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.
sad tomorrows
Trini Lopez Lyrics
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I've had my share of heartache and sorrow
Please go away, end it today
I′ll only be hurt if you stay, if you stay
When lovers part, it's a sad day
The sun grows cold, the sky turns grey
This is goodbye, I try not to cry
I know that I
Will have to forget all about you
And I must try
'Cause I know that you′ll break my heart
I don′t want no sad tomorrows
I've had my share of heartache and sorrow
Please go away, end it today
I′ll only be hurt if you stay, if you stay
Please go away, end it today
Please go away, hear what I say
Please go away
The lyrics of Trini Lopez's "Sad Tomorrows" paint a picture of a person who is tired of heartbreak and wants to put an end to it. The singer pleads for his partner to leave him, as he is afraid of the pain that will inflict him if their relationship continues. In the opening lines, he exclaims that he is done with sad moments of tomorrow and does not want any more of them. Although he has experienced a lot of heartaches and sorrow, he wants to avoid any more of it by parting ways with his lover now. He believes staying together will only result in more severe hurt.
The heart-rending lyrics continue, and he acknowledges the pain that comes with parting lovers, describing the day as being gloomy and cold, with the sky turning grey. Like most people who have lost love, he fights back tears but feels the pain inside. He then acknowledges that he knows he will have to let go of his love and forget about her to avoid heartbreak. In the last lines, he pleads with his partner to leave and end the relationship today, so he is not hurt anymore.
Line by Line Meaning
I don′t want no sad tomorrows
I am tired of feeling sad and hurt about the future. I want to move on from this emotional pain.
I've had my share of heartache and sorrow
I have already experienced plenty of pain and sadness from lost love.
Please go away, end it today
I am asking you to leave me now, so that I do not suffer any more than I already have.
I′ll only be hurt if you stay, if you stay
Staying together will only result in more pain and heartbreak for me.
When lovers part, it's a sad day
Separation from a lover is a sorrowful time for both individuals.
The sun grows cold, the sky turns grey
The world around me feels cold and empty when I am no longer with my partner.
This is goodbye, I try not to cry
I am saying goodbye to my partner, and I am trying to hold back my tears.
But this????? deep inside, deep inside
Despite my effort to seem strong, I am feeling an intense sadness deep within my soul.
I know that I
I am aware that
Will have to forget all about you
In order to move on, I must forget all about you and our relationship.
And I must try
It is important for me to make an attempt to move on.
'Cause I know that you′ll break my heart
I am aware that continuing a relationship with you will ultimately result in more heartbreak for me.
Please go away, hear what I say
I am pleading with you to listen to my request to end things between us.
Please go away
Please leave me alone to heal from the emotional pain I have already experienced.
Writer(s): Jerry Marcellino, John Greenbach
Contributed by Grayson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.