The restaurant where he worked as a young man, "La Sirena" was frequented by Andres Huesca, who heard some of his compositions of the then young singer, among which was "Cuando el Destino" and "Yo". Huesca immediately decided to record this and following this in 1948 for the first time on the radio station XEX-AM and months after the XEW-AM, which was catapulted to fame. He married Paloma Gálvez and had two children, José Alfredo and Paloma.
He had no musical training—according to the singer Miguel Aceves Mejía, Jiménez didn't play an instrument and didn't even know the Spanish terms for "waltz" and "key". Nonetheless he composed more than 1000 songs. Among the most famous are "Ella", "Media Vuelta", "El Rey", "El Jinete", "Si Nos Dejan", "Amanecí Entre Tus Brazos", "Cuando el Destino", "El Caballo Blanco", "Llegó Borracho el Borracho" and "Que Te Vaya Bonito", as well as "Camino de Guanajuato", where he sang about his home State of Guanajuato as well as his home town of Dolores Hidalgo Guanajuato.
In addition to his own hit recordings, many of his songs have been recorded successfully by recording artists around the Spanish-speaking world, most notably by Pedro Infante, Rocío Durcal, Javier Solís, Pedro Fernández, Jorge Negrete, Vikki Carr, Luis Miguel, Lola Beltrán, Lucha Villa, Vicente Fernández and by Spaniards Julio Iglesias, Joaquín Sabina and Manolo García.
Jiménez passed at a young age, like others of his contemporaries: Negrete, Infante and Solís, the so-called "Three Mexican Roosters", or Tres Gallos Mexicanos all died young. He was struck-down by hepatitis at age 47 and is regarded, along with Agustín Lara and Juan Gabriel, as one of the best songwriters that Mexico has ever produced. He was certainly one of the most prolific composers in the history of popular music, world-wide.
Shortly before his death, he wrote and recorded his last song, "Gracias", thanking the public for all of the affection they had shown him. His tomb has become a place of pilgrimage for serious music fans from around the Spanish-speaking world.
Llegando a Tí
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
poco a poco la distancia se va haciendo menos.
Yo no sé si tú vives pensando en mí,
porque yo sólo pieso en tu amor y en tus besos.
Qué bonito es querer como quiero yo.
Qué bonito, entregarse todito completo.
Yo no sé, ni pregunto, cómo es tu amor,
No me digas que no sufriste, que no extrañaste todos mis besos.
No me digas que no lloraste algunas noches que estuve lejos.
Poco a poco me voy acercando a ti;
poco a poco se me llenan los ojos de llanto.
Qué bonito es llorar cuando lloro así:
Con tu amor, juanto a ti y adirándote tanto.
The lyrics of José Alfredo Jiménez's song Llegando a Ti express the artist's journey of gradually getting closer to the person he loves. Bit by bit, the distance between them is decreasing, but he is not sure if she thinks about him as he constantly thinks about her love and kisses. The first verse conveys that despite the physical distance between them, they are getting closer emotionally. The second verse speaks about the beauty of love being complete and pure. Jose does not know how she loves him, but as she does to him, it is just something that cannot fit in their body.
The chorus makes the listener feel the pain of distance and the agony two lovers go through while being away from each other. The artist straightforwardly asks if she misses him, cries for him, or thinks about him like he does. However, the bridge conveys a sense of hope and longing for the day when he will be able to see her again. The tears in his eyes and the pain of separation are a testament to how much he loves her. The love he shares with her makes it so beautiful to cry knowing that one day they will be together.
In conclusion, the song Llegando a Ti by José Alfredo Jiménez is a passionate love song that speaks about the artist's journey of getting closer to the person he loves. The lyrics describe how distance cannot kill the love they share and the beauty of crying when one is apart from his/her beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Poco a poco me voy acercando a ti;
Gradually, I am getting closer to you; inch by inch, the distance between us is decreasing.
poco a poco la distancia se va haciendo menos.
Little by little, the physical and emotional gulf between us is reducing.
Yo no sé si tú vives pensando en mí,
I don't know if you think of me all the time, like I do.
porque yo sólo pieso en tu amor y en tus besos.
Because all I ever think about is your love and kisses.
Qué bonito es querer como quiero yo.
There's no feeling more beautiful than loving someone with the intensity that I feel.
Qué bonito, entregarse todito completo.
It's wonderful to give yourself wholly and completely to someone you love.
Yo no sé, ni pregunto, cómo es tu amor,
I don't bother to ask what your love is like because I already feel it in every fiber of my being.
pero a ti, como a mí, no te cabe en el cuerpo.
But just like me, you can't contain the love you feel inside.
No me digas que no sufriste, que no extrañaste todos mis besos.
Don't tell me that you didn't suffer or miss my kisses when I was gone.
No me digas que no lloraste algunas noches que estuve lejos.
And don't try to deny that you shed a tear or two when I was far away.
Poco a poco me voy acercando a ti;
As time goes by, I'm moving ever closer to you.
poco a poco se me llenan los ojos de llanto.
And with each step I take, tears fill my eyes.
Qué bonito es llorar cuando lloro así:
It's a beautiful thing to cry when my tears are a testament to my devotion.
Con tu amor, juanto a ti y adirándote tanto.
With your love, by your side, and in complete admiration of you.
Contributed by Wyatt S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@madelinesola9697
Esta era nuestra canción con mi Amado esposo por 30 años. Hace 5 años falleció, pero yo aún la escucho, porque fue el amor de mi vida
@eduardocastro1540
😭😭😭 si si lloro por qué los hombres son los que lloran por amor. Seguiré llorando solo y con esas canciones y con esta suerte quien podrá juzgarme. Solo quien nunca a sufrido por amor. Saludos y bendiciones al mundo.😘😭😭😭😭.
@eduardomontero2076
Inigualable esta leyenda Mexicana, y un saludo para todos aquellos conocedores de nuestra música Mexicana! 👍
@josepicomedina9892
De lo mejor del maestro José Alfredo Jiménez . Inolvidable, que descance en paz mientras nos deleitamos con esas hermosas canciones.😁😁😁
@lunapaezgarcia7646
Ciertamente
en la interpretaciónhay un sentimiento difícil de igualar. Magnífico tema.@mariavalenzuela4166
Demasiado chida sus canciones Don José Alfredo Jiménez
@germans2199
! Que canción!
@Cernicalo17
La canción que le dedicó a la "Tota" Carbajal cuando este se casó en Guadalajara. ¡Salú!
@marmol57
EL MAESTRO JOSE ALFREDO Jimenez EL REY DE TODOS LOS LATINO
@mariacelestebustillobarraz3583
Justo hoy 28 de noviembre de 2019, empecé a tararear esta canción y aqui estoy cantándola a todo pulmón. Grande JAJ! El poeta .