Luis Gatica Silva was born in Rancagua, Chili. He attended school at Instituto O'Higgins. He and his brother Arturo were struggling singers before they released their first album, in 1949, when Gatica was 21 years old.
Chileans generally experienced a change in their taste in music during the 1950s, when bolero music overtook tango as Chileans' preferred music genre for some time. Singers like Cuba's Olga Guillot, and Argentinian Leo Marini and Mexican Elvira Ríos, among others, were very popular during that time. So were Xavier Cugat and his orchestra, which included Puerto Rican Bobby Capó. These singers would influence Gatica.
Gatica's first record, 1951's Me Importas Tú (You Matter to Me) became a mega hit across Latin America, opening many doors for Gatica. He followed that with 1952's Contigo en la Distancia (With You in the Distance). Gatica recorded his version of Consuelo Velázquez's Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me a Lot) in 1953, a year in which he produced two more albums, Las Muchachas de la Plaza España (The Girls from Spain Square) and Sinceridad (Sincerity). The following year his hit "Sinceridad" was released.
By 1957, Gatica moved to Mexico, a country that would be of great importance in his life. In Mexico, he released No me Platiques Más (Don't Talk to me Anymore), Tú me Acostumbraste (You Accustomed Me) and Voy a Apagar la Luz (I'm Turning the Lights Off), which was released in 1959.
In 1956, Gatica's songs were recorded in North America on LP albums for the first time by Capitol Records ('Capitol of the World' series). Three albums were released within 14 months by Capitol. The third one in that group with Capitol was El Gran Gatica, which featured such songs as Somos (We Are),' Sabrá Dios (God Will Know), and Si me Comprendieras (If You Understood Me). One of the three Lucho Gatica albums released in 1958 was a greatest hits compilation; the third was named Envenenados (Poisoned). He also recorded a song entitled Encadenados (Chained (We Are)).
Gatica had important changes in his personal life after arriving in Mexico for the first time. He decided to become a permanent resident of that North American country, and married Puerto Rican actress Mapita Cortés, who had been a celebrity in Mexico (and Puerto Rico) for some years, and who also resided in Mexico. The couple had two sons named Luis and Alfredo. Luis went on to become a telenovela and rock star during the 1980s and Alfredo (Alfie) became a music entrepreneur. Gatica remarried an American woman and had one daughter named Lily, as well. One of Gatica's last known releases was 1963's Recuerdos de Amor (Memories of Love). He had seven children.
He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording.
Gatica Died in Mexico on November 13, 2018.
El Reloj
Lucho Gatica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Porque voy a enloquecer
Ella se ira para siempre
Cuando amanezca otra vez
Nomas nos queda esta noche
Para vivir nuestro amor
Y tu tic tac me recuerda
Reloj deten tu camino
Porque mi vida se apaga
Ella es la estrella que alumbra mi ser
Yo sin su amor no soy nada
Deten el tiempo en tu manos
Haz esta noche perpetua
Para que nunca se vaya de mi
Para que nunca amanezca
Reloj deten tu camino
Porque mi vida se apaga
Ella es la estrella que alumbra mi ser
Yo sin su amor no soy nada
Deten el tiempo en tu manos
Haz esta noche perpetua
Para que nunca se vaya de mi
Para que nunca amanezca
Lucho Gatica's song "El Reloj" is a deeply emotional ballad that speaks of the passing of time and the inevitability of losing a loved one. The lyrics speak directly to a clock, asking it not to mark the hours because the singer is on the verge of madness. He knows that his lover will leave him forever when the day dawns again, so he asks the clock to stop ticking and let him live in this moment of love for just a little longer. The passing of time is personified as the clock itself, reminding the singer of his pain with every ticking second.
The singer acknowledges that this is their last night together before she must leave forever. The sound of the clock continually ticking away reminds him of his heartache and the knowledge that this moment is fleeting. The use of the word "tic tac" throughout the song further emphasizes this feeling. The clock is not just a machine to keep time, but a symbol of the fleeting nature of life.
