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.
Serenata Sin Luna
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pa' venirte a cantar mi canción
Ni hace falta que el cielo este lindo
Pa' venir a entregarte mi amor
No encontré las palabras precisas
Pa' decirte con mucha pasión
Que te quiero con toda mi vida
Que soy una esclavo de tu corazón
Solo Dios que me vio en mi amargura
Supo darme consuelo en tu amor
Y mandó para mi tu ternura
Y así con tus besos borró mi dolor
No te importe que venga borracho
A decirte cositas de amor
Tu bien sabes que si ando tomando
Cada copa la brindo en tu honor
No se como decir lo que siento
Solo sé que te quiero un montón
Y que a veces me siento poeta
Y vengo a cantarte mis versos de amor
Solo Dios que me vio en mi amargura
Supo darme consuelo en tu amor
Y mandó para mi tu ternura
Y así con tus besos borró mi dolor
Solo Dios que me vio en mi amargura
Supo darme consuelo en tu amor
Y mandó para mi tu ternura
Y así con tus besos borró mi dolor
The lyrics of José Alfredo Jiménez's Serenata Sin Luna speak of love and the lengths one is willing to go for it. The singer says that he doesn't need the moon to come out to sing his song or for the sky to be beautiful to give his love. He admits that he cannot find the right words to express the intensity of his passion, but he lets the object of his affection know that he loves her with his whole life and that he is a slave to her heart.
The singer credits God for sending him his lover in the midst of his bitterness and for giving him comfort through her love. He testifies that her tenderness has erased his pain with her kisses. The singer acknowledges that he may come to her drunk and say things of love, but she knows that every cup he raises is in her honor. He further confesses that he may not know how to articulate his feelings, but he wants to express his love through his poetic verses.
The song celebrates love and the lengths one is willing to go to show it. It speaks of the power of love to heal pain and infuse tenderness into bitter situations. It also highlights the challenge of finding the right words to express oneself in love.
Line by Line Meaning
No hace falta que salga la luna
The singer does not need the moon to appear to dedicate a serenade to his beloved
Pa' venirte a cantar mi canción
He is willing to sing his songs for her anytime, even if there is no moon or good weather
Ni hace falta que el cielo este lindo
The singer does not need the sky to be beautiful to express his love
Pa' venir a entregarte mi amor
He is willing to offer his love to her regardless of the circumstances
No encontré las palabras precisas
The singer cannot find the perfect words to express his immense passion for her
Pa' decirte con mucha pasión
He wants to express his unconditional love to her with all his passion
Que te quiero con toda mi vida
He loves her with all his life and existence
Que soy una esclavo de tu corazón
He admits that he is a slave to her heart and love
Solo Dios que me vio en mi amargura
God saw him in his bitterness and sadness
Supo darme consuelo en tu amor
He found comfort and solace in her love, sent by God
Y mandó para mi tu ternura
God sent her tenderness to him
Y así con tus besos borró mi dolor
Her kisses are able to erase his emotional pain and sorrow
No te importe que venga borracho
She should not care if he is drunk when he expresses his love to her
A decirte cositas de amor
He wants to tell her sweet nothings and express his love to her
Tu bien sabes que si ando tomando
She knows that he drinks to honor her and his love for her
Cada copa la brindo en tu honor
He dedicates every drink he takes to her and her honor
No se como decir lo que siento
He cannot find the right words to express his feelings
Solo sé que te quiero un montón
He knows that he loves her very much
Y que a veces me siento poeta
He feels like a poet when he expresses his love for her
Y vengo a cantarte mis versos de amor
He expresses his love for her by singing his love songs
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@claudiagarridoguedejamarro5456
En España no se escucha tanto esta música tan maravillosa y con unas voces excepcionales como la de José Alfredo Jiménez , y es una pena porque las rancheras son hermosas !!! Un saludo de admiración a los mariachis desde España !!! ❤️🥰
@hugoeduardorosadoluna7289
Que lastima que nuestra musicaranchera es lo mejor que hay en todo el mundo escucha la y vera que me vax a dar la razon
@marceloreyes4103
Ostiaaaaa tioooo y porque no os saludais también a los Mexicanos,vamos hombre Viva México viva España ..oleee
@magdamartinez4742
Qué bonita canción de José Alfredo Jiménez
@pedrovegagalvan9226
@@user-xb1kn3lo5f ploma aurida
@pedrovegagalvan9226
@@user-xb1kn3lo5f felis es uhando esta .uci ca
@hazemky
Hoy mi prometido me trajo serenata, nunca en mi vida me habían traído, me cantaron esta canción, me gusto tanto. 😭😭😭
Te amo muchísimo mi gordo, en un mes seremos esposos , juntos para toda la vida amor🧡
@berenicepicazo3270
Cómo me voy a enamorarme si ya no dedican éstas canciones, caray
@karlaaguirre9323
Solo Dios que me vio en mi amargura, supo darme consuelo en tu amor y mandó para mí tu ternura y así con tus besos borró mi dolor 🎶 si existe la perfección en las letras 🥰
@SalvadorMartinez-nv6zw
La verdad ,bellos inocentes saludables sinceros tiempos , pensamientos , la música , mi agradecido despertar , con ella en mente me traslado a mis adolescente tiempos y el recordar una sola joven la cual a pesar de mis 76 , continuo viendo desde mí balcón esa joven hermosa y delicada CJ , la cual continua ( y lo sabe ) claramente martirizando mi corazón y nunca le dije que continua siendo el amor de juventud y mi vida. !