SINGING IN SPANISH
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
THUNDER ROARS
VOICES AND LAUGHTER
SHE SPEAKS SPANISH
MALE VOICE SPEAKS SPANISH
Celia Cruz is the best-loved and most famous singer in the whole of Latin America,
the undisputed queen of salsa.
She is a household name from Buenos Aires to Mexico City,
but she lives in New York and has done for over 25 years.
THEY SING IN SPANISH
She was born in Cuba and became one of the most popular performers
in the exotic nightclubs and cabarets of old Havana.
After the revolution, she left and has never returned.
Back home, like all voluntary exiles, she's persona non grata with the Castro regime.
Meanwhile, 69 LPs later, in a city that is now one fifth Hispanic,
she remains the child of her Cuban background
and her songs continue to embody the spirit of Latin America
and of Cuba in particular.
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
'I think she is some kind of a goddess, in a way.
'She's African, she's the Catholic religion that came from Spain,
'she's the music that comes from the Caribbean.
'I think it's a matter of spirit.'
I'm telling you, I'm not a believer, you know.
Um...
I'm not a believer. I don't, you know...
I try to say I'm not, but the influence is so strong that, um, it affects you.
And she is that spirit.
SHE SINGS
KNOCK AT DOOR
DOG BARKS
SHE LAUGHS
Ow!
SHE LAUGHS
SHE SINGS
DRUMMING AND SINGING
SINGING BEGINS
SHE SINGS ALONG WITH THE RECORD
SONG CONTINUES
UPBEAT SINGING
ON TELEVISION
This is Elegua in lucumi.
SMALL OBJECTS ARE SHAKEN, THEN DROPPED
THEY SING IN SPANISH
SHE SINGS IN SPANISH
BACKGROUND NOISE DROWNS SPEECH
# La la-da-da
# La-da-da
# La-la-la
# Love me with all your heart
# That's all I want, love
# Love me with all your heart
# Or not at all
# Just give it to me
# And I give you all my kisses
# All my kisses
# Every winter, every fall... #
SHE CONTINUES IN SPANISH
# ..Don't give me your love
# For a moment like this For an hour
# Love me always
# As I love you... #
SHE CONTINUES IN SPANISH
# ..With every beat of my heart... #
MALE VOICE SPEAKS
THUNDER ROARS
SINGING IN SPANISH
'Oh, I love her!
'Celia Cruz?
'She's my heart! Oh, God bless her!
'Her music just stands all over the world.'
'Of course I like her.'
I love the way she dances, I like the way she sings, especially with Pacheco.
'Celia Cruz? Oh, yeah.'
She's the best, Celia Cruz. She's a good singer and we all love her.
'Everybody that speaks Spanish loves Celia Cruz.
'She is one of the best remembered in our heart
'for everything she has done.'
APPLAUSE
Congratulations!
THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH
SHE SINGS
LAUGHTER
We were all aware of Celia way before she came to this country
and when she got here, of course, the music was already into her
and she was into us too.
We were very fortunate. It was good timing for her to come at that time,
when we were able to respond to her needs and her creativeness as a singer.
Of course, Johnny was also involved as a top orchestra leader at the time too.
The whole atmosphere was very conducive to her arriving in the country at that time.
In this music, we have...
Tito had a Mexican saxophone player, a Dominican, Cuban,
and we have all nationalities. Jewish. Jewish.
When we got sick, they used to bring chicken soup.
You know, we had a conglomeration of individuals from all the islands and it's like a sauce.
We blend together and we took the whole thing and put it under one roof
and we called it salsa.
Yeah? Frank Sinatra.
Saludos. I'm Mauricio Gerson.
The 1980s has been the decade for Hispanic music and dance.
Record sales are reaching a new high
and Latin music can be heard on American radios, commercials, movies
and even on the country's number one television programme, The Cosby Show.
Madonna and many other non-Hispanic stars
are recording with Latin rhythms,
while Hispanic artists like Los Lobos are gaining in popularity.
'Celia Cruz is the people's choice.
'In the 1980s, she is again dominating the Latin music scene.
'She is the queen of Latin music and Tito Puente is the king.'
THEY SING IN SPANISH
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Thank you very much.
SHE SPEAKS IN SPANISH
MUSIC ON PIANO: "The Flea Waltz"
SHE SINGS IN SPANISH
SPOKEN:
SHE SINGS
AUDIENCE SINGS
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
# Celia Cruz
# Celia Cruz... #
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Celia Cruz! Tito Puente!
Johnny Pacheco! Frankie Figueroa! Pedro Knight!
The Tito Puente Orchestra!
Celia Cruz!
Tito Puente!
Johnny Pacheco!
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk