If only Shakira were at least somewhat unattractive, or somewhat out of shape… I believe she’d be far better off. Then she wouldn’t be tempted to dress in an outfit that looks like it lost a fight with a pair of scissors and gyrate in a cage like an epileptic.
This woman is a true trailblazer… the only South American artist to ever have a #1 Billboard hit in the U.S. and the first to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She’s a good friend of fellow Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She spends her spare time taking history classes at UCLA. She’s a celebrated humanitarian who dedicates plenty of time and money to helping the underprivileged in her home country and the rest of the world.
But she insists on presenting herself artistically as a half-naked contortionist.
I don’t know, maybe I’m being sexist. Why shouldn’t Shakira get to be all of those interesting things and a sex symbol? It’s obnoxious to suggest that a woman can’t be simultaneously sexy and smart.
But that’s not what I’m saying, not really. I just feel that the hoochie-mama histrionics diminish her talent. The first genuine mega-star to bridge two continents and two languages so effectively shouldn’t have to sell her body to do it… she should be able to accomplish that feat by selling just her songs.
Today’s song, ‘Día de Enero’ (January Day), is one of my favorites. It’s featured on her Fijación Oral – Vol. 1 album, the Spanish-language companion to the hit English-language album Oral Fixation – Vol. 2. I much prefer Shakira’s work in her native tongue, even though I understand only some of the lyrics. She is a much more natural performer in Spanish.
‘Día de Enero’ is a sweet love song written for her boyfriend. I don’t have a proper translation handy and running it through Google’s translator just mangles it to hell. But this is a great example of why the literal words don’t really matter, at least not all the time. The beautiful melody and Shakira’s vocal performance tell you all you need to know about this song.
con la luna en mi naríz
Y como ví que eras sincero
En tus ojos me perdí
Qué torpe distracción
Qué dulce sensación
Y ahora que andamos por el mundo
Como Eneas y Benitin
Yo te encontré varios rasguños
Que te hicieron por ahí
Pero mi loco amor
Es tu mejor doctor
Voy a curarte el alma en duelo
Voy a dejarte como nuevo
Y todo va a pasar
Pronto verás el sol brillar
Tú más que nadie mereces ser feliz
Ya vas a ver como van sanando
Poco a poco tus heridas
Ya vas a ver como va
La misma vida a decantar la sal que sobra en el mar
Y aunque hayas sido un extranjero
hasta en tu propio país
Si yo te digo ¿cómo dices?
Tú aún dices ¿qué decís?
Y lloras de emoción oyendo un bandoneón
Y aunque parezcas despistado con ese caminar pausado
Conozco la razón que hace doler tu corazón
Por eso quise hacerte esta canción
Ya vas a ver como van sanando
Poco a poco tus heridas
Ya vas a ver como va
La misma vida a decantar la sal que sobra en el mar
Ya vas a ver como van sanando
Poco a poco tus heridas
Ya vas a ver como va
La misma vida a decantar la sal que sobra en el mar
Meet Me In Montauk 
And it gives us a chance to work those Spanish reading muscles (brain waves? synapses?) that aren’t worked nearly as often as their listening and speaking counterparts 🙂
I’m surprised you say she is the first artist to bridge two languages and continents… what about Julio Iglesias? Or Juanes? Or Enrique? Is it that she’s the first woman? Gloria Estefan certainly bridged languages if not continents. Regardless, I don’t see what she does as an entertainer to be all that different from what any entertainer does – play to her audience. If she has fans who thrill to see her dance (half-clothed or otherwise), then dance is exactly what she’s going to do. Makes sense to me.
Meanwhile, this is a very nice song. I can see why it’s a favorite. The melody is lovely and her voice quite pretty.
Splitting hairs, I know, but when I say she’s the first to do it “so effectively” I’m referring to the fact that she releases albums simultaneously in English and Spanish and has both versions chart high in both places. She’s not really a crossover, she has a (bare) leg firmly planted in each place.
She’s hardly the first “serious” artist to play on sex appeal while also being a humanitarian or intellectual, male or female. Springsteen played heavily on sex appeal back in the Born in the USA days. Sting played up the sex appeal as well, as did George Michael. I don’t find Shakira’s duality in that regard particularly surprising, novel or inappropriate.
I don’t think what Sting or Springsteen did in any way compares to what women have done (or been asked to do) over the years. A few buttons open on a shirt and a tight pair of jeans is not the same as dancing half-naked on a stripper pole. George Michael went a little farther, but then rebelled against having to get a brand-new face and shake his ass for the boys at MTV.
And you see where that got him. Shake that ass, George. 😉
I agree with you 100% about the quality of her Spanish songs versus her English language offerings. And to you support your argument about her need to do contortionist acts in next to nothing, if you haven’t seen the video for her new English song, “She Wolf,” go ahead and check it out. Frankly, it’s a little scandalous – and the song is pure crap; catchy, but crap nonetheless. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEW_Z5Va5s
It has puzzled me for some time that someone who is clearly so talented as a singer and songwriter in her native language can only produce complete garbage as a crossover star (but she still sells millions). When I saw/heard “She Wolf” for the first time a couple of weeks ago all I could think was, “this is not the Shakira that I know and love as an artist.”
Thankfully, Juanes (who Amy brought up), has not sold out and turned his talent into garbage so that it could be produced in English. If you want to listen to Juanes anywhere in the world, you’ll do it in Spanish, thank you very much. I wouldn’t want it any other way. 🙂