Lopez made his name on the club circuit of the Southwestern United States before being 'discovered' in 1962 playing at the club PJ's in Hollywood, California, by record producer Don Costa. Costa was taken with Lopez's latinized versions of contemporary hits and signed him up to Frank Sinatra's record label, Reprise Records. His debut album, Trini Lopez Live at PJ's, was released in 1963. The album included a version of If I Had a Hammer, which reached number one in 36 countries (No. 3 in the United States) and was a radio favorite for many years. He also performed his own version of the traditional Mexican song La Bamba on the album; his recording of the tune was later re-issued as a single in 1966.
His popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: The Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971 and are now highly sought after amongst collectors. Some owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.
He scored 13 chart singles through 1968, including "Lemon Tree" (1965), "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (1966) and "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (1968). On the adult contemporary chart, he ranked up 15 hits, including the Top 10 singles "Michael" (1964), "Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now" (1967) and "The Bramble Bush" (1967). Beyond his success on record, he became one of the country's top nightclub performers of that era, regularly headlining in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During the 1960s and 1970s Lopez moved into acting, though his film career was not as successful as his music. His first film role was in Marriage on the Rocks (1965), in which he made a cameo appearance in a nightclub scene; Lopez's soundtrack song, "Sinner Man", became a hit single (No. 54 pop/No. 12 adult contemporary). He was one of The Dirty Dozen (1967) and starred in Antonio (1973). He made two appearances (playing different characters) on the television program, Adam 12. He continued his musical career with extensive tours of Europe and Latin America during this period; an attempt to break out by releasing a disco album in 1978 proved a flop.
Since then, Lopez has done charitable work and received honors such as being inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003. He was still recording and appearing live in the early 2000s. Recently he took part in a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
If You Wanna Be Happy
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Don't make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall
As soon as he marries her, then she starts
Doin' the things that will break his heart
But if you make an ugly woman your wife
You'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ugly woman cooks your meals on time
An she'll always give you peace of mind
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Don't make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Don't make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
See man I saw your wife last night
And she sure is ugly,
Yeah baby but she sure can cook
Oh yeah, let me hear you everybody now
La la la
La la la
La la la
...
Trini Lopez's song "If You Wanna Be Happy" is a cheeky take on marriage and the idea of beauty. The lyrics suggest that instead of marrying a beautiful woman who could potentially cause a man's downfall, it is better to marry someone less attractive but who is kind and caring. The song essentially extols the virtues of an "ugly" woman as a better choice for a partner. The singer presents his "personal point of view" and advises men to marry an unattractive woman who can cook meals on time and provide peace of mind, as opposed to a beautiful woman who could potentially lead to heartbreak.
The song's lyrics are certainly controversial and could be seen as both humorous and offensive. However, some listeners argue that the song's message is, in fact, quite feminist, as it suggests that looks should not be the determining factor when choosing a partner. Instead, the song suggests that personality, kindness, and compatibility should be more important considerations when selecting a partner. Conversely, others believe that the song perpetuates harmful and damaging stereotypes about women and beauty standards.
Line by Line Meaning
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
In order to experience prolonged happiness,
Don't make a pretty woman your wife
do not choose a beautiful woman as a life partner,
So from my personal point of view
Speaking from my own experience,
Get an ugly girl to marry you
it could be beneficial to marry an unattractive woman.
A pretty woman makes her husband look small
When a man marries a beautiful woman, it diminishes his authority,
And very often causes his downfall
which can lead to his demise.
As soon as he marries her, then she starts
Immediately after tying the knot, she begins
Doin' the things that will break his heart
doing things that can tear apart his emotions.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife
However, if you choose a less attractive partner,
You'll be happy for the rest of your life
you may experience happiness throughout your life.
An ugly woman cooks your meals on time
An unattractive woman is more likely to prepare your meals on time,
An she'll always give you peace of mind
and provide you with peace of mind.
See man I saw your wife last night
Hey, I saw your wife yesterday,
And she sure is ugly,
and I must say, she isn't very attractive,
Yeah baby but she sure can cook
but she knows how to cook delicious food.
Oh yeah, let me hear you everybody now
Come on, let's hear it from everyone!
La la la
La la la
La la la
Contributed by Taylor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tonytallow6034
Still listening in 2023
@alvarojr.339
The sound of his Gibson Barney Kessel guitar is awesome! I love Trini, my idol!
@intelizWild
A song ahead of it's time.....
@tixximmi1
Got to see Trini when I was just a kid. Always enjoyed his music. Saw him somewhere live and still have this album that he autographed for me. Must have been early or mid '60s. But somehow I got into Frank Zappa?!?! I wonder what would have happened if Trini got the gig with the Crickets?
@Kaghemsuha
Words of wisdom.
@leeharrell1105
Tune so true
@fuzzenstein
it may not stand these days, but screw it this is too funky.
@intelizWild
I think it's very meaningful these days. 👍🏼
@user-ij5iy7mb2p
A good song
@gritfarrack3850
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰💃💃💃💃💃