Que Se Mueran De Envidia Frankie Ruiz
Toney Talbot
Frankie Ruiz's 'Qu Se Mueran de Envidia' is a vibrant salsa track that celebrates the strength and beauty of love, while simultaneously addressing the negative reactions it can provoke in others. The song's title, which translates to 'Let Them Die of Envy,' sets a defiant tone, suggesting that the love between the singer and his partner is so powerful that it incites jealousy in those who witness it. Ruiz's lyrics encourage his partner to proclaim their love loudly and proudly, indifferent to the envy and criticism of others.
The repeated lines 'Qu se mueran de envidia y de celos' and 'Que este amor que es la gloria del cielo' emphasize the idea that their love is almost divine, a heavenly experience that those who have never truly loved cannot understand. This sentiment is a celebration of their unique bond, and a dismissal of the negativity that others may project onto them. The song's upbeat tempo and passionate delivery are characteristic of Ruiz's style, known for his ability to convey deep emotion through salsa music.
The call to 'grita fuerte lo mucho que me amas' (shout loudly how much you love me) is a powerful statement of confidence in their love. It's a call to action for the partner to express their love without fear or shame, reinforcing the idea that their love is something to be proud of, not hidden away. The song's message is clear: true love is unbreakable, and the envy of others is simply a testament to its strength.
During his youth, he developed a passion for percussion, later confessing that this would have been his second choice after singing.[3] Fan reaction to his work was diverse. Within the Latino community, he was regarded as "one of the best salseros ever", and Puerto Ricans abroad were particularly fond of it because it brought back memories of their homeland.[4] Among non-Latinos, some admitted that his music had been responsible for their interest in salsa as a genre and even the Spanish language.[4]
As salsa moved closer to pop music, and toned down the eroticism in its lyrics during the 1990s, Ruiz was challenged, along with other salsa romntica performers, but he managed to record a number of hits during his late career.[5] He suffered from years of drug and alcohol abuse. His personal shortcomings were exploited by the tabloid media but had little impact on his popularity.[5] In 1998, Ruiz died due to complications from liver disease.
Frankie Ruiz was born in Paterson, New Jersey to Frank Torresola and Hilda Ruiz, a Puerto Rican couple who had moved to the city.[6] After being born, he was initially adopted by his grandmother, Concepcin, as his mother was 15 years old.[7] Afterwards his custody passed to his parents and he was raised in Union City, along his brothers Viti and Juanito.[8] He received his primary and secondary school education in Paterson, where his father served as education commissioner.
At the age of 5, Ruiz played percussion instruments at the Roberto Clemente Park in Trenton and at other city venues.[9] One of these performances earned him an award at a show held at the Majestic Theater in Paterson.[6] During the following years, he continued performing with the support of his parents, meeting artists like Tito Puente in the process.[10][11][12] Despite this, Ruiz was not enrolled in formal singing classes and mostly depended on practice.[3] During this time, he developed a friendship with Joe Salvador, through which he met Rosemary Salvador, whose family sponsored his performances and those of his brothers.[13] Both joined a local music group led by Charlie Lpez, known as Orquesta Nueva (otherwise known as The Charlie Lpez Orquesta), as vocalist and bass player, and started performing salsa at talent shows.[13] He recorded his first song "Salsa Buena" with this band, which was followed by "Borinquen".[14]
After their parents divorced, Hilda Torresola relocated to Mayagez, Puerto Rico with the siblings. There they settled at Barrio Balboa to live with his grandmother, and other family members.[11][14] By his early teens, Ruiz had begun performing at nightclubs.[15] He became interested in a salsa band called La Solucin, directed by Roberto Rivera, which he was able to join after multiple attempts.[14] With this band, Ruiz re-recorded a new version of "Salsa Buena". As he became its lead singer and recorded the hit single titled "La Rueda" ("The Wheel"), the band was renamed Frankie Ruiz y La Solucin and he toured with it for three years.[16] Ruiz became an alcoholic and drug user following the death of his mother in a car accident and the murder of his girlfriend, an aspect of his personal life that was emphasized by the media.[12][15]
Ruiz continued performing with other bands including La Dictadora and La Moderna Vibracin.[16] In 1982, Ruiz joined Tommy Olivencia and his Primerisima Orquesta, replacing Gilberto Santa Rosa as vocalist.[14] He recorded the hit singles "Fantasa de un capintero" and "Como lo hacen", which were followed by "Lo Dudo", "Primero Fui Yo", Como Una Estrella", and "Que Se Mueran de Envidia".[1][16] In total, Ruiz participated in the recording of three albums with Olivencia: Un tringulo de triunfo, Tommy Olivencia and Celebrando otro aniversario.[17] As his career centered around music studios, Ruiz moved to Florida with Judith Ruiz and their son Frankie Ruiz, Jr. (born in 1984), whom he encouraged to become a musician by collaborating in hip hop songs.[18] Despite this, he had little communication with his first-born daughter, Yaritza.[19]
Ruiz's first album as a soloist, Solista pero no Solo, was produced by TH-Rodven Records and directed by Willie Sotello in 1985.[17] Led by the singles "T Con l" and "La Cura", the record became the number-one Billboard Tropical Album.[6] While Ruiz was involved in an international tour, the album reached the top spot on this list twice more, alternating with Hansel y Ral.[6] With singles "Esta cobarda", "Como le gustan a usted", "El camionero", "Cosas Nativas", and "Ahora me toca a m" meeting lesser success, Solista pero no Solo ended 1986 as the best-selling Tropical/Salsa album of the year in the United States.[21] During the tour that followed, Ruiz performed in unconventional locales including a soccer stadium (in Colombia)[22] and a bullring in Tenerife, Spain.[23] During this period, Tite Curet Alonso, who at the request of Richie Viera, the composer wrote a song for Viti based on the life of the brothers titled "Todo se Queda en Familia".[24]
Following the performance of this production, Ruiz became one of several soloists who popularized the subgenre known as salsa romntica, including Eddie Santiago, Lalo Rodrguez, Tony Vega, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Tito Nieves.[17] The success of this group led to a general resurgence of salsa which had been struggling before the expansion of merengue music in the tropical categories.[25] His second album, Voy Pa' Encima, was released in 1987 and performed well in Puerto Rico, Spain and the United States.[26] Led by singles "Desndate Mujer" and "Mujeres", the album sold over 300,000 copies and earned Ruiz the Latin Artist of the Year Billboard Music Award.[14] The former peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.[27] Like its predecessor, it would reach the top of the Billboard list three times, this time alternating with Eddie Santiago's Atrevido y Diferente. A compilation album titled Historia Musical de Frankie Ruiz also reached the top of the Billboard list. His third album, En vivo... y a todo color, was released a year later and managed to sell over 200,000 copies despite Ruiz's career being affected by his addictions.[16]
In 1989, Ruiz was involved in an altercation with a flight attendant for which he was sentenced to three years at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. Parallel to this, recording label Rodven records released a new album, Ms Grande Que Nunca, which contained the hit "Desendote". The album achieved platinum sales status and which were used to sustain his family.[28][29] While in jail, Ruiz underwent a detoxification process.[25][28] He was allowed a temporary return to Puerto Rico, where he did some recording with Vinny Urrutia.[25][28]
His contract with TH-Rodven expired during his sentence, but it was extended due to pre-established obligations, which led to the schedule of two albums before he was released.[29] Approaching his release, Ruiz began promoting a purported lifestyle change and worked on the release of "Mi Libertad" (My Freedom). The album had 50,000 pre-sale orders.[28][30] Two songs from the album, the title track and "Bailando", peaked at number ten on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[31] "Bailando" was nominated in the category of Tropical Song of the Year at the 1993 Lo Nuestro Awards.[32] The album was certified platinum after selling over 100,000 copies.[33] During this timeframe he outsold Sergio Vargas, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Xavier, Juan Luis Guerra, Jerry Rivera, and Rey Ruiz.[33]
His collaboration with Urrutia led to a series of singles including "Hablame", "Amor a medias", "Soy culpable", "Obsesin", "Sueo dormido", "Tiene que saber que es ella", "Soledad", and "Nos sorprendio el amanecer", which would serve as the basis for Ruiz's next album, Puerto Rico Soy Tuyo, released in 1993.[29] During the following year, Ruiz was involved in a South American tour and events held in the tri-state area.[34][35] In December 1994, Ruiz released Mirandot, with the eponymous single becoming his first to become the number one song on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.[27] Between 1995 and 1996, Rodven released a compilation of themes named Oro Salsero, which was divided into two albums and was accompanied by presentations in the tri-state area.[36][37] Following the death of his brother, Juan Flix Ruiz, his addictions were exacerbated and begun affecting his general health.[5]
His final album Tranquilo was recorded in a studio in Santurce, Puerto Rico and was released in 1996. Its lead single, "Irona", became another number one song on the Tropical Songs chart and ended the year as the best-performing Tropical/Salsa song.[27][38] For this achievement, the song won the award for "Tropical/Salsa Hot Latin Track of the Year" at the 1997 Billboard Latin Music Awards.[39]
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