Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2005…
#8 – Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 & Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 – Shakira
Today’s pick is a bit of a cheat, in that I’m squeezing two albums into one slot. But Shakira’s two-volume project, separated by five months, certainly feels like one extended album.
Fijacion Oral, the first (and better) volume, is performed entirely in Spanish, while Oral Fixation is fully English-language. The albums share a few titles but mostly tread different territory.
Oral Fixation was Shakira’s second English-language project, and it suffers a bit from her lack of familiarity with the language. My Spanish isn’t good enough to comment on the lyrics of Fijacion Oral. which is likely one reason I prefer it.
The bigger selling point for both of these albums, though, is the music. Across two dozen tracks, Shakira dabbles in a smorgasbord of genres: rock opera, disco, bossa nova, surf rock, classical pop. The albums both sound great, and she does a remarkable job bringing her own personality out in so many different settings.
Ay, ay, cómo muero por ti
Cómo poder olvidarte
Basta que me enamores
O que me mandes flores
Para obtener un sí
[Verso 1]
Ya tengo ojeras de tanto mirarte
Y lo peor es que aún me quedan tantas ganas de
Esperarte
Hasta que entiendas que
[Pre-Coro]
Te quiero porque eres claro, claro, claro
Como la planta de mis pies
Como el amor después de hecho
Como tu voz y tu piel
[Coro]
Ay, ay, ay
Ay, cómo muero por ti
Cómo poder olvidarme
Basta que mandes flores
Para que me enamores
Para obtener un sí
Pa-ra-la-ah, ah
[Pre-Coro]
Te quiero porque eres claro, claro, claro
Como la planta de mis pies, ay, ay, ay
Como el amor después de hecho
Como tu voz y tu piel
[Coro]
Ay, ay, ay
Ay, cómo muero por ti
Cómo poder olvidarte
Basta que me enamores
O que me mandes flores
Para obtener un sí
Ah-ha-ha
Basta que me enamores
O que me mandes flores
Para obtener un sí
Meet Me In Montauk 
I like the sound and style of this song.