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/
Cuesta Abajo
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La vergüenza de haber sido
Y el dolor de ya no ser
Bajo el ala del sombrero
Cuántas veces embozada
Una lagrima asomada
Yo no pude contener
Si crucé por los caminos
Como un paria que el destino
Se empeñó en deshacer
Si fui flojo, si fui ciego
Sólo quiero que comprendan
El valor que representa
El coraje de querer
Era para mí la vida entera
Como un sol de primavera
Mi esperanza y mi pasión
Sabía que en el mundo no cabía
Toda la humilde alegría de mi pobre corazón
Ahora, cuesta abajo en mi rodada
Las ilusiones pasadas
Ya no las puedo arrancar
Sueño con el pasado que añoro
El tiempo viejo que lloro
Y que nunca volverá
Por seguir tras de sus huellas
Yo bebí incansablemente
En mi copa de dolor
Pero nadie comprendía
Que si todo yo lo daba
En cada vuelta dejaba
Pedazos de corazón
Ahora, triste en la pendiente
Solitario y ya vencido
Yo me quiero confesar
Si aquella boca mentía
El amor que me ofrecía
Por aquellos ojos brujos
Yo habría dado siempre más
In Jerry Rivera's song "Cuesta Abajo," the lyrics capture a sense of regret and reflection on past mistakes. The opening lines describe the shame of having existed and the pain of no longer being. The persona in the song says that they have crossed roads as a destitute figure whose destiny has been to unravel. They admit to weaknesses and blindness, but they long for others to understand the importance of being brave and having courage.
The song transitions to a nostalgic longing for the past, where life was like a sun of spring, full of hope and passion but also weighed down by the impossibility of fitting all their humble happiness into this world. Now, the persona feels like they are going downhill, away from their past. They regret not being able to erase their past illusions and yearn for a time that is gone and cannot be brought back. They have pursued love, but their cup has only been filled with pain, as they have given everything and left pieces of their heart in the process.
The song's structure follows a classic bolero theme of love and heartbreak, but the lyrics go beyond the typical romantic narrative, delving into themes of regret and self-reflection. The verses are short, direct, and filled with poetic imagery, alluding to the emotions the singer is feeling. The chorus is poignant, emphasizing the downhill journey that the singer finds themselves on.
Line by Line Meaning
Si arrastré por este mundo
If I have dragged through this world
La vergüenza de haber sido
The shame of having been
Y el dolor de ya no ser
And the pain of no longer being
Bajo el ala del sombrero
Under the brim of my hat
Cuántas veces embozada
How many times hidden
Una lágrima asomada
A tear appeared
Yo no pude contener
I could not contain
Si crucé por los caminos
If I crossed the paths
Como un paria que el destino
Like an outcast that destiny
Se empeñó en deshacer
Insisted on unraveling
Si fui flojo, si fui ciego
If I was weak, if I was blind
Sólo quiero que comprendan
I just want them to understand
El valor que representa
The value that represents
El coraje de querer
The courage to love
Era para mí la vida entera
Life was everything to me
Como un sol de primavera
Like a spring sun
Mi esperanza y mi pasión
My hope and my passion
Sabía que en el mundo no cabía
I knew that in the world there was not room
Toda la humilde alegría de mi pobre corazón
For all the humble joy of my poor heart
Ahora, cuesta abajo en mi rodada
Now, downhill on my journey
Las ilusiones pasadas
The past illusions
Ya no las puedo arrancar
I cannot tear them away
Sueño con el pasado que añoro
I dream of the past I miss
El tiempo viejo que lloro
The old time that I cry
Y que nunca volverá
And that will never return
Por seguir tras de sus huellas
For following in their footsteps
Yo bebí incansablemente
I drank tirelessly
En mi copa de dolor
From my cup of pain
Pero nadie comprendía
But nobody understood
Que si todo yo lo daba
That if I gave everything
En cada vuelta dejaba
With each turn, I left
Pedazos de corazón
Pieces of my heart
Ahora, triste en la pendiente
Now, sad on the slope
Solitario y ya vencido
Lonely and already defeated
Yo me quiero confesar
I want to confess
Si aquella boca mentía
If that mouth was lying
El amor que me ofrecía
The love she offered me
Por aquellos ojos brujos
For those bewitched eyes
Yo habría dado siempre más
I would have given more forever
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADRIAN JUAN GARIBOTTI ANDREOLO, CARLOS GARDEL HUERTAS LARIOS, JUAN VICENTE ZAMBRANO, ALFREDO LE PERA, GERARDO RIVERA RODRIGUEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@prettyprincess4344
Que comentarios tan ignorantes los de algunos por aqui!! Jerry es un super artista, y cuando grabo su cd de " Caribe Gardel" jamas lo hizo imitando a nadie.. El grabo estas bellas canciones a su estilo y quedaron preciosas. Yo creo que si Gardel estuviera vivo, estaria muy feliz de ver el trabajo tan espectacular que hizo Jerry cuando grabo sus canciones. Jerry, AMO tu musica y te admiro muchisimo. Eres lo Maximo!!
@hectorvila
Como cantor de tangos tengo que decir que me gusta muchísimo esta versión, por supuesto que hay tangos que tienen que cantarse en ritmo de tango, pero en el caso de Cuesta Abajo pega perfectamente el ritmo, considero que hacer tangos en otros ritmos hace bien al género, permite que gente de otros paises puedan disfrutarlo en "su" ritmo y así conocernos mas. Fantástica versión!
@robin2000
Cuando se es demasiado purista con un genero u otro se evita el genera y producir cosas fantásticas como esto. Felicidades Jerry, estoy descubriendo este trabajo magistral del 2007.
@josegregoriomena5820
Entre los mejores discos de salsa de todos los tiempos,. Gran idea llevar los te GLS al ritmo de salsa. Una magistral interpretación. Solo realizada por alguien como Jerry Rivera
@leonardoalfonzo9702
EXCELENTE INTERPRETACION DE JERRY RIVERA HOMENAJEANDO AL INMORTAL GARDEL GENIO Y FIGURA DEL TANGO.
@pluvosoy
El tema en su versión mas popular, la hizo Gardel el gran Maestro de la interpretación de tangos, ahora lo hace Jerry con su estilo y logra lo que en su tiempo hicieron Los Terrícolas, traer a la actualidad ese tipo de canciones. Jerry hace que Gardel sepa que lo seguimos recordando y seguimos cantando sus canciones, gracias por esta interpretación.
@yolauxyz123
NO ESTA MAL LA VERSION EN SALSA DE ESTE CONOCIDISIMO TANGO. PERO OBVIAMENTE, JERRY RIVERA NO LE LLEGA NI A LOS BOTONES DE LA CAMISA, A EL GRAN CARLOS GARDEL. Y ADEMAS A JERRY RIVERA, LO CONOCEN MAS POR SUS EXITOS YA ACOSTUMBRADOS. ES UNA RAREZA QUE, LAMENTABLEMENTE, NINGUN JOVEN PODRA ENTENDER, LO QUE SI ENTENDEMOS LOS QUE PASAMOS LA BASE CINCO. Y RECORDEMOS QUE LUIS MIGUEL HIZO "EL DIA QUE ME QUIERAS" Y FUE UN EXITO, ANDY MONTAÑEZ HIZO "LA ULTIMA COPA" Y NADIE LE DIJO NADA, AMAYA, DE "MOCEDADES" HIZO "VOLVER" Y LA FELICITARON, JULIO IGLESIAS HIZO UN CD DE TANGOS Y MARCELO TINELLI, ARGENTINO DE PURA CEPA, LO FELICITO.. TODOS FUERON EXITOS.
@alexbuuu
soy de mexico y estoy escuchando un tango en salsa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! saludos desde TORREON MEXICO !!!! CASI CASI FRONTERA CON EUA !!!!!
@gloriatc9919
Amo a Carlos Gardel, pero está versión en salsa de Jerry le quedó excelente👍
@hiltondealba4817
gran voz ,gran artista,gran trbajo, gran cancion ,gran arreglo musical version salsa..