los dos,
Y todo a media luz,
Crepusculo interior,
Que suave terciopelo.
La media luz de amor.
Vivimos enamorados,
A media luz nos amamos.
Vivimos enamorados,
A media luz nos amamos.
Y todo a media luz,
Es un brujo el amor,
A media luz los besos,
A media luz los dos.
Pasiones, locuras a media luz,
Me enloquecia, me dominaba
Solamente con su mirada azul,
Esa miro a gardel, a robarme de esa
Sabias tu.
Dimelo, Sorsai
Dicen que ese mundo
No espera este mundo.
Y todo a media luz,
Crepusculo interior.
The lyrics of Jerry Rivera's song A Media Luz paint a vivid picture of a couple's passionate love affair that takes place in a secret location. The first stanza describes the room where they meet - it's on the second floor, there is no concierge or neighbors, and it's filled with plush furnishings, a telephone that rings, and an old tango record. The second stanza alludes to the couple's exciting life outside the room - the man has a shotgun for protection and a busy schedule full of dates and singing. But it's clear that their true happiness lies in the simple pleasure of being together in their secret room "a media luz", meaning "in partial darkness".
The song's title "A Media Luz" is a reference to the dim lighting that creates a sense of intimacy and sensuality, which is appropriate for the love story the song tells. Throughout the song, the lyrics emphasize the power of love in transforming an otherwise mundane space into a magical and romantic one. We can feel the longing and desire of the couple, who can only meet in secret, and we can sense their love's intensity in the way they cherish every moment spent together.
As for the message of the song, it's clear that love is the driving force behind the couple's happiness. Although they live in a complex world and have many responsibilities and distractions, they find comfort and joy in each other's company. The song's final line, "Vivimos enamorados, a media luz nos amamos" (we live in love, we love each other in partial darkness), sums up the theme of the song beautifully.
Line by Line Meaning
Corrientes 3-4-8
Address of the singer's residence
Segundo piso asensor,
The apartment is on the second floor with an elevator
No hay porteross ni vecinos,
There are no doormen or neighbors
Adentro con mediador,
The artist is inside with a mediator
Pisito que puso maple,
The apartment has maple floors
Piano, estera y velador,
There is a piano, rug, and nightstand in the apartment
Un telefono que contesta,
There is a phone that is answered
Una fonoma que llora,
There is a record player that plays sad music
Viejos tango de mi flor,
The artist listens to old tangos
Y un gato de porcelana,
There is a porcelain cat
Pa' que no maulle el amor.
The cat is there to represent the love in the apartment
Y todo a media luz,
Everything is dimly lit
Que es un brujo el amor,
Love can cast a spell on a person
A media luz los besos,
The kisses are done in dim light
A media luz los dos,
The lovers are together in dimness
Crepusculo interior,
The interior is shrouded in twilight
Que suave terciopelo.
The atmosphere is soft and velvety
La media luz de amor.
The dim light is a symbol of the love between the singer and their partner
Un cal 12-24,
The singer has a gun with them
Telefonea sin temor,
The artist makes phone calls without fear
De tarde tengo mas citas,
The artist has more appointments in the afternoon
De noche tango y cantar,
At night, the artist listens to tango and sings
Los domingos de danzante,
On Sundays, the singer dances
Los lunes desolacion,
Mondays are desolate
Hay de todo en la casita,
The apartment has everything the singer needs
Almohadones y divanes,
There are cushions and sofas in the apartment
Come en boquita coco,
The singer eats coconut delicately
Alfombras que no hacen ruido,
The rugs are soundless
Y mesa puesta el amor.
A table is set with love
Vivimos enamorados,
The singer and their partner are in love
A media luz nos amamos.
They love each other in dim light
Pasiones, locuras a media luz,
They engage in passionate and crazy things in dim light
Me enloquecia, me dominaba
The artist was driven mad and dominated by their partner
Solamente con su mirada azul,
The partner's blue eyes were enough to captivate the artist
Esa miro a gardel, a robarme de esa
The partner's gaze was as hypnotic as Carlos Gardel's singing
Sabias tu.
The partner knows the effect they have on the artist
Dimelo, Sorsai
A plea for help or guidance to Sorsai
Dicen que ese mundo
People say that
No espera este mundo.
This world is not waiting for anyone
Crepusculo interior.
The dim interior
Contributed by Jason A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.