Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Vill… Read Full Bio ↴Early years
Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. He received his primary and secondary education in Arecibo. As a young man, he became fascinated with the trumpet and learned to play the musical instrument.
In 1954, Olivencia sang and played the trumpet for local bands. He graduated from high school in 1957 and his family relocated once again to Santurce.
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico
In 1960, Olivencia organized his first orchestra, which he named "Tommy Olivencia y La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico". His band combined swing and melodic styles together. This combination plus a strong brass contingent in the band was his trademark. Olivencia signed a contract with Inca Records and remained with that label until 1978. In 1972, he had his first major "hit" with Secuestro (Kidnapped) and followed that hit with Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) in 1974 and Plante Bandera in 1975.
Olivencia's band was also known as the "Tommy Olivencia School", because the band produced some of the best and most talented singers and musicians of salsa in the island. Among those to have belonged to the band at one time or another were: Chamaco Ramirez, Sammy "El Rolo" González, Simon Perez, Paquito Guzman, Ubaldo "Lalo" Rodriguez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marvin Santiago, Frankie Ruiz, Hector Tricoche, Carlos Alexis, Hector "Pichie" Perez, Paquito "Junior" Acosta and Mel Martínez.
Albums recordings
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Among the albums recorded by Olivencia and his band are:
* Trucu-Tu
* La Nueva Sensacion Musical De Puerto Rico 1965
* Jala-Jala y Guaguancó 1966
* Fire Fire 1967
* A Toda Maquina 1968
* Cuero...Salsa y Sentimiento 1971
* Secuestro (Kidnapped) 1972
* Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) 1974
* Planté Bandera 1975
* Introducing Lalo Rodríguez and Simón Pérez (1976)
* El Negro Chombo 1977
* La Primerísima 1978
* Sweet Trumpet-Hot Salsa 1978
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Paquito Guzmán & Gilberto Santa Rosa (1979)
* Un Triangulo De Triunfo (Triangle of Triumph) (1981)
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Frankie Ruiz & Carlos Alexis 1983
* Celebrando Otro Aniversario(Celebrating Another Anniversary) (1984)
* Ayer, Hoy, Mañana y Siempre(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and Always) (1985)
* 30 Aniversario 1987
* El Jeque 1990
* Enamorado y Que! (I'm in Love, What about it?) 1991
* Vive La Leyenda 1998
* 40 Aniversario Live 2002
The following are considered among the top 100 greatest salsa songs:
* Casimira
* Como Lo Hacen (How they do it)
* Trucutru
* Pa'Lante Otra Vez
* Lobo Domesticado (Domestic Wolf)
* No Me Tires La Primera Piedra
Awards and recognitions
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Among the many awards and recognitions which have been bestowed upon Olivencia are the following:
* The Puerto Rican Senate passed a resolution congratulating Olivencia and his band for their contributions to Puerto Rico's music.
* El Cordero de Oro (The Golden Lamb) and El Buho de Oro (The Golden Owl) Awards from Panama, for the best foreign band.
* The Golden Agueybana Award from Puerto Rico
* The November 11th Award from Colombia
Later years
On August 2000, Olivencia celebrated his 40th anniversary in the music industry at the Tito Puente Theater in San Juan, an event attended by many of the former members of his band. On May 15, 2004, Olivencia celebrated his 66th birthday and 45 years with the band with a live recording concert. The annual "Day of Salsa" of 2005, celebrated in Puerto Rico was dedicated to Olivencia.
Death
He died on September 22, 2006, aged 68, from complications of diabetes, which he had battled his entire life.
