La Tortura
"La Tortura" (English: "The Torture") is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, from Shakira's sixth studio album, Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005). The song was written and produced by Shakira, with additional writing and production from longtime collaborators Luis Fernando Ochoa and Lester Mendez, respectively. It was released on 11 April 2005, by Epic Records, as the lead single from the album. "La Tortura" is a pop, reggaeton, and dancehall track, which lyrically tells the story of a woman who has been emotionally "tortured" because her boyfriend cheated and eventually left her for another, and has now returned begging forgiveness.
"La Tortura"
Upon its release, "La Tortura" received generally positive reviews by music critics, who agreed that the song was a highlight from Fijación Oral, Vol. 1; they were also ambivalent towards its "Shaketon Mix". It was well received commercially, reaching number one in several countries worldwide, including Hungary, Spain and Venezuela. In the United States, the single reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 (giving Sanz his only entry on said chart), while topping the Hot Latin Songs chart for 25 non-consecutive weeks. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for a million digital copies sold in the region. "La Tortura" received multiple awards and nominations, including the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
The music video for "La Tortura" was directed by Michael Haussman and became one of the first Spanish music videos to be aired on MTV. It depicts Sanz spying on Shakira in her apartment, as they remember the times when they were a couple; Shakira also appears dancing erotically on a building's roof, covered with black greasepaint. To promote the single, she performed it on several televised shows and events, and was included on setlists for three of her concert tours, the last being the El Dorado World Tour (2018). "La Tortura" is one of the best selling singles of all time with more than five million copies sold. The song was covered by Puerto Rican singer Gilberto Santa Rosa and has been credited for popularizing reggaeton in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Composition[edit]
"La Tortura" was written by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa, while produced by the former and Lester Mendez, who also played keyboards on the song. Sanz also played the Tres cubano, with Lyle Workman playing the guitar, and Rene Toledo the acoustic guitar. Other instrumentation for "La Tortura" included bass by Paul Bushnell, accordion by Umberto Judex and Frank Marocco, and percussion by Archie Peña. The mixing and engineering for "La Tortura" was performed by Gustavo Celis at Supersonic Studios in Miami, with additional engineering by Rob Jacobs and Kevin Killen. Vlado Meller completed the audio mastering at Sony Music Studios in New York City.[6]
Musically, "La Tortura" is a pop, reggaeton and dancehall song,[13][14][9] with some reviewers noting elements of flamenco, cumbia, and electronica in its composition.[15][16][9][17][12] The New York Times' Jon Pareles observed the rock guitars and electronic blips present on the track, as well as an accordion and Sanz's "spry tres guitar", which provided a "funky cumbia feel".[9] According to Shakira, "La Tortura" is a mix of many different elements, explaining that within its composition there is "a little bit of acoustic guitars, a little bit of accordions. It's probably my most Latin track, too. It's one of those cocktails I like to put together".[3] The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 62 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C major with Shakira and Sanz's vocal ranges spanning from E3 to A5.[18]
According to Shakira, "La Tortura" lyrically deals with "love and hate, infidelity, doubts, a chance of being forgiven... it's a song a wrote in order to reflect that Latin reality called machismo, which is both tragic and comic at the same time".[19] The track is about the torture it has been for two lovers to leave each other. He continually betrays her, and she is tired of his lies.[20] Sanz sings, "I know I have not been a saint/but I can fix it baby",[a] while Shakira responds "you better keep that bone to another dog and then we say goodbye".[b][10] The song ends as she decides to leave him despite his pleas, and asserts that she will not cry over him.[20]
Cover and impact[edit]
In 2011, Puerto Rican singer Gilberto Santa Rosa performed a live cover of "La Tortura" as part the Latin Recording Academy tribute to Shakira where she was honored Person of the Year.[100] In 2009, a book named Reggaeton credited the song for popularizing the genre in regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia.[101]