Julio Iglesias, born Julio José Iglesias De La Cueva, is a Spanish singer-songwriter whose particularity, apart from his particularly prosperous artistic career, is to have also been a professional footballer as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid, just that !
But he can also boast of being the artist who has sung in the greatest number of languages to date and of being also the artist of Latin origin who has sold the most records in the world with no less than 250 million of records sold in 14 different languages !
It is a road accident that will ruin his sporting career and force him to convert to singing, a road accident that will prevent him from walking for 2 years and will leave him with many consequences. It is during his convalescence that a nurse will give him a guitar to help him regain the dexterity of his hands. And it is by learning to play it that he will discover a certain talent for music.
His artistic career really started in 1968 when he won the Benidorm International Song Festival with a song called "La vida sigue igual". A title that allows him to be noticed by the label Discos Columbia, the Spanish subsidiary of the world famous label Columbia Records. Label which allows him to release a year later in 1969 his first album called "Yo canto".
Album which will be a real hit in Spain and propel the young singer on the front of the stage in a shattering way. So much so that he was chosen to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970, where he finished in the very honorable 4th place with a title called "Gwendolyne". The same title that will finish N°1 of the Spanish Charts that year.
It was in 1971 that his fame began to reach beyond the Spanish borders when the title "Un canto à Galicia" was released, a title which would make him known throughout the Old Continent. A title that will sell more than a million copies in Germany alone ! European success confirmed in 1972 with the title "Rio Rebelde" which, too, will be popular with the public.
A major turning point took place in 1974 when the title "Manuela" was released, a title that would propel him to a level of global notoriety unprecedented for him. New notorious successes with the release of the albums "A put 33 anos" in 1977 and "Emociones" in 1978, two albums which will work mainly in all the countries with Hispanic language. Two albums which, paradoxically, will not produce any major hits.
The very end of the 1970s saw him change his strategy, a much more globalist strategy that saw him begin to sing in different languages, including French. A reorientation which benefits him in particular on titles like “Pauvres Diables” but also, and especially, “Je n'ai pas changé”, two enormous Singles taken from the album “A vous les femmes”, which both come out in 1979 and which allowed him to become a real star in France.
The early 1980s saw him release the album "Hey !", album which became his first big success in the USA. Album which will mainly produce the Single of the same name. At the same time, he released the album "Sentimental", an album which saw him triumph once again in France with the title "Il faut toujours un perdant".
The year 1981 saw the release of 2 albums : "De niña a mujer", an album in tribute to his daughter and "Begin the beguine", two albums which enabled him to record his first big hits across the Channel. Albums which will mainly produce the titles "Begin the beguine" and "Quiéreme mucho (Yours)".
Success confirmed and amplified a year later in 1982 with the release of the album "Momentos", an album which took the artist to an unprecedented level of worldwide popularity. The singer becomes one of the biggest phenomena of the moment, notably thanks to the title "Amor".
But that's without counting on the album “1100 Bel Air Place” which came out in 1984, an album which was to be a huge success throughout the Anglo-Saxon sphere, selling over 3 million copies nothing than in the United States and produce the mega hit “To all the girls I've loved before”. The flagship single of the album, which he performed as a duet with Willie Nelson.
The album will produce another top hit with the track "All of you" which he will always perform as a duet but this time with a woman and not least since it will be Diana Ross.
New successful album in 1985 with "Libra", album which paradoxically will not produce any hit worthy of the name. We will therefore have to wait for the release of the album "Un hombre solo" in 1987 to see it make a resounding return to the race thanks to the Singles "Lo mejor de tu vida" and "Que no se rompa la noche".
New luxury duo in 1988 with Stevie Wonder on the track "My love", track taken from the album "Non stop". Album and Singles which give him a new star of high class to his already fairly extensive track record.
The end of the 80s saw the release of a new album "Raices", an album that will struggle with difficulty and which will only produce a minor hit with the title "Caballo viejo". A decade of the 1980s that will end in a much less brilliant way than it started.
