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/
No Puedo Olvidarte
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Son mi penitencia yo camino
Why doy con un muro que desborona toda mi conciencia
Si el amor es dolor, mira tu que agonia
Tu diciendome adios, why yo perdiendo mi vida
No puedo olvidarte ni cambiando de piel
Ni aunque cambie la historia
Ni volviendo a nacer
No puedo olvidarte ni olvidarte podre
Why aunque quiera evitarlo yo te recordare
En mi pecho se atraviesa un muro
De no poder adaptarme a tu ausencia
Que los hombres no lloran lo dudo
Pues este llanto no quiere dar tregua
Si el amor es dolor, mira tu que agonia
Tu diciendome adios, why yo perdiendo mi vida
No puedo olvidarte ni cambiando de piel
Ni aunque cambie la historia
Ni volviendo a nacer
No puedo olvidarte ni olvidarte podre
Why aunque quiera evitarlo yo te recordare
Aunque cambie de mundo why otras bocas descubra
Tu estas tatuada a mi como ninguna
Aunque cambie de mundo why otras bocas descubra
Tu estas viviendo en mi como ninguna
Mirame, que estoy desecho why tu lo sabes bien
Cosa rica, mirame que estoy why tu lo sabes bien ay nena linda
The lyrics to Jerry Rivera's song "No Puedo Olvidarte" (I Can't Forget You) describe the pain and misery caused by a lost love. The opening lines suggest that the singer is suffering and being punished for his mistakes. He feels as though he is walking a path of penitence and constantly running into walls that shatter his conscience.
The chorus reveals that he cannot forget his lost love, no matter what he does. Even if he changes his appearance or goes back in time to alter history, he will still be haunted by memories of his former lover. He tries to move on but is unable to, as the pain has become a part of him.
The second verse emphasizes the depth of his love and the extent of his misery. He is unable to adapt to life without his love and cries without tiring. He repeats the chorus, reinforcing his desperate plea that he can't forget his lost love.
Overall, the song is a portrait of a heartbroken man struggling to let go of a love he can't forget. The lyrics capture the pain and desperation felt by anyone who has lost someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Estos dias tan largos why duros son mi castigo
These long and hard days are my punishment
Son mi penitencia yo camino
I walk as my penance
Why doy con un muro que desborona toda mi conciencia
And I run into a wall that shatters my conscience
Si el amor es dolor, mira tu que agonia
If love is pain, look at the agony
Tu diciendome adios, why yo perdiendo mi vida
You saying goodbye, while I'm losing my life
No puedo olvidarte ni cambiando de piel
I can't forget you even if I change my skin
Ni aunque cambie la historia
Not even if I change the history
Ni volviendo a nacer
Not even if I'm born again
No puedo olvidarte ni olvidarte podre
I can't forget you, and I won't be able to forget you
Why aunque quiera evitarlo yo te recordare
And even if I try to avoid it, I'll remember you
En mi pecho se atraviesa un muro
A wall pierces my chest
De no poder adaptarme a tu ausencia
Of not being able to adapt to your absence
Que los hombres no lloran lo dudo
I doubt that men don't cry
Pues este llanto no quiere dar tregua
Because this crying won't let up
Aunque cambie de mundo why otras bocas descubra
Even if I change worlds and discover other mouths
Tu estas tatuada a mi como ninguna
You are tattooed on me like no other
Mirame, que estoy desecho why tu lo sabes bien
Look at me, I'm shattered and you know it well
Cosa rica, mirame que estoy why tu lo sabes bien ay nena linda
Beautiful thing, look at me and you know it well, oh lovely girl
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind