Born in the barrio of San Pedrito, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba - her father was a worker at the local Bacardi distillery and was a major influence on her life. He strictly encouraged her to become a school teacher. Just like her counterpart, Celia Cruz, she was a schoolteacher before she became a singer.
She married in 1958 and formed a musical trio with her husband Eulogio "Yoyo" Reyes and another female singer. This group "The Tropicuba Trio" broke up with the marriage in 1960. She began to perform her own act at a small nightclub in Havana, La Red, and acquired a devoted following also appearing on radio. She released her first album, Con el Diablo en el Cuerpo (With the Devil Inside) on Discuba in 1961. Her expressive performances with their violent sexuality attracted criticism that she was a poor example to the revolutionary state, this led to professional difficulties which together with personal problems made it difficult to stay in Cuba.
In 1962 she found herself exiled to the United States. In New York City she performed at a cabaret named La Barraca, where she was discovered by Mongo Santamaria and started a new career, making more than 10 records in five years.
Her passionate performances covered the range of Cuban music: son montuno, bolero, Guantanamera venturing into other Caribbean styles like merengue, boogaloo, golpe tocuyano, busamba, salsa. In the sixties she was the most acclaimed Latin singer in New York City due her partnership with Tito Puente. She was the first Latin singer to sell out a concert at Madison Square Garden. She also did a wide variety of cover versions in either Spanish or accented English, including "Yesterday", "Dominique" by The Singing Nun, "Twist & Shout", "Unchained Melody", "Fever" and "America" from from the play/film West Side Story.
A devout follower of Santería, she continued to practice her religion regardless of the influence, fortune, and fame she had acquired throughout the height of her career. However, due to the decision by her record label, Fania Records, to end her contract in the last 1970s (mainly because the label wanted to focus on the less controversial, yet commercially-successful Celia Cruz), she saw herself destitute by the early 1980s. After being led to believe she was miraculously healed by an evangelical Christian faith healer, she abandoned her Santeria roots and became a born-again Christian. She died in the Bronx and was survived by her husband William Garcia, their daughter Rainbow, and her son Rene Camaro (whose father was Eulogio Reyes). She is interred permanently in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.
In the 1990s, interest in her music was re-sparked when Pedro Almodóvar included "Puro Teatro", one of her boleros of love and breakup in his film classic Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Due to her similarities to American singer Judy Garland such as her strong, yet raspy voice, and her energetic and unpredictable stage performances, she has become an icon among many gays in Latin America and Spain.
In 2002, The New York City renamed East 140th Street in The Bronx as La Lupe Way in her memory.
Fever
La Lupe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a feeling that's so hard to bear
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
And fever all through the night
Everybody got the fever
That is something you'll know
Tener fiebre no es de ahora
Hace mucho tiempo que empezó
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
And fever all through the night
Everybody got the fever
That is something you'll know
Tener fiebre no es de ahora
Hace mucho tiempo que empezó
Hace mucho tiempo que empezó
Hace mucho tiempo que empezó
Que empezó, que empezó, que empezó
La Lupe's "Fever" is an ode to the intense desire, passion, and lust that arises when one is in love. The lyrics express how the singer has never realized how much she loves and cares for her partner until they embrace her, causing a feeling that is difficult to bear. The term "fever" is used as a metaphor to describe the intensity and heat of the emotion that she feels when she kisses, holds, and is with her lover. The fever is not limited to a specific time of day, but she feels it throughout the morning and all through the night.
Additionally, the lyrics suggest that everybody experiences this fever when they are in love. The line "that is something you'll know" implies that the feeling is universal, and everyone can relate to it. The final lines of the song in Spanish, "Tener fiebre no es de ahora, hace mucho tiempo que empezó" translates to "having a fever is not new; it started a long time ago." This line implies that this feeling of intense passion and love has existed since the beginning of time.
Overall, the song Fever by La Lupe is an ode to the ephemeral nature of desire, passion, and love. It describes how one can be surprised by the intensity of their emotions and how it is shared by everyone who has ever been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
I am unable to express the depth of my love for you
Never know how much I care
I care for you beyond measure
When you put your arms around me
The warmth of your embrace makes me feel loved and safe
I get a feeling that's so hard to bear
The intensity of my emotions is overwhelming
You give me fever
Your love ignites a fire within me
When you kiss me
Your kisses are so passionate and intoxicating
Fever when you hold me tight
I feel a burning desire when you hold me close
Fever in the morning
My passion for you is relentless and constant
And fever all through the night
I am consumed by my love for you day and night
Everybody got the fever
Love and lust are universal experiences
That is something you'll know
You will understand this feeling one day
Tener fiebre no es de ahora
Having a fever from love is not a recent phenomenon
Hace mucho tiempo que empezó
It started a long time ago
Que empezó, que empezó, que empezó
It started, it started, it started
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xtineonutube
Thank you for putting this on YouTube - it's the REAL version of what it feels like! Viva La Lupe!
@johanamaure9211
La Lupe es la mejor.... que voz no nacerá otra como ella me encantaaaaa
@popenespanol8720
Like si estas aquí por "Yo me llamo" de Panamá 🇵🇦 ¡Que viva la lupe!!
@lindyalmanza2528
me encanto😊
@elvirawilliam1586
Yo sabía esa vaina 😂
@user-tg2ve2et2l
Vine por que en realidad yo ni sabía quien era la lupe🤣🤣
@thaliazuarez5818
Que viva #YOMELLAMO PANAMÁ😍❤❤🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦
@ericgarcia3889
Yo sabía quién era la lupe pero ahora me gusta más
@TheDVM
She's intoxicating! Her band... Omg chef's kiss 🇺🇸
@piripichino
La Lupe se merece una Pelicula bien hecha...es espectacular