Early career to 1978
Julio was the son of Julio Iglesias Sr, a doctor. He was a professional football player with Real Madrid, where he played as goalkeeper. During this time, he also enrolled in law school. He had an accident that dashed his hopes of becoming a great soccer player, but during his period in bed, he started to compose songs. He received a certificate as a lawyer from Cambridge University a little later.
In 1968, he won the Benidorm International Song Festival, a songwriter's contest in Spain, and signed a contract with a Columbia Records Latin music label, Discos Columbia. He represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970, finishing fourth behind Northern Irish singer Dana Scallon, and the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin. His entry was the song "Gwendolyne" which was his first recording. During the 1970s he married the Spanish-mestiza Philippine socialite Isabel Preysler with whom he had three children: Chabeli Iglesias, who has been a show host and is now a news reporter in Washington D.C., Enrique Iglesias, now a world-famous singer who followed in his father's footsteps, and Julio José Iglesias, a model who has released two CDs. It was during the 1970s that the Iglesias family's private life became very public, with Julio and the rest of the family frequently featured on the covers of various international magazines.
Peak of success 1978-1990
In 1978, he signed a contract for CBS International, adding English, French, Portuguese, German and Italian to his language repertoire. He had his first hit in English with a cover of "Begin the Beguine" and released a collection Julio in 1983 building his reputation.
In 1984, he released the smash hit album 1100 Bel Air Place, which gave him considerable fame in English-language markets. The album sold three million albums in the US alone, with the first single "To All The Girls I've Loved Before", a duet with Willie Nelson reaching the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also featured "All of You", a hit duet with Diana Ross.
In 1985, his father was kidnapped but found well and alive after two agonizing weeks. This prompted Julio, who had already divorced Preysler, to move his family to Miami, Florida, where they settled in a mansion at Miami Beach. That year he also recorded duets with Diana Ross and Willie Nelson. It was rumored in 1986 that Julio, perhaps seeking to get away from all the fame and hoopla for one week, was found walking around the streets of Cayey, Puerto Rico, after disappearing for seven days. Julio feels there is a deep connection between him and Puerto Rico because one of his grandmothers was Puerto Rican.
Iglesias won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in the 1988 Grammy Awards for the album Un Hombre Solo ("A Single Man"). He also recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder on "My Love" from his Non Stop album which achieved crossover success in 1988.
Stories of Julio's expensive private jets, boats, and houses became legendary during that decade, and his world tours took him to many countries and continents around the world performing in many sold out concerts among the vast women populations.
Career 1990-today
In the 1990s, Julio went back to his Spanish music roots, and in 1996, he released a CD nicknamed Tango. He is slowly stepping out of the limelight now and enjoying his son Enrique's popularity, together with his long-time companion Miranda and their 2 sons Miguel Alejandro (September 7, 1997), Rodrigo (April 3, 1999) and twin daughters Cristina and Victoria (May 1, 2001). Julio is very amenable to signing autographs, although he can be a little difficult to reach sometimes, due to his and his family's security detail, which they have had since the 1985 kidnapping of Julio's father.
Iglesias returned to the headlines in October, 2003, when he went to Argentina and kissed show host Susana Gimenez three times during a live telecast of her show.
2003 saw the release of the Spanish album "Divorcio." (Divorce) In its first day of sales, "Divorcio" sold a record 350,000 copies in Spain; and quickly reached the #1 spot on the charts in Spain, Portugal, France,Italy, and Russia.
The remainder of 2003 and early 2004 featured a mega 10 month world tour; which took Iglesias, fuled with the success of "Divorcio" from Europe and Asia to The United States, South America, and Africa. More than half the shows on the tour sold out within days of going on sale, showing that fans still adore Julio.
In December of 2004, Miranda and Julio recorded a duet of the Christmas song Silent Night. The song, which was not released also included a voice message from Julio, Miranda, and their 4 young children. The song was released online through the singer's web page, and was a holiday gift from the Iglesias' to their fans around the world.
Julio has made important investments in the Dominican Republic's eastern town of Punta Cana, a major tourist destination, where he spends most of the year when he is not on tour.
