Tañón is the youngest of four children born to José Tañón and Carmen Gloria Ortíz. Much of her life, her middle-class family lived in Levittown, Puerto Rico. Her childhood and teenage years were just like that of any other average child; the only difference was that Tañón wanted to be a singer.
Tañón's singing career started when she joined a group called Las Nenas de Ringo y Jossie (Ringo and Jossie's Girls) in the 1980s. A short time later a very popular group in Puerto Rico called Chantelle noticed her mezzo soprano voice and recruited her. They saw in her what they needed for their merengue style of music. When Tañón was a member of Chantelle, they scored their biggest hit, Aunque Tú no Quieras (Even If You Don't Want It), which was popular in Latin America.
In 1992, Tañón signed a contract with the WEA Latina record label to record a solo album. Her first recorded album was titled, Sola (Alone). Among the songs in the album were, Me Cambio por Ella (He Traded Me For Her), and Quiero estar Contigo (I Want To Be With You).
In 1993, she recorded her second album for WEA Latina, Mujer de Fuego (Woman of Fire). Tañón also debuted as a composer with the song, Presencié tu Amor (I Witnessed Your Love).
In 1994, Tañón earned her first double platinum record and in 1995, she earned three more platinum records with her album, Siente el Amor (Feel the Love). This album also included another of her compositions, Unicornio (Unicorn), which was written to the rhythm of Salsa and also included the unforgettable Merengue song, Es Mentiroso (He's a Liar). Tañón had gained fame and recognition throughout Latin America.
Tañón recorded a Tex-Mex CD with Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solís called Nuevos Senderos. She was now being heard internationally, and with that recording she became the first Puerto Rican musician to be certified by the RIAA to sell over half a million records. The album lead single, the ballad, Basta Ya topped the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Tracks for several weeks, and became Tañón first #1.
In 1997, Tañón debuted as an actress in the Puerto Rican version of the popular production of "Jesus Christ Superstar", produced by Rafo Muñiz. She played the part of Mary Magdalene. This version had a tropical feel to it and included some of Tañón's songs.
In 1998, Tañón married Juan González a Puerto Rican major league baseball star. In 1999, after many scandals, the marriage ended in divorce. The couple had a daughter, Gabriella Marie.
In 2000, Tañón, who was now known as the "Woman in Fire" by her fans, recorded her first concert, titled, Olga Viva...Viva Olga in the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. This production was named by the National Foundation of Popular Culture as one the top 20 productions of the year. The record went platinum and Tañón earned her first Grammy Award.
On August 2000, Tañón sold out 12 shows in the Antonio Paoli Hall at the Luis A. Ferre Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan. Later that same month, she debuted in the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. Her performances received rave reviews in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Dallas Morning News.
At the end of 2000, Tañón presented her musical spectacular at the Anayansi Theater in Panama, and toured the southeastern United States with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez.
In 2001, Tañón recorded a CD titled, Yo Por Ti (Me for You), which won both American and Latin Grammys. The first single, Como Olvidar, topped the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Tracks. The CD became a best-seller in Puerto Rico, Latin America, and among the Hispanic population in the United States.
In 2002, Tañón toured many countries, including Venezuela, Panama and the United States. That year she became the first merengue artist to successfully score a chart topper in the Middle East when her partnership with Egyptian music singer Hakim yielded the highly successful Arabian hit, Ah Ya Albi. In 2003, Tañón toured Europe and made a total of ten recordings for WEA Latina. In 2003 she released Sobrevivir and won her fourth Grammy. She also married music producer Billy Denizard, with whom she had two sons, Indiana Noa and Ian Nahir.
As part of a international tour called, "Evolution Tour 2008", Tañón traveled to Italy where she would make a presentation at the Festival Latinoamericano on July 5, 2008.
In 2005, Olga Tañón made public that her daughter Gabriela is one of only 50 people in the world to have Sebastian syndrome, a rare disease. Her plans are to keep touring and donate some of the money that she earns to find her daughter a cure. She also released her hit album, Una Nueva Mujer, which won Best Contemporary Tropical Album at the 2006 Latin Grammys.
In support of Latin American immigrants in the U.S., in 2006 Olga recorded, Nuestro Himno in collaboration with Pitbull, Carlos Ponce, and Wyclef Jean.
