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.
Michael
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hallelujah
(x 2)
Sister, help to trim the sails
Hallelujah
(x 2)
Hallelujah
Chills the body, but warms the soul
River is deep, and river is wide
Hallelujah
Milk and honey on the other side
Hallelujah
The song "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" by Trini Lopez is a spiritual song that has been widely sung and interpreted by different artists in many different ways. The lyrics of the song speak of Michael, who is rowing a boat ashore, and the singer asking his sister to help trim the sails. The river they're crossing is the Jordan, which is chilly and cold, but also has the power to warm the soul. The river is deep and wide, but on the other side lies milk and honey, which represent God's promise of abundance and prosperity.
The song can be interpreted in different ways, but most people see it as a metaphor for the journey of life, where Michael represents the individual, the boat represents their life journey, and the Jordan represents the challenges and obstacles that they will face. The call to his sister to help trim the sails represents the need for companionship and support in the journey of life. The reference to the river being chilly and cold, but ultimately warming the soul, represents the transformative power of challenges and hardships in life. The milk and honey on the other side represent the promise of reward and prosperity that comes from persevering through those challenges.
Overall, "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" is a spiritual song that speaks to the human experience of overcoming obstacles and persevering through life's challenges. It's a call to have faith in the journey and to seek out support and companionship along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Michael, row the boat ashore
Michael, continue to row the boat towards the shore.
Hallelujah
Praise the Lord!
Sister, help to trim the sails
Dear sister, assist in adjusting the sails for smooth sailing.
River Jordan's chilly and cold
The River Jordan is cold and frigid.
Chills the body, but warms the soul
The coldness of the river numbs the body yet purifies the soul.
River is deep, and river is wide
The river is expansive and its depth is profound.
Milk and honey on the other side
There is abundant prosperity on the opposite shore of the river.
Hallelujah
Praise the Lord!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALFRED COSTA DOMENICK, LAMBERT FLEMING, TRINI LOPEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alvaro Freitas Jr
Essa é capa do compacto lançado no Brasil em 1964...Foi um grande sucesso do Grande Trini Lopez!
José Américo
Eu tinha esse compacto
bye bye love do outro lado do disco
João Aparecido da Silva Filho
Ô saudade boa de sentir.
Afrikitty
Splendid!
Mery Toste
ETERNAL SUCCESS OF GREAT TRINI LOPEZ.
Mery Toste
How Much I Miss You My Eternal Idol TRINI LOPEZ 🎸 Thanks For Your Amazing Legacy 👏👏👏👏 Unforgettable Brilliant, Singer, Actor, Composer, GibsonTriniLopez 🎸🎸🎸 15/5/1937..11/8/2020
Willem Decades
Thats very long time ago for me and i still got de singel :-)