La Tortura
| "La Tortura" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz | ||
| From the album Fijación Oral 1 | ||
| Released | 2005 | |
| Format | Digital download CD single | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 03:35 | |
| Label | Sony Music | |
| Writers | Shakira and Luis F. Ochoa | |
| Producers | Shakira | |
| Director | Michael Haussman | |
| Certification | ||
| Chart positions | #23 (USA) #3 (ITA) #21 (CAN) | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Shakira singles chronology | ||
| "Que Me Quedes Tu" 2003 |
"Don't Bother" 2005 | |
La Tortura (The Torture) is the first single by the Colombian-born singer Shakira from her sixth studio album Fijación Oral 1. The single is a duet beetween Shakira and the Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz. It tells the story of a woman who was emotionally "tortured" because her boyfriend left. When he returns begging her forgiveness, she realizes that she no longer loves him and says "yo no voy a llorar por ti" ("I'm not going to shed tears over you").
International hit
The song has become one of the most important Spanish-longs songs to move into mainstream English-speaking culture in the United States. It was nominated for the Viewer's Choice on the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, in which Shakira and Sanz performed. La Tortura was on the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 in less than ten weeks (#23). The single is Shakira's sixth in the United States.
It was also a hit in most of Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it was not released.
The song was chosen as the #5 World's Favorite Song of All Time in a global survey made by Sony Ericsson of 700,000 music fans in 66 countries.
The Music Video
The music video, directed by Michael Haussman, is quite simple. It shows Sanz spying on Shakira from his apartment and remembering things they'd done on the past as a couple, while Shakira dances erotically, covered in a black oil.
The music video is in itself somewhat notable, as it was the first time MTV showed an entire program (Making the Video) in a language other than English. The video was also the first Spanish-language video in Total Request Live's countdown.
The Remixes
The single also included a remix, "The Shaketon mix", merging a reggaeton style with the original rhythm of the song. A separate music video (also directed by Haussman) was made for the remix. Other remixes by independent DJs have also been made.