Cugat was born Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeo in Girona, Spain. His family immigrated to Cuba when he was five. He trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana.
Sometime between 1915 and 1918, Cugat moved to New York, where he played with a band called "The Gigolos" during the tango craze. Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist (Cugat's caricatures were later nationally syndicated).
In the late 1920s, when sound began to be used in films, Cugat put together a tango band that had some success in early short musical films. By the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. Cugat took his band to New York to open the new Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it became the hotel's resident group.
He shuttled between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next thirty years, alternating hotel and radio dates with movie appearances.
In 1940, he recorded the song Perfidia with singer Miguelito Valdés which became a big hit. Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each were in fashion.
His first marriage in 1952 was to singer, Abbe Lane, they performed together until they divorced in 1964. He married salsa dancer Charo on August 7, 1966; the two were the first couple to marry in the newly opened Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
Cugat did not lose sleep over artistic compromises: "I would rather play
Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve."
Cugat died of heart failure at age 90 in Barcelona, in his native province of Catalonia, Spain.
Begin the Beguine
Xavier Cugat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It brings back the sound of music so tender,
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
It brings back a memory ever green.
I'm with you once more under the stars,
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying
To live it again is past all endeavor,
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
And promising never, never to part.
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
I know but too well what they mean;
So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine.
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
Till you whisper to me once more,
"Darling, I love you!"
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
When they begin the beguine
The lyrics of Xavier Cugat's "Begin the Beguine" describe the nostalgic memories and feelings that arise when hearing the captivating, romantic melody of the beguine dance style. The song's protagonist reminisces about a past lover and a night of "tropical splendor" spent together under the stars, accompanied by the entrancing music of the beguine. The tender lyrics describe a love that was once strong and passionate but has since dispersed, leaving only the memory of the magical moments they shared.
The song's lyrics capture the idea that music can transcend time and space, allowing one to relive emotions and experiences from the past. The beguine music takes the singer back to the moments of pure bliss in his relationship, where he and his lover swear to love each other forever and never part. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics reveal the painful realization that these moments are fleeting, and the love that once burned so brightly has faded away. Instead, the singer asks for the music to remain a mere ember, a fond memory that reminds him of the past but does not disrupt the present.
Line by Line Meaning
When they begin the beguine
As soon as the beguine music starts, memories of the past come flooding back.
It brings back the sound of music so tender,
The music is so sweet that it brings to mind tender emotions.
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
The music reminds the singer of a magical, tropical night he once experienced.
It brings back a memory ever green.
The artist has a special, green memory associated with the beguine.
I'm with you once more under the stars,
The artist imagines being with a loved one under a starry sky.
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
The music of the orchestra fills the shore with a beautiful melody.
And even the palms seem to be swaying
The singer feels as if even the palm trees around them are swaying with the beguine music.
When they begin the beguine.
This chorus line is repeated several times to emphasize the impact of the beguine music.
To live it again is past all endeavor,
It is impossible to relive and recreate that same moment and emotion.
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
Except when the beguine music grabs hold of the artist's heart and emotions.
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
In that moment, the singer and their loved one pledge to love each other forever.
And promising never, never to part.
The pledge to never part and always be together.
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
The singer describes the intensity of that past moment and how divine and serene it felt.
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
Unfortunately, clouds (possibly metaphorical for issues or problems) arrived and ruined the joyous moment and memories.
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
The singer understands how others feel when they regret wasting opportunities or chances in life.
I know but too well what they mean;
The artist can relate to the feeling of wasted chances all too well.
So don't let them begin the beguine
The artist asks for the beguine music to not play again as it would bring back painful memories.
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
The singer asks to let the love that once burned bright remain as a small ember of a memory.
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
The singer suggests to let their past desire rest and become only a distant memory.
When they begin the beguine.
The chorus of the song is repeated once more to emphasize its impact on the artist.
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
Despite their earlier request, the artist gives in to the desire to hear the beguine music again.
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
The artist imagines the stars shining bright as they did before, as if they are part of the beguine experience.
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you!"
The singer longs to hear their loved one whisper those words to them once more.
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
The beguine music transports the artist and their loved one to a heavenly moment they once shared.
When they begin the beguine.
The chorus is repeated for a final time, to emphasize how significant the beguine music is to the singer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mitomino
Xavier Cugat's version of this song is the best one by far!
Don Vito
Que maravilha! De todas versões de Begin the Beguine esta de Mr Cugat é a que mais adoro, orquestração espetacular! Parabéns pela postagem e pelo bom gosto.
José Rode
Don Vito - de acordo com você, um abraço da Bélgica
Jose Malvar
Sem igual! Um arranjo inigualável. Exemplo de orquestra. Uníssona! Obrigado Cugat.
John Doe
This is a fantastic version of Begin the Beguine by Cugat. Like all of his great different versions of a song, this version is really special to me. LOVE IT.
Cesar Cantu
Bela música e interpretação.
John Wong
When it comes to Latin music, we are really really lucky to have 2, I repeat, 2 genius : Xavier Cugat AND Edmundo Ros.
In short, we are having 100% more than any other genre.
Who say we are not blessed?
armando plaza
Suave....Melodiosa pero a la vez con Ritmo..
Un Artista
José Rode
Cet arrangement musical de Begin the beguine est vraiment excellent,
il a été imaginé pour que les danseurs ne puissent résister à l'appel
de la danse et qu'ils entraînent leur cavalière sur la piste, c'est émouvant.
Mes vieilles jambes de + de 80 ans se souviennent et aimeraient encore
se glisser sur la piste au bras d'une jolie dame. Malheureusement ce temps
est révolu , adieu les piste de danse, adieu les grands orchestres, quel
dommage ! het is jammer ! Que pena ! What a pity !
Dukesgal
This arrangement is the best one I've ever heard - other than the original played in the 1940 film, "Broadway Melody of 1940, in which Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire perform an amazing dance routine.