Julio, Jr. has a half-brother who is 60 years younger than him. Julio's father, Julio Sr. had a child at 89 called Jaime. The birth came after a 17-year romance with Ronna, which culminated in them walking down the aisle in 2001. His wife underwent fertility treatment in order to conceive first time around and medical science is believed to have played a role in her latest pregnancy too. After little Jaime made his debut in 2004, Julio Sr. rejected suggestions Ronna was the driving force behind their decision to start a family. "At my age, a child is marvellous," he declared. "If people say I just did it for my wife, I don't take it as an insult, but the truth is I wanted it just as much as her." Julio Iglesias's father died just days after he announced he was to become a father for the fourth time at the age of 90. Julio Sr. died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Madrid. Julio Sr. confirmed that his wife of four years, Ronna Kneit, was expecting their second child together. He said he wanted his 42-year-old partner to have something to remember him by. "My wife wanted it and I owed it to her," he explained. "It was an act of generosity towards her. I leave her part of my blood, of my life. I need her so much that I said to her 'Here, this is what you wanted for when I am gone'."
Currently, Julio is in the studio recording a new English Album titled "Romantic Classics" which is due out in September of 2006. Romantic Classics is a series of the greatest love songs in American culture, and features the hits "I want to know what love is", "Careless Whisper", and "Right Here Waiting" all major hits of the past 20 years. A series of promotional events, followed by a world tour will help promote the album after its release.
The singer's web page [1] is currently under construction, and will feature information from "Romantic Classics" when it is updated later this year.
Discography
This list contains all albums of original material plus notable collections.
Gwendolyne (1970)
Julio Iglesias (1972)
Un Canto a Galicia (1973)
A Flor de Piel (1974)
A Mexico (1974)
El Amor (1975)
En El Olympia (1976) recorded live at the Paris Olympia
Si Mi Lasci (1976)
Yo Canto (1977)
A Mis 33 Anos (1977)
Sono Un Pirata, Sono Un Signore (1978)
Soy (1978)
The 24 Greatest Songs (1978)
A Vous Les Femmes (1979)
Aimer La Vie (1979)
America (1979)
Emociones (1979)
Innamorarsi Alla Mia Eta (1979)
Hey! (1980)
Sentimental (1980)
Fidele (1981)
Zartlichkeiten (1981)
From A Child To A Woman (1981)
Minhas Cancoes Prefidas (1981)
Moments (1982) also Momento or Momenti
Por Una Mujer (1982)
In Concert (1983)
Pelo Amor di Uma Mulher (1983)
Julio (1983)
1100 Bel Air Place (1984)
Libra (1985)
Un Hombre Solo (1987)
Tutto L'Amore Che Ti Manca (1987)
Non Stop (1988)
Latinamente (1989)
Raices (1989)
Starry Night (1990)
Ein Weihnachtsabend Mit Julio Iglesias (1992)
Calor (1992)
Crazy (1994)
La Carretera (1995)
Tango (1996)
My Life: The Greatest Hits (1998)
Noche de Cuatro Lunas (2000)
Una Donna Puo Cambiar la Vita (2001)
Ao Meu Brasil (2001)
Personalidad: 20 Exitos (2002)
Divorcio (2003)
Love Songs (2004)
l'homme que je suis (2005)
Romantic Classics (To Be Released in September of 2006)
Quelque Chose de France (2007)
Julio Iglesias 1 (2011) - He is starting with this new world tour.
Extracted from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Iglesias
Les Sourires De Mes Souvenirs
Julio Iglesias Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En se parlant de tout, de rien, d'amour,
Et quand on avait bien refait la terre,
Sur terre il faisait jour.
Le ciel nous allumait de la musique, et toi...
Toi tu me préparais un bon café,
Et puis je m'en allais, comme d'habitude,
C'était timide et c'etait formidable.
Dans un baiser on retenait le temps.
La vie était ma femme
Et tu lui donnais une âme.
L'éternité tenait dans cet moment...
Je sais que tout s'en va, que tout s'efface,
Je sais la nostalgie qui va venir,
Mais ces moments qui passent
Sont les sourires de mes souvenirs.