The following decade began in a much more favorable way with the release in 1990 of the album "Starry night", an album with certain success but which, once again, struggled to produce any hit.
The album "Calor" which came out 2 years later in 1992 will not do much better and it will therefore be necessary to wait for the release of the album "Crazy" in 1994 to see him finally return to success on the Singles side thanks to the huge Single which bears the name of the album.
New big hits on the album side with the releases of "La carretera" in 1995 but also, and above all, "Tango" in 1996. But like most of the previous albums, they hardly produced any global class hits.
Despite this, the great adventure will continue for the next decade, but that's another story.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
60s Decade :
La vida sigue igual 1968
No llores, mi amor 1968
Yo canto 1969
70s Decade :
Chiquilla 1970
Gwendolyne 1970
En un rincón del desván 1971
Un canto a Galicia 1971
Rio Rebelde 1972
Minueto 1973
A flor de piel 1974
Manuela 1974
Abrázame 1975
Quiero 1975
El amor 1975
Júrame 1976
Soy un truhán, soy un señor 1977
Le monde est fou, le monde est beau 1978
Me olvidé de vivir 1978
Quiéreme 1978
Pauvres diables 1979
Où est passé ma bohème ? 1979
Je n'ai pas changé 1979
80s Decade :
Il faut toujours un perdant 1980
Begin the beguine 1981
De niña a mujer 1981
Quiéreme mucho (Yours) 1981
Amor 1982
All of you 1984
Moonlight lady 1984
To all the girls I’ve loved before 1984
Ni te tengo, ni te olvido 1985
Intentando otra vez enamorarte 1987
Lo major de tu vida 1987
Que no se rompa la noche 1987
I know it's over 1988
My love 1988
Caballo viejo/Bamboléo 1989
90s Decade :
Crazy 1994
Fragile 1994
When you tell me that you love me 1994
Agua dulce, agua salá 1995
Baila morena 1995
La carretera 1995
El dia que me quieras 1996
Pudes llegar 1996
La gota fria 1998
2000s Decade :
Dos corazones, dos historias 2000
Gozar la vida 2000
Mal acostumbrado 2000
Me siento de aqui 2001
Una donna puo cambiar la vita 2001
Como han pasado los anos 2003
Corazon de papel 2003
El bacalao 2003
Qué ganaste 2003
Echame a mi la culpa 2004
L'homme que je suis 2005
Everybody's talking 2006
I want to know what love is 2006
Donner 2007
De vous à moi 2007
Quelque chose de France 2007
2010s Decade :
Usted 2015
Fallaste corrazon 2015
Ella 2015
Tracks :
1968 ... end of professional football career, welcome to singing career. And the least we can say is that fate gave him a hell of a gift by making him stop playing football ...
1968 ... it is clear that he was always made to be a singer. His talent bursts the screen, just like his physique of the most advantageous. And this is only the beginning !
1969 ... a decade of the 60s which saw him blossom and during which he quickly established himself as one of the big revelations of the moment ...
1970 ... a positioning on the register romantic ballad more and more obvious. And which will very quickly become its trademark ...
1970 ... the competition that will allow him to appear for the first time on the international scene. Even if he will not win this Eurovision Song Contest, he will still have won everything in terms of notoriety ...
1971 ... a year of transition which will allow him to capitalize on Eurovision and especially to start to make seriously talk about him internationally ...
1971 ... and his first international success, here it is. We felt that he really did not lack much to pass in the big leagues ...
1972 ... the rise in power is obvious but it still lacks THE title that will explode its notoriety. Patience, patience ...
1973 ... it won't be that time yet. But it is clear that everything is now ready for the big fireworks display ...
1974 ... a year 1974 which started quietly and which was to end in apotheosis. It's all really starting to smell good ...
1974 ... the end of the year in apotheosis, here it is ! He delivers here an enormous title which will literally explode his career, both literally and figuratively. The Julio legend is now on !
