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.
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm standing here beside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
Taxi's waiting, he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry
So kiss me and smile for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, let me kiss you
The close your eyes and I'll be on my way
Dream about the days, the days to come
When I won't have to leave you alone
About that time I won't have to say
Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Ah, hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
I won't be back again
Leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Trini Lopez's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a bittersweet farewell to a lover he hopes to return to. In the first verse, he describes his physical preparedness to leave, but emotional reluctance to say goodbye; he hates waking her up to break the news of his imminent departure, and already feels the pang of loneliness. The second verse touches on his own regrets for letting her down, but affirms that his love for her is genuine and persistent. The final verse is both a farewell and a promise to return, with him asking her to dream about their future together when he won't have to leave her alone anymore.
One of the key themes is the idea of separation, a temporary reality that Lopez frames as a necessary step towards building a stronger future for their love. In this sense, the song is not just a love song, but a hopeful statement about the persistence and endurance of love even through physical distance, which speaks to universal human experiences rather than just personal ones. The song's popularity can be attributed to both its catchy tune and relatable message of parting.
Line by Line Meaning
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I have packed all my stuff and I'm prepared to leave.
I'm standing here beside your door
I am next to your door, about to leave for the airport.
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
I do not want to disturb you from your sleep just to bid you farewell.
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
It is dawn and time to leave in the morning.
Taxi's waiting, he's blowin' his horn
The taxi driver is waiting for me outside and honking the horn to hurry me up.
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry
I am already feeling sad and lonely, and it makes me want to cry.
So kiss me and smile for me
Give me a kiss and a smile to take with me on my journey.
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Promise me that you will wait for me while I am gone.
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hug me as if you will never let me go.
I'm leaving on a jet plane
I am departing on an airplane.
Don't know when I'll be back again
I am unsure when I will return.
Oh babe, I hate to go
I do not want to leave you, my love.
There's so many times I've let you down
I have disappointed or failed you a lot of times in the past.
So many times I've played around
I have been unfaithful or disloyal to you on multiple occasions.
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
I am telling you now that all those actions do not really have any importance to me.
Every place I go, I think of you
Wherever I am, I am reminded of you.
Every song I sing, I sing for you
All the songs I sing, I sing them for you and your love.
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring
When I return, I will marry you and make sure that everybody knows that you are my spouse.
Now the time has come to leave you
I have to say goodbye to you because it's time to go.
One more time, let me kiss you
Let me give you one last kiss before I leave.
Then close your eyes and I'll be on my way
Close your eyes, and by the time you open them, I will be already gone.
Dream about the days, the days to come
Think about the future days when we will be together again.
When I won't have to leave you alone
When I no longer have to depart and leave you by yourself.
About that time I won't have to say
I will not have to say goodbye for the time being.
Ah, hold me like you'll never let me go
Hug me like you never want to let me go.
I won't be back again
I am not sure if and when I will be able to return.
Leaving on a jet plane
I am departing on a plane.
I don't know when I'll be back again
I do not know when I will be able to come back again.
Contributed by Tyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.