Imperfectly Grateful

A Utah Catholic on a Mission to Sanctify her Life, Family, and Home

You are here: Home / ENTERTAINMENT / Vintage Shakira Is Responsible For Shakira’s Greatest Hits

Vintage Shakira Is Responsible For Shakira’s Greatest Hits

If you’re NOT from Latin America, you probably don’t know who in the world is Vintage Shakira. And that’s both OK and understandable. I mean after all, WHY would you have to know?

But that’s why I’m here: To enlighten you :). (What follows is a completely unscientific study into the stages of Shaki’s music, btw.)

The Stages of Shakira (aka Shaki)’s Sound: From Vintage (Best) to Transitional (OK) to New (Blah)

VINTAGE SHAKI
You see, Vintage Shakira is my (totally unofficial) name for the Shakira I was a big fan of (way, WAY) back in the day. Vintage Shakira was HUUUGE in Colombia 20 years ago. Even though I’m not a music expert, I believe I do know enough to distinguish between Shakira’s sound now and back when it was actually good.

Anyways, 20 years ago, Shakira made amazing music full of deep, thoughtful (and thought-provoking) lyrics that made you want to become her friend. It was like you could feel what she had been going through when she wrote them–even if you had never experienced what she had. She’d write about a love that was so blinding it made her klutzy and stubborn, unable to process anything else because all she’d have on her mind has that guy (Ciega Sordomuda). Another song (Donde Estás Corazón?) is about her search for a long-lost love, and how she looked for him everywhere, but in the end didn’t find him.

She was also a brunette (who went through epic hippie-like braidy and red highlights phases) with crazy vocals that made all my friends and I want to imitate her. (Because back then, she was totally worth it.)


TRANSITIONING SHAKI
Than came her transitional period, in which she was no longer “Vintage” but not “New” yet. She began to move her hips more, and her lyrics were still entertaining, funny (albeit not super thoughtful anymore), and cool to sing along to. It was at this stage that she also began becoming more of a crossover artist, singing more and more songs in English.
However, most of her songs (at least those from Vintage and this period) are always better in Spanish, but Hips Don’t Lie‘s still a good one in English:

^^A few notes about that last song^^:
1. The melody was “borrowed” from Amores Como El Nuestro by Jerry Rivera, which I also grew up listening. (So imagine my surprise when I find that her song has the exact same trumpet chords in the beginning!)
2. This song also appears on Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, though NOT with Shakira. In fact, her version came after, and the one in the movie features Wyclef Jean with Claudetter Ortiz singing the parts that Shaki later sings. Wanna hear it? Here you go>> it’s called Dance Like This.
3. Barranquilla is where half of my family in Colombia is from :).

NEW SHAKI

Now, 20 years later, Shaki’s songs aren’t made up of thoughtful (or even thought-provoking) lyrics, but rather gasps and howls. And she doesn’t rely on her amazing, out-of-this-world vocals or magnetic feelings anymore, but rather on her sex appeal, bed eyes, and the way her body looks and moves. Probably worse, her songs are no longer meant for fans to sing along, but rather for them to grind against one another at a disco/party. Gracias, pero no, gracias.
She’s also become way more commercialized than us true fans would have ever liked, and the way I see it, she’s lost most of the identity I grew up loving. Watch:

If you’re interested (not that you have to be), you may also find Rabiosa, the Spanish version, here.

^^ My absolute LEAST favorite song of hers. ^^

Now tell me: Is what I feel odd? I mean are you still fans of certain artists that you think are much more different now than how you “met” them–or will you always think of them as never-changing? Do these changes constitute a normal part of “evolving” as artists, though? And am I being a wuss for not learning to adapt with them? (LOL and I thought I was a fan of change!)

Other posts you'll also enjoy:

Find Other ANNIE SAID IT Posts

Meet The Author

I AM: A Catholic, a blessed wife, mom + dog mom, a common-sense Millennial, a woodworker, a podcaster, a Pelotoner, originally from Colombia, a bilingual, a Conservative, and much more.

manage cookies