Guillot and her family moved to Ciudad Havana when she was a small child. As a teenager, she and her sister, Ana Luisa, performed as a duo, named the "Duo Hermanitas Guillot".
It wasn't until 1945 that her talent as a bolero singer would be discovered, when Facundo Rivero, an influential man in the Cuban music industry of the era, heard her sing for the first time, and helped her make her professional singing debut, at a famous Havana night club. Soon after, Guillot met Miguelito Valdes, who took her to New York city, where Guillot was able to record her first album, with the Decca label.
Guillot traveled to Mexico in 1948. There, she established herself as an international singer and actress, participating in various films and making her second album. In Mexico, Guillot began to enjoy much popularity for the first time in her career.
In 1954, she recorded her song "Mienteme" ("Lie to Me"), which became a hit across Latin America, and earned her three consecutive awards back home in Cuba as Cuba's best female singer.
1958 proved to be an important year for Guillot, as she toured Europe for the first time, including stops in Italy, France, Spain and Germany. She sang alongside the equally legendary Édith Piaf during a concert held in Cannes.
Olga Guillot kept a house in Cuba as she traveled around the world with her music, apart from her house in Mexico. But Guillot opposed Fidel Castro's Government, and, in 1961, she decided to leave Cuba for good and establish herself in Venezuela. Not long after that, she left Venezuela, making Mexico her only permanent residence country.
Meanwhile, she kept touring around the world, singing in places such as Israel, Japan, Hong Kong and many others. In 1963, Guillot was given the Golden Palm award as "best bolero singer of Latin America". She received the award in Hollywood, California. Guillot sang in 1964 at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.
Guillot continued on touring for the next forty years, releasing over fifty albums and winning numerous awards for her activity in the music world. She was very good friends with Celia Cruz, to whom she often referred to as "(her) sister". When Cruz died from cancer, Guillot was one of the most affected persons in the show business world.
Her albums and music are prohibited in Cuba. Guillot remained a quiet, but strong critic of Castro and his policies towards Cuban residents.
Guillot lived mainly in Mexico and had another home on Miami Beach, Florida.
On July 12, 2010, she died of an infarction at the age of 87 in the city of Miami Beach. She is survived by one daughter, Olga Maria Touzet-Guillot, born from her relationship with pianist and composer, René Touzet.
Contigo en la Distancia
Olga Guillot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En que pueda apartarme de ti
El mundo parece distinto
Cuando no estás junto a mí
No hay bella melodía
En que no surjas tú
Ni yo quiero escucharla
Es que te has convertido
En parte de mi alma
Ya nada me consuela
Si no estás tú también
Más allá de tus labios
Del Sol y las estrellas
Contigo en la distancia
Amada mía, estoy
En parte de mi alma
Ya nada me consuela
Si no estás tú también
Más allá de tus labios
Del Sol y las estrellas
Contigo en la distancia
Amada mía, estoy
The lyrics to Olga Guillot's song "Contigo en la Distancia" are an expression of longing for someone who is not physically present. The singer expresses that there is no moment in the day when she can be apart from this person, and the world seems different without them. The lyrics also convey that this person has become a part of the singer's soul, and nothing can comfort her if this person is not there.
The song's title roughly translates to "With You in the Distance," which is fitting because the lyrics convey a sense of being with someone even if they are not physically present. The singer finds solace in the fact that even though this person is far away, they are still a part of her and everything she experiences. She even goes so far as to say that nothing in the world is beautiful without this person, expressing just how much of an impact they have on her life.
The lyrics are a beautiful example of how love can transcend physical distance and be felt deeply even when the person is not present. The song is often used as a symbol of longing and has become an anthem for those in long-distance relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
No existe un momento del día
There isn't a time of day
En que pueda apartarme de ti
When I can distance myself from you
El mundo parece distinto
The world seems different
Cuando no estás junto a mí
When you aren't by my side
No hay bella melodía
There is no beautiful melody
En que no surjas tú
In which you don't appear
Ni yo quiero escucharla
Nor do I want to listen to it
Si no la escuchas tú
If you're not listening to it too
Es que te has convertido
You have become
En parte de mi alma
A part of my soul
Ya nada me consuela
Nothing consoles me anymore
Si no estás tú también
If you're not there too
Más allá de tus labios
Beyond your lips
Del Sol y las estrellas
From the Sun and the stars
Contigo en la distancia
With you in the distance
Amada mía, estoy
My beloved, I am
En parte de mi alma
A part of my soul
Ya nada me consuela
Nothing consoles me anymore
Si no estás tú también
If you're not there too
Más allá de tus labios
Beyond your lips
Del Sol y las estrellas
From the Sun and the stars
Contigo en la distancia
With you in the distance
Amada mía, estoy
My beloved, I am
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: César Portillo de la Luz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mercedes Castiñeira
Que bonita canción para aquellos amores que se siguen en la distancia ❤️🎶🌊🦄🌕🌎
Sergio Sánchez Sánchez
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Su secreto es: que canta interpretándolo y sintiéndolo...con Alma✨y Corazón!💓👌🏻
Carmen Valiente
La mejor ,no ha habido otra bolerista que la supere !!!.
Enric Alex
esos cambios de voz en esta cancion son maravillosos no me canso de escucharla GRANDE OLGA
Enric Alex
Inolvidable y esta cancion con la variacion de voz que tiene para mi la mejor version de todos los tiempos extraordinaria.- Una voz espectacular clara y bonita.-
Oscar Montero
Versiones excelentes de este clásico de César Portillo de la Luz hay, pero la de Olga Guillot es única. Su voz es suficiente, pero ella parece que vive cada sílaba.
Ramon muñoz
Hermosa mujer 😍😍😍😍😍
Luis Nevio Jaramillo
No existe ninguna como ella
Abelardo Betancourt
Extraordinaria, una de las mejores versiones junto con la de la norteamericana Eddie Gorme y recientemente Yuri me hizo llegar con un aversion a duo con Maria Jose.