Ojos Así

"Ojos Así" ("Eyes Like Yours") is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her fourth studio album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). It was released on July 23, 1999 by Sony Latin as the fifth single from the record. The song was written by Shakira, Pablo Flores, and Javier Garza, while production was handled by Emilio Estefan. Musically, "Ojos Así" incorporates elements of middle eastern and world music. An English-language translation titled "Eyes Like Yours" was included on Shakira's fifth studio album and first English-language record Laundry Service (2001).

"Ojos Así"
Single by Shakira
from the album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
ReleasedJuly 23, 1999 (1999-07-23)
Recorded1998; Crescent Moon Studios
(Miami, Florida)
Genre
Length3:57
LabelSony Latin
Songwriter(s)
  • Shakira Mebarak
  • Pablo Flores
  • Javier Garza
Producer(s)Emilio Estefan
Shakira singles chronology
"No Creo"
(1999)		 "Ojos Así"
(1999)		 "Moscas en la Casa"
(1999)
Music video
"Ojos Así" on YouTube

The track reached numbers 9 and 22 on the U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Songs and Latin Songs component charts, respectively. It reached the peak position on the Romanian Singles Chart, and performed moderately in other European territories. The song has additionally been performed during six of the seven concert tours Shakira has held to date.

Background and composition

"Ojos Así" contains interludes of Arabic chants. It is based in the Phrygian dominant scale to help lend to the song's Arabian feel. Shakira herself sings in Arabic in the song. Bahrain and Beirut are mentioned in the lyrics to reflect Shakira's background having lived in Bahrain and attended school there and being part Lebanese.[1]

"Ojos Así" became extremely popular in Latin American countries and is one of Shakira's biggest hits in Spanish. It was also one of Shakira's smash hits in Romania.[2]

Shakira's 2001 English language debut album, Laundry Service, features an English version of the song titled "Eyes Like Yours". It contains no differences from "Ojos Así" besides each song's respective language (both still feature the Arabic). The rough, yet literal (in most places) translation of "Ojos Así" was written by Shakira and Gloria Estefan. "Eyes Like Yours" has an unreleased music video that was filmed around the same time as "Ojos Así"'s (as Shakira looks the same in both videos). A clip of this unseen video was released on a promotional CD for Laundry Service, only a minute in length, and containing very few shots of Shakira singing in English.

Music video

The music video for "Ojos Así" features Shakira performing the song for a crowd. In the background is a giant neon eye, which shoots out sparks and catches fire toward the end of the video. There are also clips of Shakira belly dancing in front of a dark purple background, standing in water. In these clips, there are snakes painted down her arms and red lines painted on her head. The video uses the "Single Mix" version of the song (though versions of the video with the album mix also exist). Featured instruments in the video include an Arabic string instrument with a bowl under the head, and a Danelectro Longhorn electric bass guitar. Shakira's long-time musical partner and band manager Tim Mitchell can be seen playing guitar in the video. The video won the International Viewer's Choice Award (North) at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, while it was also nominated for the same award in the South category and for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.[3]

On 24 April 2012, an alternate version of the video surfaced online. Uploaded by the video's director, Mark Kohr, on video sharing site Vimeo, this new version was in widescreen, revealing more of the original picture, and also contained several short, but noticeable, different scenes from the original full-screen, 4:3 version.

Live performances
Shakira performing "Ojos Así" during the Rock in Rio festival in 2008.

In order to promote "Ojos Así", Shakira performed the song at Mexican television program Al Fin de Semana.[4] Shakira performed the song during her MTV Unplugged performance at the Grand Ballroom in New York City, on August 12, 1999. It was completely re-worked for the performance, and included an extended introduction after the main Middle Eastern beginning, and even a dance break with Middle Eastern drums, eliminating Shakira singing in Arabic at the same time. The performance was later included on the MTV Unplugged release.[5] In November 1999, Shakira performed "Ojos Así" on the Miss Colombia 1999 election, closing the event.[6] Shakira included the song on her 2000 Tour Anfibio, being performed as an encore.[7] She also performed "Ojos Así" on the first-ever Latin Grammy Awards on September 13, 2000, giving a "wildly" choreographed performance against a Survivor-like backdrop of tiki torches and images of water as she writhed about in a red pantsuit.[8] It was the opening number of her 2002–03 Tour of the Mongoose, with Shakira wearing tight black leather pants, a black belly dancing scarf, and a black bra. The performance of the song was included on the Live & off the Record live release in 2004.[9]

Shortly before the start of her tour, Shakira performed the song during the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on 26 May 2006.[10] "Ojos Así" was included on her 2006–07 Oral Fixation Tour as an encore. It sampled the Arabic tune "Enta Omri" by Egyptian singer Om Kalthoum at the beginning of the performance, when Shakira danced with a veil. Shakira would wear purple pants, a hip scarf, and a silver or rainbow bra. One of the bras worn by Shakira during the tour was auctioned for $3,000 dollars.[11] The performance of the song was also included on the Oral Fixation Tour release.[12] The song was performed by Shakira during her set on the Plymouth Jazz Festival in Trinidad and Tobago, on 26 April 2008.[13] She also included "Ojos Así" on the setlist for her concert at Rock in Rio held at Madrid, Spain, on 4 July.[14] It was also included on her sets on the Rock in Rio Lisboa and Madrid festivals on 21 May and 5 June,[15][16] and also at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival, in 25 June 2010.[17] During the 2010–11 The Sun Comes Out World Tour, "Ojos Así" was performed after a solo by violinist Una Palliser. The tour's version also featured a new dance break, using excerpts from the piece "Move" by DJ Said Mrad. The tour's signature prop, a giant head behind the stage, would feature mystical eyes and patterns during the song. Shakira would wear a black skirt, an animal-print skirt over that, a silver belly dancing scarf, and a skin-colored bra.[18]

The song was included in Shakira's performance at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show.[19]

Track listings
CD single[20]
  1. "Ojos Así" (Album Version) – 3:57
  2. "Ojos Así" (Thunder Mix Radio Edit) – 3:52
  3. "Ojos Así" (Thunder Mix) – 10:15
  4. "Ojos Así" (Desert Mix) – 9:31
  5. "Ojos Así" (Mirage Mix) – 5:34
Colombia Maxi-single[21]
  1. "Ojos Así" (Thunder Mix) – 10:15
  2. "Ojos Así" (Thunder Mix Radio Edit) – 3:52
  3. "Ojos Así" (Desert Dub) – 9:31
  4. "Ojos Así" (Mirage Mix) – 5:34

Awards

Shakira won a Latin Grammy Award in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance with "Ojos Así" in 2000.

Charts
Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[22] 22
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[23] 9
Chart (2003) Peak
position
European Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[24] 45
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 29
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[26] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 27
France (SNEP)[28] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 33
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Billboard Latin Digital Songs Sales Chart[30] 16

Covers
  • In 2001, Indian composer Anand Raj Anand remade the song to "Yeh Pyaar Hai" for a Bollywood movie.[31]
  • In 2001, Greek singer Natasa Theodoridou adapted "Ojos Así" and included a Greek version titled "Kataziteitai" in her album Ip'Efthini Mou.[32]
  • In 2001, the Israeli singers Liora and Chaim Zriyan released an Hebrew cover of the song titled "Einayim" meaning "eyes."[33]
  • One of China's best selling artists, Li Yuchun covered "Eyes Like Yours" during her Crazy World Tour.
  • During her 2018 Latin American tour, American singer Lauren Jauregui covered "Ojos Así" on selected dates.[34]

References
  1. https://www.bahrain101.com/famous-people-bahrain/#:~:text=She%2Dwolf%20Shakira%20who%20is,in%20her%20song%20Ojos%20Asi. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "List of Nominees / Lista de nominados". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. 12 September 2000. p. 3. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  4. "Shakira on Al Fin de Semana". Al Fin de Semana. 25 August 1999. TeleHit.
  5. Allmusic review
  6. Diego 2002, pp. 101
  7. http://www.mtv.com/news/821341/review-shakira-returns-to-us/
  8. https://variety.com/2000/music/news/music-latin-class-1117786431/
  9. "Shakira: Live & Off The Record (2004)". United States. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  10. https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/cultura/90000-encheram-parque-da-bela-vista-e-vibraram-com-shakira_n157353
  11. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23166143/ns/us_news-giving/t/shakira-charity-auction-raises/
  12. https://www.amazon.com/Oral-Fixation-Tour-DVD-CD/dp/B000VI70X6
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Shakira Setlist at Rock In Rio Madrid 2008". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  15. http://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/2010/06/06/417401/choque-de-caderas-en-el-pop-shakira-se-enfrenta-a-rihanna-en-rock-in-rio-de-madrid.html
  16. http://www.jn.pt/artes/interior/81-mil-pessoas-assistiram-ao-concerto-de-shakira-1575955.html
  17. https://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2010/artists/shakira/
  18. https://www.amazon.com/Live-Paris-CD-Dvd-Shakira/dp/B005XQXFI0
  19. Swinton, Elizabeth (2 February 2020). "Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Setlist: Every Song Jennifer Lopez, Shakira Performed". CBS Sports.
  20. "Shakira – Ojos Asi (CD single)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  21. "Exclusiva! Fotos HD del CD Sencillo "Ojos Asi" (Remixes) [Colombia Edition]". Shakira Sale El Sol. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  22. "Shakira Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  23. "Shakira Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  24. "Shakira – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Shakira. Retrieved 8 August 2010. (subscription required)
  25. "Ultratop.be – Shakira – Ojos asi" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  26. "Ultratop.be – Shakira – Ojos asi" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  27. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Shakira" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  28. "Lescharts.com – Shakira – Ojos asi" (in French). Les classement single.
  29. "Swisscharts.com – Shakira – Ojos asi". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. "US Billboard Latin Digital Songs Sales Chart". Billboard. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  31. https://sites.google.com/site/storewellclub/knowledge/hindi-songs-copied-or-influenced-from-some-other-song
  32. https://www.whosampled.com/cover/377075/Natasa-Theodoridou-Kataziteitai-Shakira-Ojos-As%C3%AD/
  33. http://www.israelidances.com/dance_details.asp?DanceID=4444
  34. https://www.shock.co/musica/lauren-de-fifth-harmony-hace-tremendo-cover-de-ojos-asi-de-shakira-ie2636
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