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.
Total
Olga Guillot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
ya me hubiera olvidado, de tu querer
ya ves que fue tiempo perdido
el que tú has meditado,
para luego decirme que no puede ser
Pensar que llegara a quererte
es creer que la muerte se pudiera evitar
total si no tengo tus besos
yo ya estoy cansada de tanto besar
In these lyrics, Olga Guillot expresses the feeling of disappointment and resignation after a failed love affair. The song, titled "Total," begins with the line "Total, si me hubieras querido" which translates to "Overall, if you had loved me." Here, the singer reflects on the past, suggesting that if the person she loved had reciprocated her feelings, she would have moved on and forgotten about their love.
She continues by acknowledging that the time she spent thinking about their potential relationship was wasted, emphasizing that the other person has also wasted time by deliberating before telling her that it cannot be. The line "ya ves que fue tiempo perdido" translates to "you see that it was lost time." This suggests that the other person's indecision and ultimately rejection were frustrating and futile.
In the next verse, Guillot reflects on the misguided belief that she could have come to love this person. She compares it to believing that death could be avoided, implying that love is an inevitable and uncontrollable force. The phrase "es creer que la muerte se pudiera evitar" translates to "it is to believe that death could be avoided." This emphasizes the impossibility of changing her feelings and highlights the futility in hoping for a different outcome.
The final verse communicates Guillot's exhaustion with pursuing a love that is not reciprocated. She expresses that without the other person's kisses, she will not die. This implies that she has reached a point of acceptance and no longer desires their affection. The line "yo ya estoy cansada de tanto besar" translates to "I am already tired of kissing so much." This shows her weariness and a sense of being fed up with the empty pursuit of love.
Overall, these lyrics capture the emotions of disappointment, resignation, and a longing for closure in the face of unrequited love. Guillot's words convey a sense of acceptance while also highlighting the futility of hoping for a different outcome in matters of the heart.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICARDO PERDOMO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julio Matheu
En cuba hubo,tres grande entre los grande,de todos los tiempo,Celia cruz,Olga guillot,y beny more,muchas y muchos se han destacado,pero no se han elevado,al jigantismo del olimpo de la musica,sus estaturas,se elevan,por encima de los demas.