The singer's desire for the clock to stop is a cry for permanence, a longing for this moment to last forever. He sees his lover as the star that illuminates his existence, and without her, he feels a deep sense of nothingness. In these final moments together, he implores the clock to hold back the hands of time and make this night eternal so that he can hold on to his love a little while longer.
Line by Line Meaning
Reloj no marques las horas
Clock, please do not mark the hours
Porque voy a enloquecer
Because I am going to go crazy
Ella se ira para siempre
She will leave forever
Cuando amanezca otra vez
When morning comes again
Nomas nos queda esta noche
We only have tonight left
Para vivir nuestro amor
To live our love
Y tu tic tac me recuerda
And your ticking reminds me
Mi irremediable dolor
Of my hopeless pain
Reloj deten tu camino
Clock, stop your path
Porque mi vida se apaga
Because my life is fading
Ella es la estrella que alumbra mi ser
She is the star that illuminates my being
Yo sin su amor no soy nada
Without her love, I am nothing
Deten el tiempo en tus manos
Stop time in your hands
Haz esta noche perpetua
Make this night perpetual
Para que nunca se vaya de mi
So that she never leaves me
Para que nunca amanezca
So that morning never comes
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Roberto Cantoral Garcia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robe1712
Mas de 50 años conozco esta cancion y como Lucho Gatica, nadie sencillamente nadie. Gracias Chile que nos distes a esta voz que en Cuba se quiso y se quiere como si fuera nuestra
@lopz33
¡Tremenda versión!
Un día como hoy, 13 de noviembre de 2018, falleció en Ciudad de México el cantante chileno Luis Enrique (Lucho) Gatica Silva, el Rey del Bolero. Maestro, lo extrañamos mucho.🎵🎤🎶😢😢😢😢😢
@pilarsilver5601
Mi mama se fue Al cielo hoy y Ella la cantaba en una orquesta cuando era joven.. Me a traido muy buenas memorias
@susymunoz5561
Soy rockero y metalero y todo mi profundo respeto y admiración eterna a Don Lucho Gatica.
@AUGUSTO9867
EL RELOJ LUCHO GATICA. Esto es una joya musical, donde los recuerdos, todos se juntan en en el corazon, esta son cosas donde la nostalgia invade todo nuestro ser, llevandonos a ese mundo maravilloso, donde queremos que el reloj no siga marcando las horas, para hacer de esa noche perpetua, al lado de esa mujer, que embrujo no solo el corazon, sino tambien el alma, millones de gracias 20068150 por subir esta leyenda de tema, viva por siempre Lucho Gatica. viva Chile,
@josemiller21
Lucho gatica, su hermano y antonio prieto lo máximo del bolero,reciban un fuerte abrazo desde Colombia hermandad latinoamerica
@javieremilio1902
Existió un chico de mi barrio, qué lo imitaba a la perfección. Tenía cómo 6 o 7 chicas, detrás de él, por lo apuesto y por su talento. Más un verano del 63, su novia oficial se había ido de vacaciones a New York, y él decidió secretamente operarse las amígdalas, para cantar mejor y evitar las recurrentes infecciones de garganta, que suelen dar. Más decían qué él era hemofílico, y se ahogó con su propia sangre en la operación. Otros decían qué la doctora qué lo operó le cortó dónde no debía. Falleció a los 18 años! El caso es que yo era pequeño, y eso es lo qué recuerdo. Su velorio fue muy triste! Siempre que escucho a Lucho Gatica, recuerdo a Junior y hace más de 55 años, de esto que narré!
@oscarjara3660
Mi hermano Manuel, QEPD lo imitaba a la perfeccion y otros familiares dicen que era mejor que el mismo Gatica quien a estas horas estará con otras almas en algun lugar del cielo...!!!
@arriagatwo4544
Tu amigo era Lucho Fail-tica
@ycnan86
Que triste! Y que sucedió con su novia? Pobre chica😩