Despacito
"Despacito" (American Spanish: [despa'sito];English: "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Ricansinger Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee from Fonsi's upcoming studio album.[1] On January 12, 2017,Universal Music Latin released "Despacito" and its music video, which shows both artists performing the song in La Perla neighborhood of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and the local bar La Factoría. The song was written by Fonsi,Erika Ender, and Daddy Yankee, and was produced by Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres. A remix version featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber was released on April 17, 2017, which helped to improve the song's chart performance in numerous countries, particularly in the English-speaking world.
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It is a reggaeton and Latin pop song composed in common time with lyrics about having a sexual relationship, performed in a smooth and romantic way. Commercially, the song topped the charts of 47 countries and reached the top 10 of ten others, making it both Fonsi's and Daddy Yankee's most successful single to date.[2] It became the first song primarily in Spanish to top the BillboardHot 100 since "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Mix)in 1996. It ties the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with 16 weeks. The song is also the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chartwith 52 weeks. In August 2017, the official music video for "Despacito" became the most viewed YouTube video of all time after receiving its three billionth view. It became the first video on the site to reach the milestones of three, four, and five billion views.
Upon its release, "Despacito" received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who praised the fusion between Latin and urban rhythms, its catchiness, and its text painting. It has received Latin Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban Fusion/Performance, andBest Short Form Music Video at the 18th Latin Grammy Awards. The remix version has received three Grammy Awards nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, andBest Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards. In 2017, "Despacito" was ranked the fifth best Latin song of all time byBillboard and was positioned within the top ten songs of the year by Time, Billboard andRolling Stone.
Background
Panamanian singer and songwriter Erika Ender(pictured) co-wrote "Despacito" with Fonsi
After two years without releasing new music,Luis Fonsi wanted to create "a fun track that had that Latin feel with a melody that I feel very comfortable singing and that will make people just dance."[3][4] The lyrics were born in late 2015 in Fonsi's house after he expressed his desire to record a "swinging song" for his new album.[5] Panamanian singer and songwriter Erika Ender, a Latin Grammy Award-winner, went to Luis Fonsi's house inMiami, who said to her that he woke up mulling about "writing a song called 'Despacito'."[6][7] Fonsi sang the lines "Vamos a hacerlo en una playa en Puerto Rico", Ender replied "Hasta que las olas griten 'Ay Bendito'" and then they began to build the song.[7] The Puerto Rico line was moved to the end of the song in order to not sound "so regional" and they started writing a story.[7]
Fonsi originally composed "Despacito" as acumbia and pop song with lyrics written as aballad, but began to consider giving it an "urban injection" and contacted reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee through WhatsApp, who agreed to collaborate on the song after Fonsi played him the demo.[4][8] Prior to collaborating on "Despacito", Fonsi and Daddy Yankee had worked together on "Una Oportunidad", released digitally in 2010.[9]Daddy Yankee wrote his verse and the post-chorus or hook.[10][11] He improvised his verse while thinking about his father playing bongosat his house, citing that as "percussion attacks."[12] They recorded the song in Miamiin 2016.[13] The song was produced by Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres; the former is known as a member of Colombian pop duo Cali & El Dandee and the latter is known for previously working with David Bisbal, Thalía, and Ricky Martin, among various Latin acts.[14][15][16]
Originally, Luis Fonsi focused on other songs of his album after making the demo of "Despacito".[17] After showing the track to his producers, they and Fonsi decided to focus on "Despacito" and leave the other works aside.[17] He stated that both Daddy Yankee and he were surprised after hearing the final song because it sounded "powerful, fresh and different."[17] Luis Fonsi said that he does not consider it a reggaeton song but feels that "it does have a reggaeton energy and an subtle urban beat."[4] He also affirmed that Daddy Yankee's work was a plus to the song because "it needed that explosion that only he can bring to the table."[4] Ender stated that the track "went through several arrangements" until Fonsi got "exactly the arrangement he wanted."[7]
Fonsi stated that he made "Despacito" a danceable song because "Latinos are known for being happy people" and that he feels the need of happy music.[18] He added that the "urban feel" in the song's rhythm is the type that "[us Latinos] breathe in and out" and that it is "a synonym of party."[18] According to him, "Despacito" is a very melodic song that can adapt well to many other music genres.[18] In an interview with Billboard magazine in April 2017, Erika Ender stated that the track "made a special connection" and that the collaboration with Daddy Yankee was "a great idea."[5] She also said that because of the sensual nature of the song, they "needed to be responsible with a good lyric" and that her approach to writing for Fonsi was "to take care of how to say things with a good taste."[5]During the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Conference, American-Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Nicky Jam revealed that the original version of "Despacito" featured him instead of Daddy Yankee.[19][20][21]
