Despite recording only in Spanish, he continued to be the best selling Latin artist in the 1990s, and was credited for popularizing the bolero genre into the mainstream market. He has sold around 60 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
Latin pop music, along with his personal life and showmanship on stage, has made Luis Miguel popular for nearly his entire career, which started in Mexico in 1982. Having won his first Grammy Award at the age of fourteen for his duet "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres" with Sheena Easton, he is the youngest male artist in music history to have received this accolade. In 1991, the RIAA recognized the high sales for his 1991 album Romance, itself being the third best-selling music album in Mexico, and one of the best-selling Spanish language albums of all time. He was the first Latin artist to have been awarded two Platinum certified Spanish-language albums in the United States with ‘‘Romance’’ and ‘‘Segundo Romance’’ the latter earning him 35 platinum records throughout Central and South America. He is also recognized by Billboard, as the artist with the most top 10 hits on the Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. His album Complices was released in 2008 and peaked at No.10 on the Billboard 200; it is the highest position a fully Spanish composed album has reached. His most recent album ¡México Por Siempre! was released in 2017, and it earned him his second No. 1 on the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums and achieved double platinum status.
Luis Miguel is also known for his high-grossing live performances. He is the first-highest grossing Latin touring artist since Boxscore began tracking touring data in 1990, with a towering total of $278.5 million. With the Luis Miguel Tour, which took place in 2010, he visited 22 countries in North America, South America and Europe, where he performed in a three-year span with a total of 223 shows all over the world, making it the longest and highest-grossing tour ever made by a Latin artist. He also holds the record for the most consecutive presentations in the Auditorio Nacional (National Auditorium) with a total of 30 consecutive concerts as well as the record for the most presentations in the same venue with a total of 258 concerts.
La Barca
Luis Miguel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pero yo no concibo esa razón
Porque yo seguiré siendo el cautivo
De los caprichos de tu corazón
Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos
Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura, oh
Porque tu barca tiene que partir
A cruzar a otros mares de locura
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir
Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando
Y te sientas cansada de vagar
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos
En la primera noche que te amé
Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura
Porque tu barca tiene que partir
A cruzar otros mares de locura
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir
Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando
Y te sientas cansada de vagar
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
The lyrics to Luis Miguel's song La Barca tell the story of a lover who is unable to let go of his beloved, despite the distance between them. The opening line, "Dicen que la distancia es el olvido" (They say that distance means forgetting), suggests a common belief that being physically apart from someone means losing emotional connection. However, the singer of the song cannot accept that, because he knows that he will always be a captive to the whims of his lover's heart. He attributes his clarity of thought, relief from suffering, and a sense of truth to their time together, which he describes as the first night they spent in love.
The second verse adds a poignant layer to the story, as the singer watches his lover's departure from the shore. He describes his heartbreak as "mi playa se viste de amargura" (My beach is clothed in bitterness), and begs her to be careful while crossing the seas of madness that await her. The following lines are comforting, as he promises to wait for her return, as the sun sets and she wanders tiredly, until she decides to come back to him. The verses are similar in structure, with a repeated refrain grounded by wistful, romantic verses. The lyrics to La Barca demonstrate the depth of the singer's love, highlighting the different stages of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Dicen que la distancia es el olvido
Many say that distance leads to forgetting, but I cannot accept that notion, because I will always be a prisoner to the whims of your heart.
Porque yo seguiré siendo el cautivo
De los caprichos de tu corazón
I will continue to be captivated by the whims of your heart.
Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos
En la primera noche que te amé
You were able to clarify my thoughts and give me the truth that I had been dreaming of. You chased away all of my sufferings on the first night that I loved you.
Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura, oh
Porque tu barca tiene que partir
A cruzar a otros mares de locura
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir
Today, my beach is filled with bitterness because your boat must depart and cross into other seas of madness. Please take care that your life does not get shipwrecked.
Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando
Y te sientas cansada de vagar
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
When the sun is setting and you feel tired from wandering, remember that I will be waiting for you until you decide to return.
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
Until you decide to come back.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Roberto Cantoral Garcia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind