"Cuba Libre" ("Free Cuba") is a 1998 song by American singer and songwriter

Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (; ; born September 1, 1957) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of t ...

. It was released as the third single from her eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

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Gloria! ''Gloria!'' is the eighth studio album released by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, released on June 2, 1998, by Epic Records. Background ''Gloria!'' is a dance and house album which was a departure from Estefan's previous works ...

''. It is a dance-pop song which was included on the album in two versions: English and Spanish. The song is one of the three only Spanish-language tracks, alongside " Oye!" and " Corazón prohibido". It represents a homage to Estefan's homeland, Cuba. "Cuba Libre" was written and composed by Gloria Estefan, along with Emilio Estefan Jr. and

Kike Santander Flavio Enrique "Kike" Santander Lora is a Colombian-American composer, record producer, arranger and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the principal Latino composers of the day, having worked with artists such as David Bisbal, Cristi ...

Critical reception

Ben Wener from ''

Beaver County Times Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-largest l ...

'' noted the "bouncing

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

flourishes" of the track in his review of ''

gloria! ''Gloria!'' is the eighth studio album released by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, released on June 2, 1998, by Epic Records. Background ''Gloria!'' is a dance and house album which was a departure from Estefan's previous works ...

''. The Daily Vault's Alfredo Narvaez wrote that "Cuba Libre" is about "the feelings many of the expatriates of that island feel – hoping for a day that they'll be able to return home."

Chuck Eddy Chuck Eddy (born November 26, 1960) is an American music journalist. Life and career Chuck Eddy was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting his journalism career with ''The Village Voice'' and ''Creem'', where he published one of the first nati ...

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, ...

'' named the song as "ominously undulating", adding that it "reach sfor the skies like a missile-crisis fiesta thrown by

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

." Joey Guerra from ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' called it "an ode to Estefan's birthplace". Victoria Segal from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' stated that the singer "sparkles with diva potential", "tenderly singing of her homeland".

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 ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' applauded the song, as well as " Oye!", by stating that they "have a ferocious new energy and a vocal spark that Estefan hasn't previously displayed."

Track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Cuba Libre". Europe CD Maxi single (666691 2) # "Cuba Libre" (Spanish Version) # "Cuba Libre" (English Version) # "Bailando Megamix"

Charts

References

External links

Lyrics with English translation
{{authority control Songs about Cuba Songs about freedom 1998 singles Gloria Estefan songs Macaronic songs 1998 songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Gloria Estefan Songs written by Emilio Estefan