Composition
"Despacito" is a reggaeton[22][23] and Latin pop[24][25] song composed in common time (4
4time) with a length of three minutes and forty-seven seconds and written in the key of B minor with a tempo of 89 beats per minuteand a common chord progression of Bm—G—D—A.[26] Its implicit lyrics are about having a sexual relationship in a smooth and romantic way, making heavy use of allegories.[27][28]However, Luis Fonsi expressed that some lines are free for interpretation.[29][30]
4time) with a length of three minutes and forty-seven seconds and written in the key of B minor with a tempo of 89 beats per minuteand a common chord progression of Bm—G—D—A.[26] Its implicit lyrics are about having a sexual relationship in a smooth and romantic way, making heavy use of allegories.[27][28]However, Luis Fonsi expressed that some lines are free for interpretation.[29][30]
Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres produced "Despacito" using Pro Tools and its final mix consisted of 47 tracks.[31] The song begins with a Puerto Rican cuatro played by Christian Nieves, which is accompanied by an acoustic guitar when Luis Fonsi starts performing.[31]Nieves plays salsa-influenced melodies during the chorus and the hook, which contains vocal samples and "old school pop" effects based on American producer Dr. Luke.[31] Percussion instruments guache and güira were synchronized with a hi hat in order to highlight the track's cumbia influences.[31] The song uses the side-chaining production technique in order to make the chorus "more prominent", silencing the music as the kick drum hits.[32] It also makes heavy use of text painting when the music is slowed down as the word "Despacito" (slowly) is performed at the beginning of every chorus.[32] Its percussion consists of guache, cowbell, timbales, güira, and sequenced drum patterns.[31]
Release and reception
"Despacito" was made available for digital download on January 13, 2017 by Universal Music Latin.[33] It was released physically on April 30, 2017 in Europe as a 2-track single including the original and pop version.[34]Some music publications believed the single's success was influenced by a trend of combining Latin pop and urban music after the release of hit singles by Nicky Jam, Thalia,Enrique Iglesias, Carlos Vives, Ricky Martinand Shakira.[35] Fonsi considered the trend to be "the new pop", and Ender said of it, "everyone is making this type of fusions."[3][5]Luis Fonsi also stated that two weeks after the release of the song and its music video he started receiving calls from "people who normally don't call. People who only call when something different is going on." He got calls from "Ricky Martin, Juan Luis Guerra, Marc Anthony and other artists telling me it was a home run."[36]
The song was well received from music critics. Doris Irizarry of AXS praised the fusion between "Latin sensual rhythms" and urban music, describing it as "masterful."[37]Sebastian Wernke-Schmiesing of Dance-Charts electronic journal stated that "a simple 4/4 time, Spanish guitar sounds, a crisp bass, and the excellent vocals by Luis Fonsi and [Daddy Yankee] were enough to get a hit single from the start."[38] He added that "'Despacito' has the magic it takes to reach the world" and that "works both on the dancefloors and on the radio."[38] Buddy Iahn of The Music Universe described it as an "infectious tune" and expressed that its music video became very popular because it is "great music performed by two of the biggest stars in the Latin music business."[39] Diana Marti of E! News said that "it is almost impossible not to dance to [it]."[40] Caroline Soriano of Enstars magazine described the song's beat as "quite sexy and catchy" and defined the lyrics as "captivating."[41] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone magazine described it as alluring, sexy and catchy.[13] Leila Coboof Billboard expressed that "Despacito" is "a great pop song", highlighting the "undeniable immediate catchiness" of the pre-chorus and the chorus.[42] Cobo also stated that it "is a clever blend of romantic Latin pop with a reggaeton beat, subtly naughty lyrics, a rapper’s contemporary edge and an irresistible chorus that can be applied to so many situations."[43]
Robert Joffred of Medium's culture blog That Good You Need stated in his review that the song has "something [very] interesting happening" and that it can be classified as a Latin-American song because of its composition and characteristics.[32] He highlighted the use of a steel-string guitar to play flamenco-style melodies instead of anylon-string guitar, on which flamenco is usually played, representing "a modern take on a historical musical style."[32] Joffred also stated that what makes "Despacito" a "great song" is that it "throws decades of tradition to the wind in a very subtle way" because of the presence of "swung rhythms" when the word "Despacito" is sung at the beginning of the chorus.[32] He referred to the text painting as "pretty genius."[32] Petra Rivera-Rideau, author of Remixing Reggaetón: The Cultural Politics of Race in Puerto Rico (2015), said that she "really likes" the song and that it is "super catchy."[44] She also stated that "what's great about 'Despacito' is that it shows reggaeton never really went away" and that the song's success "makes [her] really excited to see what’s going to happen next."[44] Raisa Bruner of Time magazine described the single as "an infectious Latin melody ... amped up with reggaeton grooves" and "an irresistible dance tune."[45]
