"Bailamos" () is a single by Spanish singer

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

sung in English with some lines in Spanish. The song was released in 1999 as part of the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

to the film '' Wild Wild West'' (1999) and later included on Iglesias's fourth and debut English-language album, '' Enrique'' (1999). "Bailamos" reached number one on the

Spanish Singles Chart Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it became a top-three hit in Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. In both New Zealand and Spain, it was the second-most-successful single of 1999.

Background

"Bailamos" was written by

Paul Barry Paul James Barry (born 24 February 1952) is an English-born, Australia-based journalist, newsreader and television presenter, known to Australian and British audiences for his television reports and his semi-serious comments on current news, w ...

and Mark Taylor and produced by Barry and

Brian Rawling Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...

, the same team which wrote and produced

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

's hit " Believe". The track first appeared on a limited edition of Enrique Iglesias' 1998 Spanish studio album '' Cosas del Amor'' and was released as a single in parts of Latin America and Europe. After attending one of Enrique's concerts in March 1999,

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

asked Iglesias to contribute to the

of his upcoming movie '' Wild Wild West'' and "Bailamos" was chosen to appear. The song quickly became most requested on

pop radio Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. Due to the song's popularity, it was released as a single throughout the world. In English, "Bailamos" means "We Dance". In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the song was seen as part of a wave of

crossover music Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audiences. This can be seen, for example, when a song appears on two or more of the record charts, which track differing musical styles or genres. I ...

from

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

n singers and a general increase in interest in

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

, which was started by

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

's release " Livin' la Vida Loca" as well as

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

's collaboration with Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas of " Smooth". The success of "Bailamos" was a breakthrough for Iglesias, which enabled him to sign a multi-album deal with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

. The song would go on to appear on his debut English album '' Enrique'', though slightly altered to fit with the sound of the album. The soundtrack version has a different arrangement in mix from the version of the album.

Composition

"Bailamos" has elements of

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

and was written in the key of A minor. The bridge follows

Andalusian Cadence The Andalusian cadence (diatonic phrygian tetrachord) is a term adopted from flamenco music for a chord progression comprising four chords descending stepwise: iv–III–II–I progression with respect to the Phrygian mode or i–VII–VI–V pr ...

with an introduction of E major. The guitar solo was played by Jesusin Cruz.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote that the song "has all the makings of a smash, with or without the burgeoning Latin-pop explosion." He noted that "sporting a flamenco guitar and other Southwestern influences amid a contemporary shuffling beat, "Bailamos" moves along at a pace that's much more relaxed than ickyMartin's "Livin' la Vida Loca", but it is still lively enough to work up a bit of a froth on the dancefloor circuit, especially after it gets a tasty remix treatment, which is bound to be in the works. The hook here is as satisfying as lemonade on a hot summer day, thanks to songwriters Paul Barry and Mark Taylor, the team behind Cher's worldwide smash "Believe"". He also added that Iglesias is "an enchanting and sensuous presence, and with this exceptional song he certainly seems poised for the greatest breakthrough of his career." The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith called it a "bold" anthem, noting that it perhaps is one of "the most memorable cuts" of the album. Leah Greenblatt from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' described it as a "horn-heavy invitation to the dance floor". Swedish newspaper ''

Expressen (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden. Describing itself as independent liberal, was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or " to your rescue". The newspaper awards the cultu ...

'' said that it "sounds like a mix" of

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

and

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...

Commercial performance

The track peaked at number one for two weeks on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became the 11th number-one single for Iglesias on the ''Billboard''

Hot Latin Tracks The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, ...

chart for one week. The single also peaked at number one on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...

, while on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Songs chart, it reached number 25. Internationally, "Bailamos" topped the

for five weeks and reached the top 10 in Walloon Belgium, Canada, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and on the UK Singles Chart. In New Zealand "Bailamos" was the second-most successful single of 1999, behind

Lou Bega David Lubega Balemezi (born 13 April 1975), better known by his stage name Lou Bega, is a German singer. His 1999 song "Mambo No. 5#Lou Bega version, Mambo No. 5", a remake of Pérez Prado's 1949 instrumental piece, reached no. 1 in many Europe ...

's rendition of " Mambo No. 5".

