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/
El Principe De La Ciudad
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sobre el banco nacional
Vive el príncipe de la ciudad
Admirado por demás
Envidiado es lo normal
Con el éxito en sus manos
Quien podría pedir mas
Es un buen negociador
Why un encantador play-boy
Predilecto de la lógica social
Cuatro yates, tres Van Gogh
why en el parking: dos Rolls Royce
Why en su corazón un hueco
Que no acaba de cerrar
why en sus ojos que enloquecen a las damas
Why que ahora siempre oculta tras la gafas
La nostalgia colorea sus pupilas
Why le pinta una acuarela
De momentos junto a ella
Ay, amor, tu me robaste el corazón
Why aunque todo ya lo tengo
Soy un pobre limosnero
Porque no tengo tu amor
Ay, amor, tu te has llevado mi razón
Why aunque nadie lo comprenda
Ahora nada me interesa
Porque no tengo tu amor
En la cárcel de cristal
Sobre el Banco Nacional
Muere el príncipe de la ciudad
Nadie puede comprender
No le importa nada ya
Why los que lo conocieron
Ya no saben que pensar
Enclaustrado allá arriba en su morada
Puedes verlo siempre frente a la ventana
why le hare rayos equis a las calles
Why la busca entre la gente
Why la espera, por si vuelve
Ay amor, tu me has robado el corazón
Why aunque todo ya lo tengo
Soy un pobre limosnero
Porque no tengo tu amor
Ay amor tu te has llevado mi razón
Why aunque nadie lo comprenda
Ahora nada me interesa
Porque me falta tu amor
Ay amor tu me has robado el corazón
Este amor que tanto me condena yo lo llevo
Tan metido entre mis venas
why aunque todo ya lo tengo soy
Un pobre limosnero pero de amor
La nostalgia todo el tiempo
Me acompaña pues mi corazon
Todavía te extraña
why como te extraño amor
Why aunque nadie lo comprenda ahora nada
Me interesa mas que tu amor
En la carcel de cristal sobre
El banco nacional muere
El principe de la ciudad
The first stanza of Jerry Rivera's "El Principe De La Ciudad" depicts the life of the prince of the city who lives in a crystal tower above the national bank. He is admired by many and envied by those who fail to achieve his level of success. With success in his hands, he has everything he could ask for, he is a good negotiator, an attractive playboy, and he enjoys social logic. He can afford four yachts, three Van Goghs, and two Rolls Royces in his parking spot. However, his heart has an unfilled space that he cannot seem to close properly. He has a nostalgic aura in his eyes that colors his sketches with a woman who is no longer by his side.
The chorus describes how the Prince lost his heart and mind to a woman who does not reciprocate his love. He sings that he is a poor beggar because he does not have her love. The second verse takes a dark turn as he takes his last breath in his crystal cell above the bank. Nobody can understand him, and he no longer cares about anything. Those who know him cannot decipher what he thinks, and he is locked up in his house. He stares out the window day and night, scanning every passerby, looking for his lost lover, but in vain. He finishes by lamenting that the love he lost still lives inside him, and he is still disadvantaged since he does not have her love.
Line by Line Meaning
En su torre de cristal
The singer is describing the place where the singer lives which is like a tower made of glass.
Sobre el banco nacional
The tower is situated on the National Bank building.
Vive el príncipe de la ciudad
The singer of the story is referred to as the prince of the city who lives in the tower.
Admirado por demás
The prince of the city is highly admired by the people.
Envidiado es lo normal
It is normal for others to feel envious of the prince's life and success.
Con el éxito en sus manos
The prince has achieved great success in life.
Quien podría pedir más
The singer questions who could ask for more when someone achieves so much success.
Es un buen negociador
The artist is a skilled negotiator in business dealings.
Why un encantador play-boy
The artist's charm and good looks make him popular with women.
Predilecto de la lógica social
The prince of the city is favored by social norms and conventions.
Cuatro yates, tres Van Gogh
The prince of the city owns four yachts and three Van Gogh paintings.
why en el parking: dos Rolls Royce
The prince has two Rolls Royce cars parked in the parking lot.
Why en su corazón un hueco
The prince has a hollow feeling in his heart.
