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.
Sinner Man
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sinner man, has a reputation
Sinner man, known throughout the nation
Sinner man, that's his occupation
Yes, he's a sinner man!
There was a sinner man, who loved and ran away
He had a different girl, for every single day
He'd just pretend, and in the end
He'd leave 'em there, he didn't care
Because he was a sinner man! Ha, Ha!
Repeat Chorus
And then he met a girl, as pretty as could be
He thought he'd break her heart, as quick as one-two-three
He didn't realize, her flashing eyes, would hypnotize, did she surprise him
Could she be the girl who stole, the heart of a sinner man? Ha, Ha!
Repeat Chorus
The wedding day is planned, we're happy as can be
The pretty girl was you, the sinner man was me
La-la, la-la, la-la (repeat 4 times)
Repeat it for me everybody!(repeat la la's 4 times with echo of crowd)
The lyrics of Trini Lopez's song "Sinner Man" tell the story of a man who has a reputation as a sinner and a womanizer. He is known throughout the nation for his occupation as a sinner man. The chorus highlights the fact that being a sinner man is his identity, and he revels in it. The first verse describes how he behaves with women, using lies and alibis to get what he wants from them. He is not interested in commitment; instead, he moves from one woman to another, leaving them behind when he is done. However, things change when he meets a girl who captivates him; she is pretty and cunning, and he thinks he can quickly break her heart. But she surprises him, and he finds himself falling in love with her. The final verse tells us that the sinner man and the pretty girl (who turns out to be the person singing the song) get married, and they are happy together.
The song "Sinner Man" is a commentary on society's acceptance of men's bad behavior towards women in the past. It sheds light on how people used to glorify womanizing and see it as something to be proud of. The lyrics are a reminder that women are not just things to be used and discarded by men. The song is also a commentary on how love can transform someone, even a hardened sinner like the man in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sinner man, has a reputation
The sinner man is known for his actions and everyone is aware of his reputation
Sinner man, known throughout the nation
The reputation of the sinner man has spread far and wide throughout the country
Sinner man, that's his occupation
Being a sinner is what the sinner man does for his livelihood and it's his way of life
Yes, he's a sinner man!
There is no mistaking that the man in question is indeed a sinner
There was a sinner man, who loved and ran away
The sinner man loved to have romantic relationships but as soon as complications arose, he would disappear
He had a different girl, for every single day
The sinner man was a playboy and would engage in relationships with different women every day
He used to tell them lies, and alibis
The sinner man would deceive his partners by making up stories and excuses
He'd just pretend, and in the end
The sinner man would simply act as if nothing had happened, and the relationship would end
He'd leave 'em there, he didn't care
After the relationship was over, the sinner man would leave his partners behind without any remorse or regrets
Because he was a sinner man! Ha, Ha!
The sinner man found amusement in his philandering ways and didn't believe in long-term relationships
And then he met a girl, as pretty as could be
The sinner man met a woman who was incredibly attractive and caught his attention
He thought he'd break her heart, as quick as one-two-three
The sinner man assumed he could easily break the heart of this new woman and move on
He didn't realize, her flashing eyes, would hypnotize, did she surprise him
The sinner man was taken aback by the woman's captivating eyes and was surprised when he fell for her
Could she be the girl who stole, the heart of a sinner man? Ha, Ha!
The sinner man was surprised that he had fallen in love and wondered if this woman could really change his ways
The wedding day is planned, we're happy as can be
The sinner man and the woman he fell in love with are getting married and are ecstatically happy
The pretty girl was you, the sinner man was me
The sinner man is now confessing that the woman he fell in love with was the person singing the song and he is the sinner man himself
La-la, la-la, la-la (repeat 4 times)
Words are replaced with musical la-la sounds indicating a break from the main story
Repeat it for me everybody!(repeat la la's 4 times with echo of crowd)
The singer is requesting the crowd to repeat the same la-la phrases as they did before
Writer(s): Billy Barberis, Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, Bobby Hart, Trini Lopez
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.