Post by erik on May 20, 2023 19:52:35 GMT -5
Colombian-born Shakira gets the Pop Music Hits Spotlight treatment with the first Top 10 American hit of her career.
WHENEVER, WHEREVER (Shakira; Epic; 2001)—Born in Baranquilla, Colombia in February 1977, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known by her first name only (a la Madonna) became indisputably one of the most popular Latin American artists of all the time at the tail end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century with a musical style that mixed frequently seductive lyrics with the indigenous and Latin music of South America. As early as 1990, when she was only thirteen years old, she was making an impact in the Latin music world; and in 1995, her album Donde Estan Los Lodrones? managed to sell a million and a half copies in the United States, despite only peaking at #131 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. But it was her fifth album, 2001’s Laundry Service, which was also her first one in English, that got Shakira onto the airwaves in a major way with American audiences, while still retaining much of the South American flavoring of her previous albums. The most prominent single from the album was “Whenever, Wherever”. With the music composed by Shakira and Tim Mitchell, and lyrics composed by Shakira and Miami legend Gloria Estefan, the song utilized such South American instruments as panpipes, and a guitar intro similar to Pink Floyd’s 1975 FM rock classic “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond”, and some clever vocal phrasing on Shakira’s part that sounded distinctly twangy. At a time in the fall of 2001, when America was reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, “Whenever, Wherever” managed to hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week ending December 29, 2001, and was her biggest hit until 2006’s “Hips Don’t Lie”, which got to #1. While some of her popularity cooled off as the years went on, Shakira still remained significantly popular with both Latinx and Anglo audiences, and gained significant prominence for speaking out against the treatment of Latin-American migrants along America’s border with Mexico, including speaking out against Arizona’s infamous “Papers Please” law in 2010 alongside fellow Latinx singer (and Arizona native) Linda Ronstadt.
WHENEVER, WHEREVER (Shakira; Epic; 2001)—Born in Baranquilla, Colombia in February 1977, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known by her first name only (a la Madonna) became indisputably one of the most popular Latin American artists of all the time at the tail end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century with a musical style that mixed frequently seductive lyrics with the indigenous and Latin music of South America. As early as 1990, when she was only thirteen years old, she was making an impact in the Latin music world; and in 1995, her album Donde Estan Los Lodrones? managed to sell a million and a half copies in the United States, despite only peaking at #131 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. But it was her fifth album, 2001’s Laundry Service, which was also her first one in English, that got Shakira onto the airwaves in a major way with American audiences, while still retaining much of the South American flavoring of her previous albums. The most prominent single from the album was “Whenever, Wherever”. With the music composed by Shakira and Tim Mitchell, and lyrics composed by Shakira and Miami legend Gloria Estefan, the song utilized such South American instruments as panpipes, and a guitar intro similar to Pink Floyd’s 1975 FM rock classic “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond”, and some clever vocal phrasing on Shakira’s part that sounded distinctly twangy. At a time in the fall of 2001, when America was reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, “Whenever, Wherever” managed to hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week ending December 29, 2001, and was her biggest hit until 2006’s “Hips Don’t Lie”, which got to #1. While some of her popularity cooled off as the years went on, Shakira still remained significantly popular with both Latinx and Anglo audiences, and gained significant prominence for speaking out against the treatment of Latin-American migrants along America’s border with Mexico, including speaking out against Arizona’s infamous “Papers Please” law in 2010 alongside fellow Latinx singer (and Arizona native) Linda Ronstadt.
