Plácido Domingo was born in Madrid, Spain, and moved to Mexico at age 8 with his family, who ran a zarzuela company. In Mexico City he studied music at the National Conservatory. He provided backup vocals for Los Black Jeans in 1958, a rock-and-roll band lead by César Costa. He learned piano and conducting, but made his stage debut in 1959 (May 12) at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara as Pascual in Marina. It was followed by Borsa in Rigoletto, Padre Confessor (Le dialogue des Carmelites) and others. In 1962 he joined the Israeli National Opera in Tel Aviv, where he spent two and a half years, singing 280 performances.
On September 19, 1985, the biggest earthquake in Mexico's history devastated the whole Mexican capital. Domingo's aunt, uncle, his nephew and his nephew’s young son were killed in the collapse of the Nuevo León apartment block in the Tlatelolco housing complex. Domingo himself labored to rescue survivors. During the next year, he did benefit concerts for the victims and released an album of one of the events.
In 1966, he sang the title role in the US premiere of Ginastera's Don Rodrigo at the New York City Opera, with much acclaim. He first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on September 28, 1968, in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, singing with Renata Tebaldi. (Since then, he has opened the season there 21 times, surpassing the previous record of Enrico Caruso by four.) He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1967, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1968, at both La Scala and San Francisco Opera in 1969, and at Covent Garden in 1971, and has now sung at practically every other important opera house and festival worldwide.
Perhaps the most versatile of all living tenors, Domingo has sung 92 roles onstage to date (and as many as 123 roles when also counting recorded roles), ranging from Mozart to Ginastera. His main repertoire however is Italian (Otello, Il Trovatore, Don Carlo), French (Faust, Werther, Don José in Carmen, Samson in Samson et Dalila), and German (Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Siegmund in Die Walküre). He continues to add more operas to his repertoire, such as recently Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House in London.
With José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, he participated in The Three Tenors concert at the opening of the 1990 World Cup in Rome. The event was originally conceived to raise money for the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation and was later repeated a number of times, including at the three subsequent World Cup finals (1994 in Los Angeles, 1998 in Paris, and 2002 in Yokohama). Alone, Domingo again made an appearance at the final of the 2006 World Cup in Berlin.
In what has been called his 'final career move', Placido Domingo announced on January 25, 2007 that in 2009 he would switch ranges to baritone by taking on one of Verdi's most demanding baritone roles, as the Doge of Genoa, Simon Boccanegra, in the opera of the same name.
Love Story
Plácido Domingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To tell the story of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The simple truth about the love he brings to me
Where do I start?
Like a summer rain
That cools the pavement with a patent leather shine
And gave a meaning to this empty world of mine
He fills my heart
He fills my heart with very special things
With angels' songs, with wild imaginings
He fills my soul with so much love
That anywhere I go, I'm never lonely
With him along, who could be lonely
I reach for his hand, it's always there
How long does it last?
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?
I have no answers now, but this much I can say
I'm going to need him till the stars all burn away
And he'll be there
He fills my heart with very special things
With angels' songs, with wild imaginings
He fills my soul with so much love
That anywhere I go, I'm never lonely
With him along, who could be lonely
I reach for his hand, it's always there
How long does it last?
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?
I have no answers now, but this much I can say
I'm going to need him till the stars all burn away
And he'll be there
The song Love Story by Plácido Domingo is a beautiful and romantic ballad that tells the story of an incredible love that lasts forever. The lyrics open with the question "Where do I begin?" which suggests that the love story is so great that it is difficult to put into words. But the singer wants to try and tell the story of the love so that others can understand how powerful it is.
The next few lines describe the love as being "older than the sea" which means that it is ancient and has stood the test of time. This love is the "simple truth" that the singer has discovered and it is what fills her heart. The love is compared to a "summer rain" that cools the pavement and brings a shine to everything around it. It is a love that has made the singer's life worth living and has given meaning to a world that was once empty.
The chorus repeats the idea that the love fills the singer's heart and soul with special things and wild imaginings. The love is so strong that it makes the singer never feel lonely no matter where she goes. The love is compared to an angel's song and is so powerful that it is always there whenever the singer reaches for it. The lyrics end with the question of how long the love will last, but the singer believes that it will last until the stars all burn away.
Overall, Love Story is a touching and heartfelt ballad that celebrates the enduring power of love. It speaks to the universal desire to find a love that lasts forever and that fills our lives with meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Where do I begin?
Plácido Domingo wonders where to start in expressing the greatness of love.
To tell the story of how great a love can be
He aims to tell a story about the greatness of love.
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The love story he wants to express is timeless and great.
The simple truth about the love he brings to me
He simply speaks the truth about the love that his partner brings to him.
Where do I start?
He reiterates his wondering of where to start in expressing the greatness of love.
Like a summer rain
The love that he shares with his partner is like a refreshing summer rain.
That cools the pavement with a patent leather shine
Their love creates a cooling effect in the midst of the hot pavement and a bright and shiny effect like patent leather shoes.
He came into my life and made the living fine
When his partner entered his life, everything became so much better and he began to live well.
And gave a meaning to this empty world of mine
His partner gave meaning to a life that was previously empty without them.
He fills my heart
Plácido Domingo's partner fills his heart with love and affection.
He fills my heart with very special things
His partner's love fills his heart in unique and special ways.
With angels' songs, with wild imaginings
Their love brings about a sense of heavenly music and wild imaginations.
He fills my soul with so much love
Their love is not just limited to his heart but fills his soul with love.
That anywhere I go, I'm never lonely
Because of his partner's love, he never feels lonely wherever he goes.
With him along, who could be lonely
He affirms that as long as his partner is with him, there's no room for loneliness.
I reach for his hand, it's always there
Whenever he needs his partner, he can always reach for their hand and they will be there.
How long does it last?
He questions the duration of love.
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?
He wonders if a day's worth of hours can measure or represent the love that he has for his partner.
I have no answers now, but this much I can say
He admits to not knowing the answer to his previous question and offers one thing he can say.
I'm going to need him till the stars all burn away
He expresses his need for his partner till the end of time and till the universe fades away.
And he'll be there
He affirms that his partner will always be there for him.
Contributed by Ava V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.