C'était un arc-en-ciel notre aventure,
Soleil et pluie, mais toutes les couleurs.
Avec le temps se ferme la blessure;
Il reste la douleur.
J'étais le prisonnier de tes caresses et toi
Tu me parlais toujours de liberté,
Et le silence qui suivait ton rire
Avait l'air de chanter.
Sans être Roméo j'avais Juliette
Et la légende était réalité.
Tu me mentais peut-être,
Mais tu savais m'apparaître
Plus belle encore que la verité.
Je sais la page blanche de l'absence,
Mais dan mon coeur, où tout reste à écrire,
Tous ces moments qui dansent
Sont les sourires de mes souvenirs.
In the song Les Sourires De Mes Souvenirs, Julio Iglesias reminisces about a past love affair filled with moments of tenderness, passion, and intimacy. He describes how they would talk about everything and nothing, dreaming of love while inventing their own light to illuminate the darkness of the night. Together they could rebuild the world, but as dawn broke, he would leave, wishing he could stay. The music of the sky and the taste of her coffee lingered on his tongue, as he daydreamed of the possibility of an eternal time with her.
Their relationship was timid, but fantastic. Their kisses could hold time itself; she was his woman, and he breathed her soul into life. Even though he knows that nostalgia and pain will eventually come, the moments of their past are the smiles of his memories - a mosaic of colors that reflect the richness of their shared experience. He describes their relationship as an adventure, complete with rain and sunshine, but still a rainbow that infused all hues of his life. She was a paradox, a conundrum - she spoke of freedom while keeping him a prisoner of her affection. Her laughter would end abruptly, and in that silence, he found hope and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
La nuit on s'inventait de la lumière,
At night, we created our own light by talking about everything and nothing, and love.
En se parlant de tout, de rien, d'amour,
By talking about everything, nothing, and love.
Et quand on avait bien refait la terre,
And when we had rebuilt the earth (our world).
Sur terre il faisait jour.
It was daylight on earth.
Le ciel nous allumait de la musique, et toi...
The sky filled us with music, and you...
Toi tu me préparais un bon café,
You made me a good coffee.
Et puis je m'en allais, comme d'habitude,
And then I left, as usual,
En rêvant de rester.
Dreaming to stay.
C'était timide et c'etait formidable.
It was timid yet fantastic.
Dans un baiser on retenait le temps.
We held time still in a kiss.
La vie était ma femme
Life was my wife.
Et tu lui donnais une âme.
And you gave her a soul.
L'éternité tenait dans cet moment...
Eternity was held within that moment...
Je sais que tout s'en va, que tout s'efface,
I know that everything goes, that everything fades,
Je sais la nostalgie qui va venir,
I know the nostalgia that will come,
Mais ces moments qui passent
But these moments that pass
Sont les sourires de mes souvenirs.
Are the smiles of my memories.
C'était un arc-en-ciel notre aventure,
Our adventure was a rainbow,
Soleil et pluie, mais toutes les couleurs.
Sun and rain, but every color.
Avec le temps se ferme la blessure;
With time, the wound closes;
Il reste la douleur.
The pain remains.
J'étais le prisonnier de tes caresses et toi
I was a prisoner of your caresses and you
Tu me parlais toujours de liberté,
You always talked to me about freedom,
Et le silence qui suivait ton rire
And the silence that followed your laughter
Avait l'air de chanter.
Seemed to sing.
Sans être Roméo j'avais Juliette
Without being Romeo, I had Juliet,
Et la légende était réalité.
And the legend was reality.
Tu me mentais peut-être,
Maybe you lied to me,
Mais tu savais m'apparaître
But you knew how to appear to me
Plus belle encore que la verité.
Even more beautiful than the truth.
Je sais la page blanche de l'absence,
I know the blank page of absence,
Mais dan mon coeur, où tout reste à écrire,
But in my heart, where everything is still to be written,
Tous ces moments qui dansent
All these moments that dance
Sont les sourires de mes souvenirs.
Are the smiles of my memories.
Contributed by Olivia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.