Periquito Pin-Pin
Tommy Olivencia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No quieren dejarme entrar
Dicen que soy ilegal
Y las puertas me quieren cerrar
Pero que va, siempre me les sé colar
Me vigilan por allí
Y yo entro por allá
Me les cuelo por allá
Yo soy perico pin pin
Y mi apellido es pin pan
Me gusta la rumba
Me gusta tocar
Lo mio es la música
Lo mio es poner la gente a gozar
Cuando interpreto
Salsa con mi orquesta
La gente se animan
Bailan y saltan
Y gritan a coro
Llegó el general
Ese es perico pin pin
Y a ese hay que dejarlo entrar
Periquito pin pin
Periquito pin pan
Soy el rey de la alegría
El que te pone a gozar mamá
Cuando, cuando yo llego a la salsa
Todos me gritan, oye llegó el general
Si me atajan por el aire,
Me les cuelo por el mar, yo soy Aquaman
Siempre eh de buscar el truco
Para poderme colar
Periquito pin pin
Entre las nenas de ahora
Soy el bravo, soy el bravo el que más da
Cuando yo llego a la rumba
Se alborota to' el solar
Siempre vestido de blanco
Ese es su corte ideal pa' impresionar
Y no,no,no, no te olvides de mi nombre
Yo soy perico pin pan
Y me vigilan por aquí, me vigilan por allá
Siempre buscaré la forma de llegar
The song "Periquito Pin-Pin" by Tommy Olivencia tells the story of a man who is constantly being watched and monitored because he is considered illegal or not allowed to enter certain places. However, the singer is undeterred and finds ways to slip through the security measures to pursue his passion for music and performing. The chorus of the song describes the singer as a "perico pin pin", a playful nickname which can be translated to "chatty parakeet", and emphasizes his love for music and his ability to make people dance and enjoy themselves despite the obstacles in his way.
The lyrics are an allegory for the struggles and challenges that many face when pursuing their dreams. The singer represents someone who is determined to follow their passion despite the obstacles and limitations imposed by society. The constant surveillance and monitoring symbolize the societal pressure to conform and the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve success.
Overall, the song is an uplifting celebration of perseverance, creativity, and joy. It encourages listeners to stay true to themselves and pursue their passions no matter what obstacles they encounter.
Line by Line Meaning
Me tienen en vigilancia
I am under surveillance
No quieren dejarme entrar
They do not want to let me in
Dicen que soy ilegal
They say I am illegal
Y las puertas me quieren cerrar
And the doors want to close on me
Pero que va, siempre me les sé colar
But I always find a way to sneak in
Me vigilan por allí
They watch me over there
Y yo entro por allá
And I enter from over here
Me vigilan por aquí
They watch me over here
Me les cuelo por allá
And I sneak in from over there
Yo soy perico pin pin
I am a parrot, tweet tweet
Y mi apellido es pin pan
And my last name is pin pan
Me gusta la rumba
I like to party
Me gusta tocar
I like to play music
Lo mio es la música
Music is my thing
Lo mio es poner la gente a gozar
My thing is to make people have fun
Cuando interpreto
When I perform
Salsa con mi orquesta
Salsa with my orchestra
La gente se animan
People get excited
Bailan y saltan
Dance and jump
Y gritan a coro
And shout in unison
Llegó el general
The general has arrived
Ese es perico pin pin
That's parrot tweet tweet
Y a ese hay que dejarlo entrar
And that one should be let in
Periquito pin pin
Little parrot tweet tweet
Periquito pin pan
Little parrot pin pan
Soy el rey de la alegría
I am the king of happiness
El que te pone a gozar mamá
The one who makes you have fun, mom
Cuando, cuando yo llego a la salsa
When, when I arrive at the salsa
Todos me gritan, oye llegó el general
Everyone shouts, hey the general has arrived
Si me atajan por el aire,
If they catch me in the air
Me les cuelo por el mar, yo soy Aquaman
I sneak in through the sea, I am Aquaman
Siempre eh de buscar el truco
I always have to find the trick
Para poderme colar
To be able to sneak in
Entre las nenas de ahora
Among the girls today
Soy el bravo, soy el bravo el que más da
I am the brave one, the one who gives the most
Cuando yo llego a la rumba
When I arrive at the party
Se alborota to' el solar
The whole neighborhood gets excited
Siempre vestido de blanco
Always dressed in white
Ese es su corte ideal pa' impresionar
That's his ideal style to impress
Y no,no,no, no te olvides de mi nombre
And no, no, no, do not forget my name
Yo soy perico pin pan
I am parrot pin pan
Y me vigilan por aquí, me vigilan por allá
And they watch me over here, they watch me over there
Siempre buscaré la forma de llegar
I will always find a way to arrive
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RAUL MARRERO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind