Bailamos

"Bailamos" (English: "We Dance") is a single by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias sung in Spanglish. It was released in 1999 as part of the soundtrack to the film Wild Wild West (1999), and later as the lead single from his fourth and debut English-language album Enrique (1999). It was Iglesias' debut English-language single and was immensely successful, reaching the number-one spot on the Spanish Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as becoming a top-three hit in Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. In New Zealand, it was the second-most-successful single of 1999.

"Bailamos"
Single by Enrique Iglesias
from the album Cosas del Amor, Wild Wild West: Music Inspired by the Motion Picture and Enrique
Released	15 June 1999
Recorded	1998
Genre	Latin pop flamenco dance-pop
Length	3:38
Label	Fonovisa Interscope Overbrook Universal
Songwriter(s)	Paul Barry Mark Taylor
Producer(s)	Mark Taylor Brian Rawling
Enrique Iglesias singles chronology
"Nunca Te Olvidaré" (1998) "Bailamos" (1999) "Rhythm Divine" (1999)
Music video
"Bailamos" on YouTube

Background

"Bailamos" was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor and produced by Barry and Brian Rawling, the same team which wrote and produced Cher's hit "Believe". The track first appeared on a limited edition of his 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 asked Enrique to contribute to the soundtrack of his upcoming movie Wild Wild West and "Bailamos" was chosen to appear.[1] The song quickly became most requested on pop radio in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Due to the song's popularity, it was released as a single throughout the world. In English, "Bailamos" means "We Dance" (We Are Dancing). In the United States, the song was seen as part of a wave of crossover music from Latin American singers and a general increase in interest in Latin music, which was started by Ricky Martin's release "Livin' la Vida Loca" as well as Carlos Santana'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. 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.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard 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 [Ricky] Martin'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."[2] 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.[3] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly described it as a "horn-heavy invitation to the dance floor".[4] Swedish newspaper Expressen said that it "sounds like a mix" of George Michael and Julio Iglesias.[5]

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 chart for one week.[6][7] The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs,[8] while on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart, it reached number 25.[9] Internationally, "Bailamos" topped the Spanish Singles Chart for five weeks and reached the top 10 in Walloon Belgium, Canada, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[10][11][12][13] In New Zealand "Bailamos" was the second-most successful single of 1999, behind Lou Bega's rendition of "Mambo No. 5".[14]

Music videos

The song was adapted into three different music videos:

• The original music video for the song was shot in Miami. 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 was made. A portion of this video was shot in Mexico, while most of it shot in the backlot at Universal Studios.[15] In this video, Iglesias is depicted as a wanted man with the opening shot being a poster calling for his capture "dead or alive". 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, another famous music video director.[16] 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

UK CD1

1. "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:37
2. "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers Remix) – 5:06
3. "Bailamos" (Fernando's Latin Mix) – 5:30

UK CD2

1. "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers Radio Edit) – 3:25
2. "Bailamos" (Davidson Ospina Club Mix) – 6:59
3. "Bailamos" (Video – Paul Hunter Version) – 3:36

European CD single

1. "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:37
2. "Nunca Te Olvidare" – 3:18
3. "Bailamos" (The Groove Brothers Remix) – 6:25

US CD single

1. "Bailamos" (Harry Choo Choo Romero & Eric Morillo Vocal Mix) – 6:29
2. "Bailamos" (Fernando G. Latin Mix) – 5:30
3. "Bailamos" (Ospina Club Anthem Mix) – 6:08
4. "Bailamos" (Pablo La Rosa Techno Dub) – 6:13
5. "Bailamos" (Mijangos Recycled Dub) – 9:23
6. "Bailamos" (album version) – 3:37

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1999–2004) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 13 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[19] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 2 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[20] 1 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[21] 3 Czech Republic (IFPI)[22] 13 Denmark (IFPI)[23] 8 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] 4 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] 18 France (SNEP)[26] 6 Germany (Official German Charts)[27] 10 Greece (IFPI Greece)[28] 6 Hungary (Mahasz)[29] 2 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[12] 8 Ireland (IRMA)[30] 15 Italy (Musica e dischi)[31] 12 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[32] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[35] 3 Scotland (OCC)[36] 8 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 8 UK Singles (OCC)[13] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[6] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 14 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[40] 35 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 1 US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[41] 3 US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[7] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[42] 4 US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[43] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Australia (ARIA)[44] 55 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[45] 59 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[46] 26 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[47] 17 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[48] 7 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[49] 23 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[50] 25 France (SNEP)[51] 36 Germany (Official German Charts)[52] 77 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[53] 23 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[54] 31 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 2 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[55] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[56] 22 US Billboard Hot 100[57] 26 Certifications and sales Region Certification Certified units/sales Australia (ARIA)[58] Gold 35,000^^ Belgium (BEA)[59] Gold 25,000^* France (SNEP)[60] Gold 250,000^* New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Gold 5,000^* Norway (IFPI Norway)[62] Gold   Sweden (GLF)[63] Platinum 30,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Silver 200,000^^ United States (RIAA)[65] Gold 700,000[66] ^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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 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".

See also

• List of number-one singles of 1999 (Spain)
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• Number-one hits of 1999 (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks)
• Number-one dance hits of 1999 (USA)

References

1. MTV.com Will Smith Sizes Up Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos"-mania 24 June 1999
2. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 19 June 1999. p. 18. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
3. Smith, Michael R. (13 September 2009). "Enrique – Enrique Iglesias". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
4. "Chart Flashback: 1999". Entertainment Weekly. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
5. Expressen. 17 April 1999.
6. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
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8. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
9. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
10. "Australian-charts.com – Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8451." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
12. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 336 Vikuna 12.8. – 19.8. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 13 August 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
14. "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
15. MVDBase.com Music Video Information, Version 1
16. MVDBase.com Music Video Information, Version 2
17. "Austriancharts.at – Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
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39. "Swisscharts.com – Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos". Swiss Singles Chart.
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41. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
42. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
43. "Enrique Iglesias Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
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45. "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
46. "Rapports annuels 1999" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
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48. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
49. "RPM 1999 Top 50 Dance Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
50. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
51. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1999" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
52. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1999" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
53. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
54. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
55. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005.
56. "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
57. "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
58. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
59. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
60. "French single certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
61. "New Zealand single certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Baialmos". Recorded Music NZ.
62. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
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65. "American single certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
66. "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 112 (4): 63. 22 January 2000. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 4 June 2015.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics