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.
temptation
Xavier Cugat Lyrics
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I should have known you were temptation
You smiled, luring me on
My heart was gone, you were temptation
It would be thrilling
If you were willing
If it can never be
Pity me for you are temptation and I am yours
Here is my heart, take it and say
We'll never part
I'm just a slave
Only a slave to you, temptation
You were born to be kissed
I can't resist.
You are temptation and I am yours
Here is my heart, take it and say
We'll never part
I'm just a slave
Only a slave to you, temptation
The lyrics to Temptation by Xavier Cugat describe a situation where the singer has been lured in by someone they find irresistible. The singer acknowledges that they should have known that this person was temptation and is aware that they have fallen for their charm. There is a sense of desperation as the singer admits that they would be willing to risk everything for this person if it was possible. This desperation is felt even more intensely in the lines, "Here is my heart, take it and say we'll never part. I'm just a slave, only a slave to you, temptation." It is clear that this person has a hold on the singer and that they are powerless to resist.
The lyrics are beautifully poetic in their description of someone who is being drawn towards a dangerous and destructive love. The sense of longing and desire that permeates the lines is palpable, and the way that the lyrics describe the power that this person holds over the singer is both compelling and heartbreaking. In many ways, the lyrics to Temptation are a testament to the enduring power of desire, even in the face of all the negative consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
You came, I was alone
When you arrived, I had no one else around me
I should have known you were temptation
I should have known that you would be a source of temptation
You smiled, luring me on
Your smile enticed me and led me further into temptation
My heart was gone, you were temptation
You had a hold on my heart and I couldn't resist the temptation you presented
It would be thrilling
I could find it exciting
If you were willing
If you were willing to reciprocate my feelings for you
If it can never be
If we can never be together in the way I desire
Pity me for you are temptation and I am yours
Have compassion for me because I am completely caught up in my desire for you
Here is my heart, take it and say
My heart belongs to you, accept it and promise that we will always be together
We'll never part
We will always be together
I'm just a slave
I am completely under your control
Only a slave to you, temptation
I am completely under your control because you are too much of a temptation for me to resist
You were born to be kissed
You were created to be the object of affection and to be kissed by someone like me
I can't resist.
I cannot hold back my desire for you
You are temptation and I am yours
You are the source of temptation for me and I am ready to be yours
Here is my heart, take it and say
My heart is yours to take and keep
We'll never part
We will always be together
I'm just a slave
I am completely under your control
Only a slave to you, temptation
I am completely under your control because you are too much of a temptation for me to resist
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LARRY JOHNSON, LARRY CURTIS JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John
on Oye Negra
His first wif, Carmen Castillo was his greatest vocalist.