When I was collaborating with Armando Manzanero at the RCA Victor Recording Studios in Mexico City in 1967, he was in the process of recording the very first LongPlay of his own songs. That LP soon would flood the Spanish world’s music market
Singer Carlos Lico, who had introduced me to Manzanero, was first on the scene with, “No! “which immediately covered the Mexican market.
Then came the LP, with Manzanero personally introducing, “Esta tarde vi llover,” “Contigo aprendi,” and the rest.
I returned to Puerto Rico very shortly thereafter, with all of my friends breathlessly telling me they had heard Tony Bennett singing my English lyrics of, “Esta tarde vi llover”. Unfortunately, I had to disabuse them of the notion that, “Yesterday I Heard the Rain” was not my version of, “When Today I Saw the Rain.” In Mexico, both Armando and I were bitterly disappointed when his bid to sign me with Peer Internatonal faileld.
After leaving Latin America, I sometimes was only marginally aware of new developments in the Latin music field. I was delighted with the more modern version of Manzanero’s, “No soy tú,” recorded by Luis Miguel. My English version, “How About You,” was locally recorded by Rykardo Hernández.
A few years ago, my current collaborator Tommy Dodson called by attention to a Manzanero song, “Soy yo,” sung by Luis Miguel. I was not impressed. Recently he asked te for an Engllish version, which I did reluctantly. With me on better terms with the song, here is Tommy Dodson on YouTube’s, “Tommy’s Tableaus.”
Here are the English lyrics:
GUESS WHO
(Soy Yo)
Guess who...
Counts each little raindrop, and sees only you.
Guess who... In the world (2 beats)
It is whom you miss, and he feels lifeless, too.
Guess who... Guess who...
On your word alone, would start to live again.
The one...
Whose out there in limbo, with no place to go.
Let your guesses ring true;
It’s not very hard to...
Guess who.
Guess who...
Goes wild in the woods,, in hopes that you are there.
Guess who...
Gives all that he has, without the slightest care
That’s who...
Who, if you asked him, would bring down the moon.
With that love-light closer, he’d play you a tune.
The scene set for loving would make both our hearts sing.
That’s how...
With all the universe wrapped up as a gift,
It would not be, for me, too heavy to lift.
All that, I’d give you,
To prove my love true.
Guess who...
Photo; Manzanero: Mexico My Dear Old San Juan Moi
Book by Curtis W Long
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