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.
Then You Know
Trini Lopez Lyrics
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You'll never know just how much I care
And if I tried, I still couldn't hide my love for you
You ought to know, for haven't I told you so
A million or more times?
You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer
I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now
(You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer)
If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now
You'll never know if you don't know now
The lyrics to Trini Lopez's song "Then You Know" express the pain of longing for someone who is no longer there, and the difficulty in hiding the emotions that still remain. The singer confesses to missing and caring deeply for the subject, but wondering if they truly know the extent of their affections, despite having expressed them countless times before. The heartache of being separated from the one they love is clear, as they speak the person's name in every prayer, hoping for some way to prove their love. The final plea to "know now" seems to suggest a desperation and urgency to connect with the subject, to have their mutual feelings acknowledged and returned.
The song could be interpreted as a plea for a past love to return, or for a current partner to recognize the depth of feeling that the singer has. It speaks to the human need to be seen and understood by the people we love, and the pain that comes when that love is unrequited or unrecognized. The sorrowful, soulful tone of Trini Lopez's voice adds to the emotional impact of the lyrics, making the listener feel the longing and heartache that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
You'll never know just how much I miss you
I miss you more than you could ever imagine
You'll never know just how much I care
I care for you more deeply than you could ever understand
And if I tried, I still couldn't hide my love for you
Even if I tried to hide my love for you, it would still be obvious
You ought to know, for haven't I told you so
I've told you repeatedly that I love you, so you should already know
A million or more times?
I've told you countless times
You went away and my heart went with you
When you left, you took my heart with you
I speak your name in my every prayer
I pray for you constantly and your name is always on my lips
If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I'm willing to do anything to prove my love for you
I swear I don't know how
I honestly don't know how to prove my love any further
You'll never know if you don't know now
If you don't realize how much I love you now, you never will
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASON DARR, JACEN DEAN EKSTROM, BRIAN HOWES, MIKE SWEENEY, JAMIE WARREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Esther Apolonio
Even though this is my first time to hear from you this lovely song and the voice never change from the first time I heard and saw in videos, believe me until now I always want to see and hear any wonderful songs and videos from you ❤️ i miss you so much