Ranking Gloria Estefan’s American top 40 hits

She made an effort to be seen at the right places: a trip to the Dade County Youth Fair, Christmas pageants, and award nights. The period of Gloria Estefan’s visibility coincides with her — no other word — startling ascendancy as a global pop star. Her son attended my private non-denominational elementary school. I was aware that by marriage she formed part of my extended family. I use the term loosely, for Glorita, as everyone over forty called her, was what we call a Cuban cousin: the wife of a second cousin’s niece. I met her a couple times: as a child I had no reason to be self-conscious, nor did she have any reason to be Faye Dunaway; plus, it was family. She laughed often, appreciated a barb, had a self-deprecating streak (she recorded a local “Weird” Al Yankovik parody of her biggest hit to date called “Anything for Food”). In the era of a certain NBC show starring Don Johnson, Miami Sound Machine gave South Floridians another reason to feel protective.

It’s not often mentioned in their biography, but MSM spent years on the wedding and bar mitzvah circuit; they played at my aunt’s reception in 1979 without knowing who’d be there. They toiled like every other bar band. Always on the march were husband/producer Emilio Estefan’s uncanny A&R instincts. In 1984 “Dr. Beat” took off in Europe — a hit everywhere, in fact, except America. I’m not sure how the payola got into the right hands the following year, but “Conga” became a hit.  Nothing on the top 40 sounded like “Conga” or, better, “Rhythm is Gonna Get You.” Miami Sound Machine didn’t practice santeria but they injected those motifs into the visual presentation for the latter. Freestyle the chart had seen; hi-NRG and electro bass, sure; “I Wanna Be a Cowboy” and “Tarzan Boy,” hell yeah. But a multi-ethnic combo that also, in another example of Emilio’s savvy, scored their biggest hits with ballads?

“Because of the novelty- shaded nature of its first hits, “Conga” and “Bad Boy,” many critics and industry pundits questioned how long the group would be around,” Billboard‘s Paul Grein wrote when “Anything For You” peaked. “But rather than fade away, the ensemble has steadily gained ground.”  After “Conga” they followed a pitch-perfect trajectory that I still think is undervalued: each single from1985’s Primitive Love charted higher, preparing for the #1 peak of Let It Loose‘s “Anything for You,” an album which itself spun off three additional top threes. They paid a price, of course: after 1991’s “Live for Loving You,” they didn’t earn another uptempo hit that wasn’t a cover (1994’s useless “Turn the Beat Around”) even though, when she wanted to, Gloria could write a rip of “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” called “Seal Our Fate.”  But respect. Gloria’s ballads, all self-written, had the benefit of meaning what she said; they had a declarative confidence. “Can’t Stay Away From You” is one of the decade’s premier accountings of erotic devastation.

So, I present these rankings of a band whose top forty career in America still hasn’t gotten its due. Have y’all forgotten how tight minor singles like “Falling in Love (Uh Oh)” and “Betcha Say That” are? They’re jams. Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, Albita, and a dozen others own their careers to the Estefans. Now they’re prophets exiled from their homeland: proud Democrats, they don’t get played hometown anymore. I can’t believe Emilio didn’t predict this fate.

Meh

Everlasting Love
Music from the Heart
Don’t Wanna Lose You
Coming Out of the Dark
Heaven’s What I Feel

Sound, Solid Entertainment

Betcha Say That
Anything For You
1-2-3
Get On Your Feet
Live for Loving You
Here We Are
Words Get in the Way
Turn the Beat Around

Good to Great

Conga
Rhythm is Gonna Get You
Falling in Love Again (Uh Oh)
Bad Boy
Can’t Stay Away with You