Olivencia (birth name: Ángel Tomás Olivencia Pagán [note 1] _ was born in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico, United States. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. There received his primary and secondary education. 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.
In 1960, Olivencia organized his first orchestra, which he named the "Tommy Olivencia y La Primerísima Orquesta 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 Planté 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. 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.
He died on September 22, 2006, aged 68, in San Juan, Puerto Rico from complications of diabetes, which he had battled his entire life.
Among the albums recorded by Olivencia and his band are:
Trucutu (1965)
La Nueva Sensación Musical de Puerto Rico (1965) [Repackaging of "Trucutu"]
Jala-Jala y Guaguancó (1966)
Fire-Fire (1967)
A Toda Máquina..! (1968)
Cuero...Salsa y Sentimiento (1971)
Secuestro (1972)
Juntos de Nuevo (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 & Orchestra (1979)
Un Triángulo de Triunfo (1981)
Cantan: Frankie Ruiz y Carlos Alexis (1983)
Celebrando Otro Aniversario (1984)
Ayer, Hoy, Mañana y Siempre (1986)
30° Aniversario (1987)
El Jeque (1988)
Enamorado y Qué! (1990)
Vive la Leyenda (1998)
40° Aniversario Live (2002)
The following are considered among the top 100 greatest salsa songs:
Casimira
Cómo lo Hacen
Trucutu
Pa' Lante Otra Vez
Lobo Domesticado
No Me Tires la Primera Piedra
Como Sube la Gasolina
Tommy Olivencia y Su Orquesta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ya no se puede comprar
El tiene un carro grande
No tienes de negociar
Con un carro chiquito
Y ahora en gasolina
Que como un motora
Cómo una levonlina
En dice que me horas
Bastante gasolina
Se lo que me sobra
Se ve pa la cantina
Cómo va la gasolina
Ya no se puede comprar
El tiene un carro grande
No tienes que negociar
Sube a la gasolina
Y ahora como bolina
Que como una morirá
Cambio su Ledy bocina
Porque si no lo hago
Me voy a la ruina
Es lo que me pasa
Sube la gasolina
Cómo va la gasolina
Ya no se puede comprar
El tiene un carro grande
No tiene de negociar
(Como sube la gasolina)
Cómo sube camara
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
O sigue callachero
A que voy a quedar
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Dejar que cambiar el auto
La dora la que sina
(Cómo Sube la gasolina)
Eros sacando a Tommy eso para ir a la esquina
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
La nación y no me lo irán
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Pero que cada que pasa cada que pasa y suben y más
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Qué Tommy Olivencia compro una refreteria
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
El retretorio para ver que baje la gasolina
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
(Como sube la gasolina)
Eh como sube como sube como sube
Y me iré
(Como sube la gasolina)
Ay cómo sube como sube como sube y me iré
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Ay que error la gasolina y que me decía se lo dije
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Y sigue subiendo y hacer como levorina
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Con un motor y cambio su Ledy bocina
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Pa la que lado boricua y la el coro mia
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Y ahora por cobra doble y la reacción bolita
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Como sube como sube como sube
(Como sube la gasolina)
Eso que me se comenta en la calle todo en dia
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Tienes cambiar el auto tiene la que sigue
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Porque son 8 hilitros ya Valero camina
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
No presemos un negocio
A anagas auhita
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
Nosotros le damos le salsa y la lo Tonina
(Como sube la gasolina)
(Cómo sube la gasolina)
The song Como Sube la Gasolina by Tommy Olivencia y Su Orquesta, which translates to "How the gasoline goes up," is a commentary on the rising prices of gasoline and how it affects people's lives in Puerto Rico, where the band is from. The lyrics describe how difficult it has become to buy gasoline, especially for those who own large cars and cannot negotiate prices. The singer talks about how he used to have a small car that ran on little gas, but now it feels like he's driving a motorboat or an airplane engine. He notes that he knows he's spending too much on gasoline because he can't afford to go to the bar anymore. The chorus repeats the phrase "cómo sube la gasolina" or "how the gasoline goes up," emphasizing the frustration and helplessness that people feel in the face of rising prices.
The song was released in 1981 and became an instant hit in Puerto Rico and Latin America. It was composed by Mario Ortiz and Ramón Rodríguez, two prominent figures in the salsa music scene. The song is an example of salsa dura or hard salsa, a genre of salsa that features complex arrangements and fast-paced rhythms. The song features a horn section, a piano, and a conga drum, among other instruments.
Line by Line Meaning
Cómo va la gasolina
How is the gasoline going
Ya no se puede comprar
You can't buy it anymore
El tiene un carro grande
He has a big car
No tienes de negociar
You don't have to negotiate
Con un carro chiquito
With a small car
Y ahora en gasolina
And now with gasoline
Que como un motora
Like a motor
Cómo una levonlina
Like a levorina
En dice que me horas
It tells me how many hours
Bastante gasolina
A lot of gasoline
Se lo que me sobra
I know what I have left
Se ve pa la cantina
It looks like going to the bar
Sube a la gasolina
Gasoline is going up
Y ahora como bolina
And now quick as a bullet
Cambio su Ledy bocina
He changed his loudspeaker
Porque si no lo hago
Because if I don't do it
Me voy a la ruina
I'll be ruined
Es lo que me pasa
That's what's happening to me
Cómo sube camara
How fast it goes up
O sigue callachero
Or it stays low
A que voy a quedar
What will I be left with
Dejar que cambiar el auto
I have to change my car
La dora la que sina
The yellow one is nicer
Eros sacando a Tommy eso para ir a la esquina
Eros taking out Tommy to go to the corner
La nación y no me lo irán
The nation and they won't lower it
Pero que cada que pasa cada que pasa y suben y más
But each time it goes up, it goes up more
Qué Tommy Olivencia compro una refreteria
That Tommy Olivencia bought a hardware store
El retretorio para ver que baje la gasolina
The hope of seeing gasoline go down
Eh como sube como sube como sube
Hey, how fast it goes up
Y me iré
And I'll leave
Ay cómo sube como sube como sube y me iré
Oh, how fast it goes up and I'll leave
Ay que error la gasolina y que me decía se lo dije
Oh what a mistake gasoline is, and I told you
Y sigue subiendo y hacer como levorina
And it keeps going up like a levorina
Con un motor y cambio su Ledy bocina
With a motor and changed loudspeaker
Pa la que lado boricua y la el coro mia
For my Puerto Rican side and my choir
Y ahora por cobra doble y la reacción bolita
And now charging double and the reaction is disbelief
Eso que me se comenta en la calle todo en dia
That's what they talk about in the street every day
Tienes cambiar el auto tiene la que sigue
You have to change cars, you have no choice
Porque son 8 hilitros ya Valero camina
Because it's 8 liters already, Valero can walk
No presemos un negocio
We can't profit
A anagas auhita
From Anagas, now
Nosotros le damos le salsa y la lo Tonina
We give them the sauce and the music
Como sube como sube como sube
How it goes up, how it goes up, how it goes up
Writer(s): Enrique Arana
Contributed by Christian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.