Spanish record producer Nahúm García stated that "the way the rhythm breaks before the chorus is genius", referring to the first time Luis Fonsi performs the word "Despacito".[46]He explained that "the brain realizes that there has been a rare breakdown and it catches its eye",[46] and claimed that this "trick" in particular is not very common "and much less in pop music."[46] García concluded stating that the song "is very well made."[46] James Kellaris, composer and professor at theUniversity of Cincinnati's business school,[47]expressed that "'Despacito' contains earwormelements" for being "cheerful, simple, repetitive and having a sticky rhythm."[46]Joshua Barrie of Irish Mirror gave a negative opinion about the lyrics after being translated to English, referring to them as "quite rude. And a bit creepy." and stating that "some people might find them offensive."[48]
Accolades
"Despacito" has received various awards and nominations following its commercial success. The remix version received three nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards.[49]The original version won four awards at the18th Latin Grammy Awards including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban Fusion/Performance, and Best Short Form Music Video.[50] It won Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock Song and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 45th American Music Awards.[51] The song was also nominated for three Latin American Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award.[52]
[53][54] The Latin Songwriters Hall of Famerecognized "Despacito" as the Song of the Year at its 5th La Musa Awards.[55] Erika Ender became the youngest person to be inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.[55] The remix version received an ASCAP Latin Music Award for Song of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers at the 26th ASCAP Latin Music Awards.[56][57] "Despacito" has also won two Teen Choice Awards, twoPremios Juventud, and an NRJ Music Award.[58][59][60]
[53][54] The Latin Songwriters Hall of Famerecognized "Despacito" as the Song of the Year at its 5th La Musa Awards.[55] Erika Ender became the youngest person to be inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.[55] The remix version received an ASCAP Latin Music Award for Song of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers at the 26th ASCAP Latin Music Awards.[56][57] "Despacito" has also won two Teen Choice Awards, twoPremios Juventud, and an NRJ Music Award.[58][59][60]
In 2017, Billboard's critics ranked "Despacito" the fourth best song and the best Latin song of 2017 and the fifth best Latin song of all-time, referring to it as "one of the biggest hits in Latin music history" and "one of the biggest singles of all time."[63][64][65] Rolling Stonepositioned it as the seventh best song of 2017, stating that it became "your suburban grandmother's favorite Spanish-language song since 'La Bamba'."[66] Time ranked it the third best song of 2017, closing a brief review by stating that "in a year where xenophobia reared its head worldwide, it inspires hope that the charts were dominated by such a universal, multicultural hit."[45] The remix version alone was ranked the 29th and 38th best song of 2017 by Noise magazine andSpin, respectively; the latter stating that "it managed to transcend genre, time, space, and even personal taste in a way that was unprecedented."[67][68] It was also ranked the 20th and 21st best song of 2017 by PopSugarand The New York Times, respectively.[69][70] In November 2017, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee were selected as the "Stars of the Year" by People en Español.[71]
Controversies
In July 2017, officials from the Government of Malaysia reported that "Despacito" was being banned from airing on government-owned broadcast stations as a result of public complaints.[72] Government ministers said that the song was considered un-Islamic and that its lyrics were "not suitable to be heard."[72]
Commercial performance
United States
In the United States, the single debuted at number two on the Hot Latin Songs chart on February 4, 2017, becoming Fonsi's highest-charting single since June 13, 2009, when "Aquí Estoy Yo" peaked at the top position.[73][74] "Despacito" became also Fonsi's and Daddy Yankee's first number one hit single on the US Latin Digital Songs chart after selling 11,000 downloads sold on the week ending on February 4, 2017.[73][75] It was Daddy Yankee's highest debut ever on the Hot Latin Songs chart, in which he marked his 48th career hit.[73] "Despacito" succeeded Shakira's "Chantaje" featuring Maluma at number one on the US Hot Latin Songs chart on February 18, 2017 and remained there for 35 consecutive weeks until October 14, 2017.[76][77] It preceded "Mi Gente" by J Balvinand Willy William featuring Beyoncé on October 21, 2017 and remained at number two for 12 weeks before returning to number one for 17 more weeks from January 6, 2018 to April 28, 2018, totaling 52 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart.[78][79][80][81] It is the longest reign at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart, surpassing "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias featuring Descemer Buenoand Gente de Zona, which spent 41 consecutive weeks at the top position from May 2014 to February 2015.[82][83][84]
