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Ríe y Llora

Celia Cruz · 2003 · written by Sergio George & Fernando Osorio, from the album Regalo del Alma

Celia Cruz's farewell, recorded after surgery for a brain tumor: laugh, cry, hold on tight, and enjoy it all, because everyone's time comes.

The story

  1. 1.Now

    What's good today might not be tomorrow, she says. What counts is the moment, the perfect present. When an opportunity comes, it's up to you to climb on.

  2. 2.Laugh, cry

    So hold on tight and don't let go. Laugh and cry, because everyone's time comes. Live your life and enjoy all of it.

  3. 3.Forgiving

    Everything is relative. It isn't that she remembers, it's that she doesn't forget, and that's what forgiveness is: remembering without pain.

  4. 4.Still here

    At the end she laughs and boasts over the coro: this little Black woman never goes out of style.

Key phrases

  • “que a cada cual le llega su hora”Everyone's hour comesLlegar la hora is when your time comes, to die. Knowing when she sang it, the line hits hard, and she sings it smiling.
  • “vive tu vida y gózala toda”Live your life and enjoy all of itGozar is to enjoy, to have a great time: salsa's favorite verb.
  • “Agárrate fuerte y ya no te sueltes”Hold on tight and don't let goHer advice when an opportunity comes along.
  • “recordar sin dolor”Remembering without painHer definition of forgiveness: it isn't forgetting, it's remembering without it hurting.
  • “esta negrita no pasa de moda”This little Black woman never goes out of styleNegrita is an affectionate word for a Black woman, and Celia used it for herself proudly. It's a boast, and it came true.

Context

Written by the producer Sergio George with Fernando Osorio, it was the first single from Regalo del Alma, “a gift from the soul”, Celia Cruz's last album.

In December 2002 a brain tumor forced Celia to stop. After surgery she went back to the studio and recorded the album in early 2003. She died on July 16, 2003, at 77; the album came out two weeks later, and it won the Grammy for Best Salsa/Merengue Album.

The single spent eleven weeks at number one on Billboard's Tropical chart, and it became her farewell: a woman who knew her time was short, telling everyone to laugh, cry and live.

On the dance floor

Bright, modern and joyful, with a “la-la-la” the whole room sings. Near the start comes her famous cry: “¡Azúcar!”, “sugar!”.

The chorus comes early and keeps coming back. In the last part Celia improvises over the coro with the playful swagger she had for fifty years.

This is our own retelling of the song, not its lyrics or a translation of them: the few short phrases quoted are there to explain what they mean. The song belongs to its writer, Sergio George & Fernando Osorio.