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.
Tico-Tico
Xavier Cugat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The places we were put and the things we were given
He sings what they talk
But they took away are pride but they didn't take our lives
They took away the things that made us feel alive
Said, "Ooh ooh, what have we become?
What have we become?"
Said, "Ooh ooh, how did this become?
In old woman we flex from the East to the West
She thinks of her grandmother and her grandfather
And strings that they had
Now she looks to the arm, saw them sniffing on their drugs
The drink in there has stolen so many souls
And flooded her sacred blood
She says, "Ooh ooh, what have we become?
What have we become?"
She says, "Ooh ooh, how did this become?
How did this become?"
She says, "Ooh ooh, the bottle took away my son
It took away my son"
She says, "Ooh ooh, where are we gonna run?
What have we become?"
She says, "Ooh ooh, what have we become?
What have we become?"
She says, "Ooh ooh, how did this become?
How did this become?"
She says, "Ooh ooh, see the bottle took away my son
It took away my son"
She says, "Ooh ooh, where are we gonna run?
What have we become?"
It is clear that the lyrics of Tico Tico convey a sense of loss and despair caused by societal issues such as drugs and alcohol. The song describes how the people living in certain places and circumstances have been stripped of their pride and the things that make them feel alive. The singer questions how society has reached this point, and what they have become. The lyrics are not just about personal struggles but also societal issues that take away the identity of a community.
The second part of the song focuses on an older woman who reflects on her past and the losses she has suffered. She remembers her grandparents and the strings that they had, which are now lost. She talks about how addiction has stolen the lives of many, including her son, and the despair it has brought to her community. The lyrics are a lament to the broken dreams of people living in such situations, and the loss of identity and culture that goes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
The places that we live and the living that we did
The circumstances in which we exist and the experiences we have had
He sings what they talk
He expresses in song what they express in conversation
But they took away are pride but they didn't take our lives
They stripped us of our dignity, but we survived
They took away the things that made us feel alive
They deprived us of the sources of enjoyment and fulfillment
Said, "Ooh ooh, what have we become?
Exclaimed with concern, 'What have we turned into?'
Said, "Ooh ooh, how did this become?
Expressed surprise and bewilderment, 'How did we get here?'
In old woman we flex from the East to the West
A wise elder reflects on the changes that have occurred across vast regions
She thinks of her grandmother and her grandfather
She recalls the knowledge and traditions passed down to her from her ancestors
And strings that they had
The connections and relationships that they possessed
Now she looks to the arm, saw them sniffing on their drugs
She observes with dismay the destructive habits of others
The drink in there has stolen so many souls
The excessive use of alcohol has claimed numerous lives
And flooded her sacred blood
And polluted the purity of her heritage
She says, "Ooh ooh, the bottle took away my son
She laments with sadness, 'Alcohol addiction caused the death of my child'
She says, "Ooh ooh, where are we gonna run?
She questions with despair, 'Where can we escape to?'
She says, "Ooh ooh, what have we become?
She ponders with regret, 'How have we deteriorated?'
She says, "Ooh ooh, how did this become?
She wonders with disbelief, 'How did this happen?'
She says, "Ooh ooh, see the bottle took away my son
She repeats with sorrow, 'My child was lost to alcohol'
She says, "Ooh ooh, where are we gonna run?
She asks with helplessness, 'What options do we have?'
Writer(s): Aloysio Oliveira, Erwin Drake, Zequinha de Abreu
Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@guau-guau4696
Dios, una versión única del genio Cugat, maravilloso. Gracias.
@lrh1966
Thanks Charlie for giving it a listen and have a great day from Lloyd.
@yvaeltercero301
Lo mas grande que se ha escuchado en música Tropical; rumba, merengue, etc. Fabuloso Xavier Cugat.
@lrh1966
Thanks Anibal for listening and have an awesome holiday season from Lloyd.
@miguelangelochoarivas9330
Cugat una leyenda... El mambo, Guaguancó y cha cha cha le debe mucho a este catalán.. Que grande!!!
@lrh1966
Thanks Miguel for listening and have a great day from Lloyd.
@maynardcat
Great tune one of my favorites. I have this Xavier Cugat album.
@carricksmom
THANK YOU!!! I Love this song!!!
@TheRichie63
Heck yeah... got me dancing through out the house
@lrh1966
Have a great weekend Rich and thanks for checking it out from Lloyd :)