On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single debuted at number 88 on February 4, 2017, becoming Fonsi's third entry on that chart and Daddy Yankee's seventh.[85][86] It subsequently peaked at number 44 on April 15, 2017 before the release of the remix version featuringJustin Bieber.[87][88] Several weeks after the release of the remix, "Despacito" reached number one on the Hot 100 for the week ending May 27, 2017, becoming both Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's first number one on the chart, and Bieber's fifth.[89] It had topped the Hot 100 for 16 consecutive weeks, tying with "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men as the longest-reigning number-one single in the chart's history.[90][91] It also became the first mostly-Spanish-language song to lead the all-genre US Digital Songschart after selling 86,000 copies on the week ending May 13, 2017.[92] On the Billboardissue dated July 22, 2017, it became the first non-primarily-English-language song to top the all-format Radio Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts.[93] On October 21, 2017, "Despacito" and "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William featuring Beyoncé marked the first time that two non-primarily-English-language songs chart within the top ten of theBillboard Hot 100 simultaneously since the list's inception in August 1958.[94] "Despacito" also became the single with most weeks at number one on the US Digital Songs andStreaming Songs charts with 17 and 16, respectively.[91][95]
"Despacito" was the best-selling and most-streamed single of 2017 in the United States, with 2,692,000 downloads sold and 1,322,799,000 video and audio streams, adding up a combined total of 6,663,000 sales plus track-equivalent audio streams.[96][97] It was also the sixth most-played song of 2017, with 608,000 spins across US radio stations and an audience of 3,076,935,000.[97] It was the second best-performing song of 2017 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the best-performing on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[98][99] Daddy Yankee was the best-performing artist of the 2017 Top Latin Artists year-end chart, which measures radio airplay, sales and streaming data for both singles and albums, touring revenue, Social 50 chart activity, and ringtone sales.[100]
In the United States, "Despacito" sold 2,692,000 downloads as of December 31, 2017 and received a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 27, 2018, for units of over 10 million sales plus track-equivalent streams.[101][102][103] It became the first Latin and 18th overall single to receive a diamond certification by the RIAA.[104][105]
International
Internationally, the original version topped the charts of Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Combined chart entries for the original and the remix version featuring Justin Bieber topped the charts of Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, Scotland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. "Despacito" spent 26 weeks as number one in Spain,[106] 20 in Switzerland,[107] 18 in France, Luxembourg, and Portugal,[108][109][110] 17 in Denmark and Germany,[111][112] 16 in Canada and Sweden,[113][114] 15 in Belgium (Wallonia) and Ireland,[115][116] 14 in Greece and Italy,[117][118][119] 13 in Australia and Belgium (Flanders),[120][121] 12 in Finland,[122] 11 in the United Kingdom,[123] and 10 in the Netherlands.[124] It became the longest-reigning foreign language number one in the United Kingdom.[123][125] In Latin America, it broke the record for most simultaneous number-ones on Monitor Latino's charts with 11 on the issue dated April 2, 2017.[126][127]"Despacito" also became the most-played radio song of 2017 across Latin America, with 580,450 spins between the 18 countries Monitor Latino measure.[128] In July 2017, "Despacito" became the world's most streamed song of all time with 4.6 billion streams between the original and remix version, surpassing Justin Bieber's "Sorry".[129]In February 2018, the remix version became the first Latin and eight overall song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.[130][131]
Across Europe, the song was certified 13× platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF)[132] and the Spanish Music Producers (PROMUSICAE),[133] diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP)[134] and theFederazione Industria Musicale Italiana(FIMI),[135] 4× platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA),[136] the Danish International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI),[137] the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)[138] and theBundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI).[139] It was also certified platinum by the Swiss International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI),[140] and gold by the Austrian International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).[141] It also received a diamond certification by the Music Canada[142] and a 5× platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[143] In Latin America, "Despacito" was certified double diamond and triple platinum by theMexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms(AMPROFON)[144] and platinum by the Pro-Música Brasil (PMB).[145]
In the United Kingdom, it was the second best-selling and most-streamed song of the year, with 2.3 million combined sales.[146][147]It was also the best-selling single of 2017 in Canada, with more than 300,000 digital sales.[148] It was the best-performing song of 2017 in Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It was the second best-performing song of 2017 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It was the best-performing foreign and non-Portuguese song of 2017 in Brazil.[149] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Global Music Report, "Despacito" was the second best-selling digital single of 2017 worldwide, with 24.3 million sales plus track-equivalent streams.[2]
It is the 30th best-selling single in the United Kingdom with 1,900,599 combined sales (566,425 digital sales and 1,334,174 streaming-equivalent sales) as of September 19, 2017.[150]
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