Que no acaba de cerrar
The pain in the prince's heart is something that he is unable to heal.
why en sus ojos que enloquecen a las damas
The prince's eyes have an effect on women that drives them crazy.
Why que ahora siempre oculta tras la gafas
The prince now hides behind sunglasses all the time.
La nostalgia colorea sus pupilas
The prince is full of nostalgia and it reflects in his eyes.
Why le pinta una acuarela
The prince's memories are like a painting that he constantly sees.
De momentos junto a ella
The painting is of the moments that he spent with someone special.
Ay, amor, tu me robaste el corazón
The artist speaks to his love interest about how she stole his heart.
Why aunque todo ya lo tengo
Even though he has everything in life, his heart still yearns for his love.
Soy un pobre limosnero
The artist feels poor and lost without his love.
Porque no tengo tu amor
The reason for his feeling of loss is because he doesn't have the love of his life.
En la cárcel de cristal
The tower where the prince of the city lives is like a prison made of glass.
Sobre el Banco Nacional
The tower is situated on top of the National Bank building.
Muere el príncipe de la ciudad
The prince of the city dies in his glass tower.
Nadie puede comprender
No one can understand the prince's death.
No le importa nada ya
The prince doesn't care about anything anymore.
Why los que lo conocieron
Those who knew the prince are confused and don't know what to make of his death.
Ya no saben que pensar
They don't know what to think anymore.
Enclaustrado allá arriba en su morada
The prince lived a secluded life in his glass tower.
Puedes verlo siempre frente a la ventana
He could always be seen standing in front of the window of his tower.
why le hare rayos equis a las calles
The artist is described as if he's firing X-rays towards the streets, presumably looking for his love.
Why la busca entre la gente
He searches for his love among the people outside.
Why la espera, por si vuelve
He waits in case his love returns.
Ay amor, tu te has llevado mi razón
The artist speaks to his love interest about how she has taken his reason away.
Why aunque nadie lo comprenda
Even though nobody else understands, he feels the loss.
Ahora nada me interesa
Nothing else interests him anymore.
Porque no tengo tu amor
The reason for his loss of interest is because he doesn't have his love's affection.
Este amor que tanto me condena yo lo llevo
The artist carries the love that has brought him so much pain in his heart.
Tan metido entre mis venas
The love is deeply ingrained in his veins and is an inseparable part of him.
Soy un pobre limosnero pero de amor
The singer may be poor in material possessions, but is rich in his emotions and love.
La nostalgia todo el tiempo
He is always full of nostalgia and memories of his love.
Me acompaña pues mi corazón
These feelings are always with him because they are in his heart.
Todavía te extraña
He still misses his love dearly.
why como te extraño amor
The artist laments about how much he misses his love.
Ahora nada me interesa
Nothing else interests him anymore.
Mas que tu amor
The only thing that interests him is the love of his life.
En la carcel de cristal sobre
The singer's glass tower feels like a prison.
El banco nacional muere
The singer dies in his glass tower on top of the National Bank building.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANGEL CUCCO PENA, GUADALUPE GARCIA-GARCIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@victorsosacastillo2498
Cada ves q escucho está canción el tiempo Retrocede muchísimos años aquellos tiempos inolvidables...♥️😎😎😎😎
@andresbarreiro595
2023 y escuchando esta música igual que como hace 20 años 🙏🏼
Recuerdos de mi infancia, gracias Jerry!
@giannisantamaria9225
La nostalgia todo el tiempo me acompaña, pues mi corazón todavía te extraña Consuelo Santiago !!!😢😢😢
@user-mp2jm6xx6b
La mejor canción de Jerry Rivera aunque otros prefieran las más sonadas ... Bueno y también de la cabeza a los pies
@ivanandresbalmacedalopez2805
Definitivamente es una de las mejores.
@faustocruzrodriguez
Recuerdos de los años 90🇩🇴🇵🇷👍💪
@melvinjvalentin719
Wow. Que recuerdos. 😢 🇵🇷
@juniorlongaortega5722
2023 y escuchando este clásico de Jerry rivera
@sxc5rhcp
Mi niñez y adolescencia la vivi con esta fantastica musica. Que bellos años esos.
@guillermocampos6269
Me encanta esta canción gran letra aquellos tiempos me traen recuerdos lindos