Music videos

The song was adapted into three different

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s: * The original music video for the song was shot in

. It has a montage of different scenes involving Iglesias, starting off with a scene of Iglesias in an apartment talking on the phone and later looking out of a window to the Miami skyline. Subsequent scenes involve Iglesias walking the streets and staring into a building as he watches two salsa dancers. * After the song was chosen to be part of the ''Wild Wild West'' soundtrack, a second video directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is an English music video director and filmmaker. Originally from Catterick, North Yorkshire, he is based in Los Angeles, California. He has directed music videos for artists such as Britney Spears, Toto, Ba ...

was made. A portion of this video was shot in Mexico, while most of it shot in the backlot at

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

. In this video, Iglesias is depicted as a wanted man with the opening shot being a poster calling for his capture "

dead or alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

". Entering a sleepy Mexican town, he attracts several women who dance around him. Picking one out, they kiss until they are interrupted by people trying to claim the reward to which both Iglesias and his love interest manage to escape. The video also contains small snippets of scenes from the ''Wild Wild West'' film. * The third music video of the song is directed by

Paul Hunter Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters (snooker), Masters champion, winning the event in 2001 Masters (snooker), 2001, 2002 Masters (snooker), 2002, a ...

, another famous music video director. Unlike the first two, this video is plotless and simply features Iglesias as a barman in a night club as he watches salsa dancers on stage. It is also intercut with shots of Iglesias interacting with the lead dancer played by Staci Flood. The video ends with Iglesias and Flood leaving the now-empty club.

Track listings

European CD single # "Bailamos" # "Nunca te olvidaré" # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers remix) UK CD1 # "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:37 # "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers remix) – 5:06 # "Bailamos" (

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...

's Latin mix) – 5:30 UK CD2 # "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers radio edit) – 3:25 # "Bailamos" (Davidson Ospina club mix) – 6:08 # "Bailamos" (video—

version) – 3:36 UK cassette single # "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:37 # "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers radio edit) – 3:25 US maxi-CD single # "Bailamos" ( Harry "Choo Choo" Romero & Erick Morillo vocal mix) – 6:29 # "Bailamos" (Fernando G. Latin mix) – 5:30 # "Bailamos" (Ospina Club Anthem mix) – 6:08 # "Bailamos" (Pablo La Rosa techno dub) – 6:13 # "Bailamos" (Mijangos Recycled dub) – 9:23 # "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:38 US CD and cassette single # "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:38 # "Bailamos" (Latin radio mix) – 3:45 US 12-inch single :A1. "Bailamos" (Harry "Choo Choo" Romero & Eric Morillo vocal mix) – 6:29 :A2. "Bailamos" (Fernando's Latin mix) – 5:30 :B1. "Bailamos" (Mijangos Recycled dub) – 9:23 :B2. "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:38 Australasian CD single # "Bailamos" # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers radio mix) # "Nunca te olvidaré" # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers remix) Japanese CD single # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers radio mix) # "Bailamos" (album version) # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers club mix) # "Bailamos" (Groove Brothers remix instrumental)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Cover versions

In 1999, Japanese singer Hideki Saijo sang the Japanese version of "Bailamos" under the title "Bailamos ~ Tonight We Dance" and has a remix version of the same song in 2000 under the title "Bailamos 2000". A year after the "Bailamos" release, in 2000,

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

sampled the melody of the refrain in his song "Tiger Bone" featuring Mr. Vegas on his debut studio album '' Stage One''. The use was uncredited, changing the lyrics from "Bailamos... let the rhythm take you over, bailamos... te quiero, amor mio" to "Tiger bone... when mi drink it and rub on a piece a stone... di gal dem bend up, when mi sen up". ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' season 3 auditionee William Hung covered the album for his 2004 album ''Inspiration'', albeit it was quite negatively received.

References

{{Authority control 1999 singles 1999 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Enrique Iglesias songs Fonovisa Records singles Interscope Records singles Music videos directed by Nigel Dick Music videos directed by Paul Hunter (director) Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Brian Rawling Song recordings produced by Mark Taylor (record producer) Songs about dancing Songs written by Mark Taylor (record producer) Songs written by Paul Barry (songwriter) Songs written for films Spanglish songs Universal Music Group singles The Wild Wild West