1975 ... nothing and no one can stop the singer's rise to the top from now on. Especially when we see, especially when we hear, the melodic quality of the titles he now produces. MA-GIC !
1975 ... even if his goodwill will always remain the high-end Intimist, it is clear that he also ensures particularly in the Festive register with this for the less astonishing cover of Narciso Yepes' flagship title "Romance" (which will forever remain the incredible soundtrack of the film 'Forbidden Games'). Versatility displayed worthy of the greatest !
1975 ... when Julio revisits Daniel Guichard dating from 1973. And yes, at this stage, the first is a little less well known than the second. Thing that will not last of course ...
1976 ... the 'Julio' style is now perfectly in place. All that remains is to unroll and to unroll, that will unroll. And the word is weak...
1977 ... a truly unique 'Latin lover' style that will forever be his strong point. What is certain is that no one will ever be able to compete with him ...
1978 ... the French version of its title 'A veces tu, a veces yo' dating from 1975. A French version which will almost supplant the original. It is to say ...
1978 ... this time Julio revisits Johnny Hallyday from the previous year. This version of 'J'ai oublié de vivre' holds up perfectly, to say the least !
1978 ... here he is even trying his hand at Disco, the latest trends oblige. And my faith, even in this area, he ensures. A style versatility worthy of the greatest ...
1979 ... THE title which will literally explode its notoriety in France. He becomes with this title the darling of housewives under 50 years old and it is set to last a few years. HU-GE !
1979 ... every title that comes out immediately turns into solid gold. At least those released in France ...
1979 ... but if there is one title that will forever be the symbol of its omnipotence, it is this title. At the height of its power of attraction, he delivers here a very simple title but with oh so formidable effectiveness !
1980 ... but that's without counting on THIS title. He is definitely establishing his complete domination over the French musical landscape of the moment and certainly does not intend to stop there
1981 ... you have to go back to 1938 to find the original of this song, that is to say. This revisited version of the title of Artie Shaw And His Orchestra holds up very well and allows the fop to obtain his first mega success of the decade
1981 ... a pretty and simple ballad which will not remain as its biggest success but which largely holds the road. We will be satisfied ...
1981 ... in the series of titles that go back to the creation of the world, here comes this revisited version of a title from Spain dating from the 1910s. And like all the covers he has offered until then, that works again !
1982 ... new revisited version of a title from ancient times. This time, it is the title of Gabriel Ruiz, whose first version dates from 1944 and was interpreted by Bing Crosby, which he brings up to date. Good pick once again !
1984 ... after a mixed year 1983, the singer is back in force in this year 1984 and gives us this tailor-made duo on a platter. Obviously, with a partner of the caliber of Diana Ross, we suspected that the result would be enormous. And it must be !
1984 ... a BIG 1984 with a plethora of titles and a Julio at his best. In these conditions, success can only be there. And not low cost success, XXL success !
1984 ... duets that definitely bring him luck, and it doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman. He revisits here the title of Albert Hammond dating from 1975 and lands a new mega hit in passing. Mega hit which will unfortunately be the last ...
1985 ... after a year 1984 when everything will have smiled on him, the year 1985 will seem somewhat pale with a level of success in free fall. And yet, it is far from unworthy. The proof with this high-quality Intimist title ...
1987 ... new air hole during the year 1986 and return in a certain form in this year 1987. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to reverse the tendency durably ...
1987 ... only the United States still pays him a little attention. It is clear that the best is now behind him. What was its strength yesterday is now its weakness at the end of the decade ...
1987 ... his style is now really outdated. At the time of drum machines and everything electronic, it is clear that he can no longer fight on equal terms ...
1988 ... he still tries to stick a minimum to the latest trends of the moment but the delay with the competition is now impossible to fill ...
1988 ... it's a new luxury duo that will save the end of the decade. All the mega hits that he will have obtained during this decade of the 1980s will have been obtained at 2. Thank you, my friends !
1989 ... he tries everything for everything while trying his hand at Gypsy music. Well tried but that will not be enough to put him back afloat ...
1994 ... the 1980s turned out to be much more complicated to go through than expected for the fop. The 1990s will be even more so. He will save the furniture with this cover of Billie Nelson's title written for Patsy Cline and dating from 1961. Thank you again buddies !
1994 ... so this time, Julio, we say thank you who ? Well thank you Sting ! Despite this, even star duos no longer pay and the success of this title will be very limited ...
1994 ... this one will unfortunately not do better. The luxury duos have reached their limit concerning him and that is no longer enough to ensure the minimum. When it doesn't want anymore, it doesn't want anymore ...
1995 ... he tries to explore all possible avenues and tries out all possible and imaginable Latino styles. It starts from a good feeling but there is only him to believe it ...
1995 ... an adventure that continues for good. We can only salute this desire to move forward again and again and this despite an obvious disaffection on the part of the public ...
1995 ... it is clear that we are getting closer and closer to the exit door but with him, anything is always possible. Especially when he delivers titles of this quality ...
1996 ... it is clear that the best is behind but that does not prevent him from continuing to deliver us titles of more than certain quality. Never finished the Julio !
1996 ... it's even better together ! More the merrier, the merrier ! The kind of meeting that often produces exceptional headlines. Well, this will not be the case for this one but it largely holds up !
1998 ... a decade of 90 which saw him never give up. A desire to never let go which commands respect and which shows above all that with him, anything is possible. See you next decade ...
2000...there he is beginning his 5th decade of career, all in 100% male duo mode. An exceptional longevity for an artist who is no less...
2000...especially since he still manages to appear in the Charts, which underlines all the more the feat achieved. Certainly in Latinos Chats but still...
2000...there is quantity and quality, which does not spoil anything, quite the contrary. Always in this style that will forever remain its trademark but we won't remake him again as they say...
2001... not easy all the same to attract the younger generations with this style of music. After not sure if this is the kind of audience he is looking for in particular...
2001...we're not going to lie to each other, the best years are now behind him. The successes will become increasingly rare, it is clear...
2003... when you see this kind of title, who would dare to tell him that everything is settled and that he will never come back to the front of the race again. Not many people, that's for sure...
2003...while we think that the exit door is fast approaching, he always manages to show us that everything is possible as long as we believe in it. The proof with this title which allows him to return once again to the Charts...
2003...an early 2000 decade rich in titles and which shows above all that he has absolutely no intention of letting go. A desire to move forward at all costs which undoubtedly commands respect...
2003... a style that does not correspond to the standards of the moment but that does not bother him in any way. He will continue in his own way until the end...
2004...the deceleration will suddenly accelerate from this title. The titles will become increasingly rare, as will the successes...
2005...we suspected that it was not going to continue like this for decades and that at some point things were going to deteriorate. This is now the case...
2006... when nothing is going well what could be better than a good album of covers starting with this revisited version of Fred Neil's title dating from 1966. A revisited version a little too close to the original unfortunately and which does not won't add much more...
2006... it's the turn of the Foreigners and their title dating from 1984 to have his favours. As for the previous title, his version will not really transcend a title that almost cannot be...
2007... more and more titles talk about his private thoughts and above all about what he has succeeded - or not - in his life. Time for the balance sheets as they say...
2007...a particularly inspired album which shows once again that with him nothing is ever over. We definitely want more...
2007...a beautiful tribute to France which will always remain for him a country dear to his heart. A fair return for a country that will have always supported him and will have made part of his glory and his fortune...
2015...big air hole of 8 years but here he is again. He will come back during each decade and this as long as he has the strength to do so...
2015...it's the basic fans who are delighted to see him come back again and again. It must be said that the adventure between him and them has been going on for quite a while...
2015...will this title be the last ? With him, we now know, everything is always possible. So we imagine that we risk finding him again later...
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Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :