La Tortura
| "La Tortura" | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:535.jpg | ||
| Single by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz | ||
| From the album Fijación Oral 1 | ||
| Released | April 2005 | |
| Format | Digital download | |
| Genre | Latin/Pop | |
| Length | 03:35 | |
| Label | Sony Discos | |
| Writers | Shakira Luis F. Ochoa | |
| Producer | Shakira Lester Méndez | |
| Director | Michael Haussman | |
| Certification | Platinum | |
| Chart positions | #23 (USA) #1 (USA latin) #21 (CAN) | |
| Shakira singles chronology | ||
| "Que Me Quedes Tu" (2003) |
"La Tortura" (2005) |
"No" (2005) |
"La Tortura" (English: The Torture) is the first single from Colombian-born singer Shakira's sixth studio album, Fijación Oral 1. The single is a duet between Shakira and Spanish ballad-singer Alejandro Sanz. It tells the story of a woman who has been emotionally "tortured" because her boyfriend left; however, when he returns begging her forgiveness, she humiliates him and says that she is not going to shed tears over him. The single is Shakira's sixth in the United States, following the commercial success of her 2001 album Laundry Service.
Chart performance
Since its release as a single, the song has become one of the most important Latin songs to move into mainstream English-speaking culture in the United States (alongside Daddy Yankee's Gasolina). The video clip of the song was nominated for the Viewer's Choice Award on the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, during which Shakira performed with Sanz (notably, it was the first time a guest performed a song entirely in a language other than English). La Tortura was on the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 in less than ten weeks (#23).
It was also a huge hit in Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it was not released as a single. "La Tortura" broke the record on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart, appearing at #1 for 25 non-consecutive weeks. The song was chosen as the World's #5 Favorite Song of All Time in a global survey by Sony Ericsson of 700,000 music fans in 66 countries.
Music video
The music video, directed by Michael Haussman, is quite simple. From his apartment, Sanz spies on Shakira as she goes to her apartment and changes clothes. He remembers things they'd done in the past as a couple, while Shakira dances erotically, covered in black paint. The music video is in itself somewhat notable, as it was the first time MTV showed an whole episode of the Making the Video series in another language (with English subtitles). It was also the second Spanish-language video ever to enter in Total Request Live's countdown. It can also be noted that the video for "La Tortura" was one of the first in Spanish language to run a lot of times on "mainstream" American music channels such as MTV and VH1.
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 also made for the remix. This music video also entered on Total Request Live's countdown. Other remixes have also been made by independent DJs.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 | 23 |
| align="left"Top Latino's Top 40 | 1 (20 weeks) |
| U.S. Billboard's Pop 100 | 27 |
| U.S. Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks | 1 (25 weeks) |
| U.S. Billboard's Hot Digital Songs | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard's Dance Radio Airplay | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard's Hot Ringtones | 9 |
| European MTV Top 20 | 1 |
| France Singles Chart | 1 |
| Portugal Top 20 (MTV) | 1 |
| Germany Top 20 (MTV) | 4 |
| Spain Top 20 (MTV) | 1 |
| Italy Top 20 (MTV) | 3 |
| Greece Top 20 (MTV) | 1 |
| Belgium Top 20 (MTV) | 8 |
| Switzerland Top 20 (MTV) | 4 |
| Latin America Top 10 (MTV Latin America) | 1 |
| Brazil Top 20 (MTV Brasil) | 1 |
| Sweden Top 20 (MTV) | 6 |
| Norway Top 20 (MTV) | 4 |
| Argentina Top 20 (MTV) | 1 |
| Colombian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Denmark Top 20 (MTV) | 6 |