Portuondo was born in October 1930 in Havana, one of three sisters; her mother came from a wealthy Spanish family, and had created a scandal by running off with and marrying a black professional baseball player. Omara started her career in 1945 as a dancer at Havana's Tropicana Club (following her older sister, Haydee). The two sisters used to sing for family and friends, however, and after a brief time in a band called Loquibambla Swing, in 1952 they got together with two friends (Elena Bourke and Moraima Secada) and formed the singing group Cuarteto las d'Aida, backed by pianist Aida Diestro. The group had considerable success, touring the United States, performing with Nat King Cole at the Tropicana, and recording an album for RCA Victor.
In 1959 Portuondo recorded a solo album, Magia Negra, involving both jazz and Cuban music. This didn't, however, mark the beginning of a solo career, and although Haydee left the group in 1961, Omara continued singing with Cuarteto las d'Aida until 1967.
In 1967 Portuondo embarked on a solo career, and in the same year represented Cuba at the Sopot Festival in Poland, singing Juanito Marquez' "Como un Milagro". Alongside her solo work, in the 1970s she sang with charanga band Orquestra Aragon, and toured with them.
In 1974 she recorded, with guitarist Martin Rojas, what would become one of her most critically acclaimed albums in which she sings praises to Salvador Allende and the people of Chile a year after the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. Among many other hits from the album, she also praises the work of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in the beautiful "Hasta Siempre".
During the 1970s and 1980s Portuonda enjoyed considerable success at home and abroad, with tours, albums (including one of her most lauded recordings in 1984 with Adalberto Alvarez), film rôles, and her own television series. Her international profile was due to soar, however, in 1996.
Portuondo sang (duetting with Compay Segundo) on the album Buena Vista Social Club in 1996. This led, not only to more touring (including playing at Carnegie Hall with the Buena Vista troupe) and her appearance in Wim Wenders' film The Buena Vista Social Club, but to two further albums for the World Circuit label: Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo (2000) and Flor de Amor (2004). In July 2005 she presented a symphonic concert of her most important repertoire at the Berlin Festival Classic Open Air am Gendarmenmarkt for an audience of 7,000. The entire program was specially orchestrated by Roberto Sánchez Ferrer, a colleague with whom she had worked during her early years at Havana's Tropicana Club. Scott Lawton conducted the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.
Gracias A La Vida
Omara Portuondo Lyrics
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Me dio dos luceros, que cuando los abro,
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado
Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado el oido que en todo su ancho
Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos,
Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario;
Con el las palabras que pienso y declaro:
Madre, amigo, hermano, y luz alumbrando
La ruta del alma del que estoy amando
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados;
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,
Playas y desiertos, montanas y llanos,
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me dio el corazon que agita su marco
Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano,
Cuando miro al bueno tan lejos del malo,
Cuando miro al fondo de tus ojos claros
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto
Asi yo distingo dicha de quebranto,
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto,
Y el canto de ustedes que es mi mismo canto,
Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tant
In Gracias A La Vida, Omara Portuondo humbly expresses her gratitude for all the gifts that life has given her. The song acknowledges the many blessings that she has received over the course of her life, starting with the gift of sight, and how it allows her to see and recognize the beauty in the world. She also expresses gratitude for the gift of hearing, which enables her to appreciate the sounds of nature, music, and the voice of her loved ones. Additionally, she expresses her appreciation for the gift of language, and the ability to communicate and connect with others. Finally, she expresses her appreciation for the gift of emotions, both joy and sorrow, as they allow her to see life in its entirety.
Line by Line Meaning
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Thanks to life that has given me so much.
Me dio dos luceros, que cuando los abro, Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco
It gave me two bright stars that when I open them, I perfectly distinguish between black and white.
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo
And in the high sky its starry background, and in the crowds, the man I love.
Me ha dado el oido que en todo su ancho Graba noche y dia, grillos y canarios, Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos, Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado
It gave me the ear that in all its width records night and day, crickets and canaries, hammers, turbines, barks, downpours, and the so tender voice of my beloved.
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario; Con el las palabras que pienso y declaro: Madre, amigo, hermano, y luz alumbrando La ruta del alma del que estoy amando
It gave me the sound and the alphabet; with it, the words I think and declare: Mother, friend, brother, and light illuminating the soul's path of the one I love.
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados; Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos, Playas y desiertos, montanas y llanos, Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio
It gave me the pace of my tired feet; with them, I walked through cities and puddles, beaches and deserts, mountains and plains, and your house, your street, and your courtyard.
Me dio el corazon que agita su marco Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano, Cuando miro al bueno tan lejos del malo, Cuando miro al fondo de tus ojos claros
It gave me the heart that agitates its frame when I look at the fruit of the human brain, when I look at the good, so far from the bad, when I look into the depth of your clear eyes.
Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto Asi yo distingo dicha de quebranto, Los dos materiales que forman mi canto, Y el canto de ustedes que es mi mismo canto, Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto
It gave me laughter and it gave me tears, so I distinguish happiness from sorrow, the two materials that form my song, and the song of yours that is my same song, and the song of everyone, that is my own song.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Violeta Parra Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind