Homenajear means "to honor" or "to pay tribute to." It's a beautiful and formal verb that you don't encounter in everyday conversation as often as more common verbs.
In this song, Julieta Venegas uses it to express her deep respect and admiration for a man on his birthday, stating, "lo quiero homenajear" (I want to honor him). This word elevates the sentiment beyond a simple birthday wish, highlighting a profound appreciation for someone special.
"Te Celebramos" is a birthday song sung to one person in a room full of people, and Julieta Venegas tells you almost nothing about him at first: "Hoy quiero hablar de un hombre / Un hombre que conozco" [Today I want to talk about a man / A man I know]. The portrait arrives in small pieces instead. He turns up with "su sonrisa lista, su cámara en la mano" [his smile ready, his camera in his hand], and she admits the thing a birthday toast usually skips: "Y hay que decirlo, no siempre ha sido fácil" [And it has to be said, it has not always been easy]. What he taught her is put as a rule rather than a compliment: "En esta vida hay que saber caernos / Para levantarnos y aprender la lección" [In this life you have to know how to fall / so you can get up and learn the lesson].
Then the song turns into family history, told the way families tell it. "Cuenta la leyenda que allá en 63 / Conoció una linda muchachita en el rubí" [Legend has it that back in 63 / he met a pretty young girl at El Rubí], and the detail Venegas picks out is nerve rather than romance: the girl liked "su carisma y decisión" [his charisma and his decisiveness]. "Él de 19 y ella de 17" [He was 19 and she was 17], and that is where everyone listening comes from. The chorus hands the microphone to the whole room, "Amigos y familia te venimos a desear / Que tengas una vida llena de felicidad" [Friends and family, we come to wish you / a life full of happiness]. The last verse drops back to one voice and the reason the song exists at all: "Y estoy agradecida de poder / Estar aquí contigo hoy" [And I am grateful to be able to be here with you today].
Julieta Venegas Percevault is a celebrated Mexican-American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer known for her unique blend of pop rock, indie pop, and folk influences. Born in Long Beach, California, and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, she began her musical journey at a young age and is proficient in 17 instruments including the accordion and guitar.
Rising to fame with her platinum-selling album Limón y Sal (2006), Julieta has become one of the most influential voices in Latin music, earning multiple Latin Grammy Awards and Billboard chart-topping hits such as "Me Voy" and "Andar Conmigo." Throughout her extensive career since 1992, she has evolved artistically, seamlessly blending heartfelt lyricism with a modern alternative sound, captivating audiences across Latin America, Spain, and beyond.