"Contigo En La Distancia" (''With you in the distance'') is a

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

which was written by the

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

singer-songwriter

César Portillo de la Luz César Portillo de la Luz (October 31, 1922May 4, 2013) was a Cuban musician, lyricist and composer. Born in Havana, Cuba, Portillo is credited with founding the '' filin'' music genre. ''The Miami Herald'' described Portillo as "a fundamental aut ...

when he was 24 years old. It was written in the year 1946. Nowadays it is one of the most acclaimed boleros in Cuban music, having been interpreted by a multitude of singers such as

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa ...

Pablo Milanés Pablo Milanés Arias (24 February 1943 – 22 November 2022) was a Cuban guitar player and singer. He was one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola. His music, originating in the Trova, Son and o ...

Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style h ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer and actor. Born into a family of musicians, José began his musical career in his early teens playing guitar and sin ...

María Dolores Pradera María Dolores Fernández Pradera OAXS, MMT (29 August 1924 – 28 May 2018) was a Spanish melodic singer and actress, and one of the most famous voices in Spain and Latin America. She started her career as an actress and during the 1950s she ...

and

Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright linde ...

, among others.

Background and composition

"Contigo en la Distancia" was written by Cuban guitarist César Portillo de la Luz. Born in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

to a cigar-roller, Portillo taught himself play the guitar. At first, he painted houses to earn his living and would listen to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

while working. Portillo de la Luz was introduced to filin (a form of

music influenced by jazz) by '' trovador'' musician Angel Díaz when Portillo de la Luz was performing at a friend's house. Diaz invited Portillo de la Luz to perform with the rest of the filin musicians at the Callejón de Hemmel. In 1946, he made his debut as a professional guitar player on radio and a weekly slot on

Radio Mil Diez Radio Mil Diez (or Radio 1010) was a radio station broadcasting from Havana, Cuba, owned by the Popular Socialist Party (PSP). Radio Mil Diez broadcast for five years, between 1943-1948, and played an important role in shaping contemporary Cuban ...

followed, which increased his popularity. "Contigo en la Distancia", recorded in the same year, was released when filin was gaining popularity in Cuba. Portillo de la Luz's recording of the song was included on a compilation album titled ''Un Momento con Portillo de la Luz''.

Performers

Luis Miguel version

Mexican singer

released the 1991 album ''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'', which was produced by Miguel and Mexican singer-songwriter

Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican Maya peoples, Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the ...

, and included a selection of classic boleros. The success of the album revived the interest for bolero, even though the new musical arrangements of the songs make them unrecognizable. ''Romance'' received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for

Best Latin Pop Performance The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors i ...

(which it lost to

Jon Secada Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fus ...

's ''

Otro Día Más Sin Verte ''Otro Día Más Sin Verte'' ( en, Another Day Without Seeing You), also called ''Sentir'' ( en, Feel) in Spain, is the Spanish-language debut album by Cuban singer Jon Secada. It was released on October 6, 1992 by EMI Latin to coincide with ...

''), was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and sold seven million copies worldwide. "Contigo en la Distancia" was released as the album's third single in Mexico in July 1992. The music video for song was directed by Pedro Torres and filmed in Miami, it features Miguel and an orchestra performing in front of a building. Mark Holston reviewed Miguel's cover version positively in the magazine ''Américas'' as "among the great ballads of all time and Miguel pays them full respect". A live version of "Contigo en la Distancia" was included on the EP ''

América & En Vivo ''América & en Vivo'' is a live extended play (EP) by Mexican singer Luis Miguel. It was released on 25 September 1992 by WEA Latina. The EP consists of three live versions of " Inolvidable", No Sé Tú", and " Contigo en la Distancia" from hi ...

'' in 1992 and its music video was added to the video compilation album '' Grandes Éxitos'' in 2005.

Christina Aguilera version

In 2000, American recording artist

covered "Contigo en la Distancia" on her second studio album ''

Mi Reflejo ''Mi Reflejo'' (English: ''My Reflection'') is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After ...

'' which was produced by Rudy Pérez. According to Aguilera, she wanted to record the song after hearing Pérez play it during a recording session break. Aguilera's cover received mixed reactions from music critics. In the review for ''Mi Reflejo'', an editor for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called Aguilera's rendition the "most breathtaking cover" of the song while Eliseo Cardona of

CDNow CDnow, Inc. was a dot-com company that operated an online shopping website selling compact discs and music-related products. In April 1998, during the dot-com bubble, the company was valued at over $1billion. In July 2000, it was acquired by Berte ...

referred to it as the "album's finest moments". However, Ernesto Lechner of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' criticized her vocals in the song and felt she "turns a gem of understatement into bloated confection". Kembrew McLeod wrote for Sonic.net opined that the usage of the Spanish guitars did not make the song authentically "Latin" while Kurt B. Reighley from

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

also criticized Aguilera's vocals by calling it "over the top" and stated she "cranks up her volume to ear-shattering levels, trying to wring emotion from each syllable in the same way that ordinary mortals squeeze dishwater from a sponge". In December 2019, Aguilera performed the song, along with "

Falsas Esperanzas "Falsas Esperanzas" ( en, "False Hopes") is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her second studio album ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000). Written by Jorge Luis Piloto, the uptempo Latin record was produced by Rudy Pérez and features i ...

" and "

Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" ( en, "But I Remember You") is a song written and produced by Rudy Pérez. It was first recorded by Puerto Rican singer Lourdes Robles on her album '' Definitivamente'' (1991). In the ballad, the singer remembers her lover ...

", during the Mexican leg of her concert tour, The X Tour. In July 2021, she performed "Contigo en la Distancia" for two nights at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

with

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was bor ...

and the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

Il Divo version

, the vocal quartet of male singers; Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, American tenor David Miller and French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, along with Colombian producer winner of multiple Grammy Latino Julio Reyes Copello, recorded the song for the album ''

Amor & Pasión ''Amor & Pasión'', initially released in Japan on 28 October 2015, is the eighth studio album by the classical crossover musical group Il Divo, formed by a male vocal quartet; the Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, the Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, t ...

'' from ''Il Divo'' (2015).

Other versions

José José

«Contigo en la distancia» is a cover of the Mexican singers

for his album José José 40 Anniversary, Vol. 4 published on July 6, 1999, by the stamp BMG Entertainment.ITUNES music

Plácido Domingo

«Contigo en la distancia» is a cover of the Spanish tenor

for his album titled ''Passion'' published on January 29, 2013, produced by David Foster.+

María Dolores Pradera

«With you in the distance» is a cover of the singer

for his album titled sing You a bolero published in 2008 in collaboration with The Sabandeños. Later it goes back to record in 2013 for the disk Thanks to you to duet with Sole Giménez.

Other interpreters

''Only it shows some of the most stood out interpretations'' *

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

David Bisbal David Bisbal Ferre (born 5 June 1979) is a Spanish singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained his initial fame as a runner-up on the interactive reality television show ''Operación Triunfo''. He has since released five studio albums, all of whi ...

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

Dyango José Gómez Romero, artistically known as Dyango (born March 5, 1940), nicknamed "The Voice of Love", is a Spanish musician and singer of romantic music. He is widely regarded as one of the most romantic Spanish singers, and one of the best p ...

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

Olga Guillot Olga Guillot (October 9, 1922 – July 12, 2010) was a Cuban singer who was known as the "Queen of Bolero". She was a native of Santiago de Cuba. Biography Daughter of Catalan-Jewish immigrants who moved to Cuba, her father was a tailor and her ...

* Eugenia Leon *

Los Machucambos Los Machucambos was a music band formed in Paris in 1959. The two guitar players were Rafael Gayoso (from Spain), Milton Zapata (from Peru) and the singer was Julia Cortés (from Costa Rica) . In 1960 Zapata was replaced by Romano Zanotti (pseudon ...

Ricardo Montaner Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner (born September 8, 1957), better known as Ricardo Montaner (), is an Argentine-born Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Since starting his career in the late 1970s, he has released more than 24 albums, and many su ...

Luis Salinas Luis Salinas (born 24 June 1957) is an Argentine jazz guitarist who plays electric and nylon string guitars. His music includes elements of bossa nova, samba, Afro-Uruguayan candombe, salsa, boleros, and jazz. He blends traditional South Amer ...

Susana Zabaleta Susana Zabaleta Ramos (; born September 30, 1964) is a Mexican soprano singer and actress. Early life Born in Monclova, Coahuila, Monclova, Coahuila, she moved to Mexico City in 1985. In 1986 she performed in the Sala Ollín Yoliztli and inter ...

Lucho Gatica Luis Enrique Gatica Silva (11 August 1928 – 13 November 2018),
''The New York Times''. Retriev ...

References

{{authority control 1946 songs 1992 singles Boleros Cuban songs Christina Aguilera songs Luis Miguel songs Spanish-language songs