Pegaíto
Olga Tañón Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, pegaíta, pegaíta
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, pegaíta, pegaíta
A mi me ha recomendado
Que cada cuatro horas
Yo baile bien apretao
Pegao, pegao, mi ritmo está pegao
Pegao, pegao, mi ritmo está pegao, pegao
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, pegaíta, pegaíta
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, bien dura pegaíta, pegaíta
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, bien dura, pegaíta, pegaíta
Se baila bien apretao
De la China a Puerto Rico
Y tengo a toda mi gente bailando pegaito
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, bien dura, pegaíta, pegaíta
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, bien dura, pegaíta, pegaíta
Oye tú ven pa'cá
Bien pegao
Yo quiero bailar
Pegaito por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Baila pegaíto, pegaíto ban, ban
Pegaito por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Baila pegaíto, pegaíto ban, ban
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Me mantengo mi hermanito
Dicen que estoy, bien dura, pegaíta, pegaíta
Un, dos pegaíto
He, he pegaíto
Un, dos pegaíto
He, he
Báilalo de medio lao
Un dos pegaíto
Pegaíto y bien afincao
Un, dos, pegaíto
Pégale, que pégale que
Pégale que pégale que pegaíto
Pegato por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Baila pegaíto, pegaíto, ban ban
Pegaíto por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Vamos a bailar dos enamorados
Pegaíto por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Cada cuatro horas bien apretados
Pegaíto por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Bien apretao y agarrao de las manos
Pegaíto por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Si a ella le gusta se pega
Pegaíto por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Si a ella le gusta también, también
The lyrics of Olga Tañón's "Pegaíto" talk about a person who has been dancing non-stop for a long time and still manages to keep going. They claim to be "pegaito", a word which means "stuck" or "glued" in Spanish, but in this context refers to being in sync with the rhythm of the music. The singer mentions that the "doctor of salsa" has recommended that they dance tightly every four hours, which further emphasizes the theme of being strongly connected to the music. Olga Tañón invites others to join in their dance, encouraging listeners to move their bodies and enjoy themselves.
The lyrics of "Pegaíto" are rooted in the Latin American musical tradition of salsa, which emerged in the 1960s and 70s in New York City. The song features typical salsa rhythms, including the clave rhythm and the montuno section, which is a call-and-response section in which the lead singer improvises lyrics while the chorus responds with a set phrase. The use of repetition and call-and-response in the song is also typical of salsa music.
Overall, "Pegaíto" can be seen as a celebration of the power of music to bring people together and keep them moving. The lyrics are an invitation to join in and experience the joy and energy of dancing to salsa music.
Line by Line Meaning
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Despite the time that has gone by, I am still thriving
Me mantengo mi hermanito
I remain strong, my dear friend
Dicen que estoy, pegaíta, pegaíta
People say that I am stuck in their minds, constantly on their lips
El médico de la salsa
I am the doctor of salsa music
A mi me ha recomendado
I strongly suggest
Que cada cuatro horas
Every four hours
Yo baile bien apretao
I should dance closely and passionately
Pegao, pegao, mi ritmo está pegao
My rhythm is catchy and unforgettable
Ha pasado el tiempo y yo
Despite the time that has gone by, I am still thriving
Dicen que estoy, bien dura pegaíta, pegaíta
People say that I am fiercely captivating and unforgettable
Se baila bien apretao
Dancing close and passionately
De la China a Puerto Rico
From China to Puerto Rico
Y tengo a toda mi gente bailando pegaito
And I have all my fans dancing closely and passionately
Oye tú ven pa'cá
Hey, come over here
Bien pegao
Dance close and passionately
Yo quiero bailar
I want to dance
Pegaito por aquí, pegaíto por allá
Dance closely and passionately here and there
Baila pegaíto, pegaíto ban, ban
Dance closely and passionately, enjoy yourself
Un, dos pegaíto
One, two, dance closely and passionately
He, he pegaíto
Ha-ha, dance closely and passionately
Báilalo de medio lao
Dance it halfway
Pegaíto y bien afincao
Stick close and well connected
Pégale, que pégale que
Hit it, hit it
Pégale que pégale que pegaíto
Hit it, hit it, keep it close and passionate
Vamos a bailar dos enamorados
Let's dance like two lovers
Cada cuatro horas bien apretados
Dancing closely and passionately every four hours
Bien apretao y agarrao de las manos
Close and holding hands
Si a ella le gusta se pega
If she likes it, she will stick close
Si a ella le gusta también, también
If she likes it too
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MANUEL GONZALEZ HERNANDEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind