Two years after Pies Descalzos made her name, Shakira released 1998’s Dónde Están los Ladrones?, a wonderful album that remains her creative peak.
The album’s title (which translates to “Where are the thieves?”) was inspired by an incident in which Shakira’s luggage was stolen at the Bogota airport. She lost her notebook of lyrics for her next album and was forced to start from scratch. This was in the days before external hard drives.
The album (again recorded entirely in Spanish) became a monster hit, selling 10 million copies worldwide. Musically, it was more ambitious than her debut, touching on the sounds of Shakira’s various nationalities — Lebanese, Spanish and Italian. She made use of exotic instruments and lush soundscapes to flesh out her sound.
But her real songwriting gift proved to be a knack for strong melodies. The songs on Dónde Están los Ladrones? are the sort you swear you’ve heard before, immediately accessible and memorable. Moving between ballads and rockers (sometimes within the course of one song, as in today’s SOTD), she seems effortlessly in command of her art.
This was the album that made me a Shakira fan. I’d heard only one of her English-language CD’s at the time (and I’ll get to that one) but when I first heard this record I couldn’t stop listening to it. Most fascinating to me was the fact that I understood almost none of the lyrics (despite being with a Cuban woman for 18 years now) and yet that was no barrier at all to my enjoyment of the album.
No se preparar cafe
Y no entiendo de futbol
Creo que alguna vez fui infiel
Juego mal hasta el parques
Y jamas uso reloj
Y para ser mas franca nadie
Piensa en ti como lo hago yo
Aunque te de lo mismo
Si es cuestion de confesar
Nunca duermo antes de diez
Ni me baño los domingos
La verdad es que tambien
Lloro una vez al mes
Sobre todo cuando hay frio
Conmigo nada es facil
Ya debes saber
Me conoces bien
Y sin ti todo es tan aburrido
El cielo esta cansado ya de ver
La lluvia caer
Y cada dia que pasa es uno mas
Parecido a ayer
No encuentro forma alguna de
Olvidarte porque
Seguir amandote es inevitable
Siempre supe que es mejor
Cuando hay que hablar de dos
Empezar por uno mismo
Ya sabras la situacion
Aqui todo esta peor
Pero al menos aun respiro
No tienes que decirlo
No vas a volver
Te conozco bien
Ya buscare que hacer contigo
El cielo esta cansado ya de ver
La lluvia caer
Y cada dia que pasa es uno mas
Parecido a ayer
No encuentro forma alguna de
Olvidarte porque
Seguir amandote es inevitable
Siempre supe que es mejor
Cuando hay que hablar de dos
Empezar por uno mismo
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well, I didn’t even try to figure out the lyrics today, and I can see why you would find yourself returning to this song again and again. It has a great sound.
Still, I have to admit I find it disconcerting not to know what a song is about. If it has words, I can’t help wanting to know what those words mean.
I just don’t get what you are talking about. There is NOTHING so musically interesting or inventive about this song to draw me in and overcome the fact that I have no clue as t what the woman is singing. In fact, I suspect that a song like this is really intended to focus on the lyrics, not the music, and I probably would like it more if I understood those lyrics.
I mean, seriously, after one listen, I could play this song on the piano– and that is NOT a compliment to my talent, It’s a knock on the simplicity of the music-the predictable descending chord structure, the mid tempo rock sound, etc…Maybe there are other songs on this album that are truly musically inventive, but, since you featured this one, I have to assume the answer may be no.
Oh, and before you get all “Why do songs have to be musically complex to be good?” on me—they don’t—but when you strip away the ability to understand the lyrics–I think it adds to the importance/need to have a particularly compelling sound. To follow up on your point about operas from yesterday, even though I don’t like them, the reason why arias are so well loved, notwithstanding the language barrier, is because of the vocal gymnastics and skill being accomplished by the performer.
You want a similar sounding song with similar descending chords and mid tempo change up in the chorus, sung in English so you can actually appreciate the lyrics? Here you go:
So, tell me, will you be gobbling up Miley Cyrus albums now or does she have to sing in Spanish to have a sufficient mystical mysterious quality to peak your interest and earn a whole theme week?
The simple answer… if I enjoyed Miley Cyrus’ music as much as I enjoy Shakira’s, I’d buy her albums and feature her on the blog. I don’t (at least not the few songs that I’ve heard) so I haven’t.
I don’t need a doctorate in music theory to know what I find interesting and entertaining. You can argue all day that Song X is incredibly simple musically, but that’s not going to change the fact that I think Song X kicks ass.
And on the flip side, you might tell me Song Y is groundbreaking in terms of its construction, but if I think Song Y sucks, that’s all there is to it.
I’ve wondered before if your familiarity with the songwriting process maybe makes you less inclined to simply enjoy music, just as a movie editor probably has a hard time enjoying a good film because all she sees is cut cut cut.
Well, look, I get that one likes what one likes–simple, complicated, whatever….But YOU were the one suggesting that today’s SOTD was “musically ambitious.” and that this might be a reason why you enjoy the album so much despite not understanding the lyrics. I was merely pointing out that there really wasn’t anything musically ambitious about today’s SOTD.
You may well be right that I tend not to love “simple” songs or music, but I think that your fondness for Shakira has much more to do with her looks/sexuality, your increasing enjoyment of pop music and the avant garde twist of the foreign language, than it has to do with the “musical ambition” of her work. This is why I referenced Miley’s song–which has very similar chord structure and tempo change but, apparently, doesn’t float your boat (perhaps because you might go to jail for lusting after Miley the way you do for Beyonce, Rihanna or Shakira:))
I do find this album musically ambitious (as do most critics in reviews I’ve read). That is due to the way it blends influences from different countries as well as the way it moves between pop, rock and balladry. I guess it doesn’t extend to chord structure (at least not in this song) but I don’t really know anything about chord structure.
For a better example of the range of this album, see Ojos Asi, which I featured on the blog awhile back. As a bonus, that thread dives into our age-old foreign film debate as well. 🙂
Your suggestion that I like Shakira because of her “looks/sexuality” is simply insulting. That’s a patently absurd reason to listen to anybody’s music… until we have access to holographic technology that allows them to perform it in front of you.
I mean, I consider a Beyonce a goddess but I don’t own a single one of her albums. Shakira’s hot, sure, but what does that do for you when you’re listening to a CD in your car?
Now, “Ojas Asi” fits the description of “musically ambitious.” That’s a song I might keep on even though I wouldn’t understand the lyrics (although it might also make me drive over an open draw bridge) I would be surprised if critics praised today’s SOTD as musically ambitious, cause it ain’t.
And as for why you like Shakira, I listed her looks/sexuality as only ONE of the reasons…and while looks don’t come through the speakers, sexuality and sensuality absolutely do, so stop being so insulted!
I don’t know if it’s funny or sad that you can look back 20 months (and much longer) and see that we were having the same debates!
I think it’s both funny AND sad:)
I like “7 Things”!!!!
Okay, I don’t see where Dana jumped from today’s SOTD to Miley Cyrus, but whatever. Oh! There it is, right at the 1:20 mark. Yup, good call, Dana!
There’s really no telling why one album causes us to put it on endless replay, while another just doesn’t grab us. Sure, it’s comforting to convince ourselves that there is a reason why that’s the album we love – that it is musically complex, lyrically sophisticated, ground breaking, loved by critics, award worthy – but, really, who cares? It speaks to you in some way and that is what matters.
True enough, Amy. But then again, what would Clay write about on this blog? “Here’s another song I really dig…..” …”Here’s another song I really dig”
Of course, that would make any retort by me rather silly since I would be confined to saying “No, you don’t (or shouldn’t) dig it!.”
Isn’t that what you usually do anyway? 😉
No, our pattern is:
1. Clay explains why he finds a song special. (musically adventurous or lyrically powerful or whatever)
2. Dana points out why the explanation Clay provides is full of holes. (song structure is very basic, lyrics trite or whatever)
3. We debate back and forth for a number of posts, fighting as if we are mortal enemies, while, at the same time, playing a friendly game of Facebook Scrabble on the other tab of our browser)
3. Clay drops back and punts by saying, “Look, isn’t it possible I just like what I like regardless of whether it is musically adventurous or lyrically powerful or whatever?”
4. Amy sides with Clay, saying he is entitled to like what he likes, and further comments how incredulous she is that we have the time to have these monster debates while somehow remaining employed..
5. I must concede that Clay is entitled to like what he likes
6. We move on to the next SOTD, where Clay again explains what makes a particular song musically ambitious, lyrically powerful or whatever.
And the beat goes on….(as do the Scrabble games)
Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate synopsis. See you in tomorrow’s thread!
You guys are so entertaining.
I don’t like her most recent song. She lost her identity.