She Wolf (song)
Encyclopedia
She Wolf is a song by Colombia
n singer–songwriter Shakira
taken from her third English-language studio album of the same name
. Shakira wrote and produced the track with John Hill
, and Sam Endicott
(lead singer and songwriter of The Bravery
). The song was released as the lead single worldwide and is being distributed with a Spanish version "Loba", which is being used to promote the album in Spanish-speaking countries."she wolf" has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
"Loba" premiered on June 29, 2009, and was played on various radio stations. Shakira premiered "She Wolf" on Z100
and KIIS-FM
on July 13, 2009, and the single was available to download from the following day. The song hit U.S. radio on July 21, 2009.
about the song: "'She Wolf' came to me very mysteriously, I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting". Shakira talked further about the song to Access Hollywood
: "I think 'She Wolf' has a lot to do with the moment in which I feel I am. I feel much freer now as a woman, a little more in touch with my own desires, and I tend to listen to myself a little more. ‘What does Shakira want?’. Not what everybody else wants, but what do I really want? And I think that the song deep inside is about that. [It’s] like a more animalistic side of you, a more primitive side ... an animal person in a way, So when you understand these things you forgive yourself every time you screw up, you say, It wasn’t me, that was the she wolf ... that was the animal in me, that wasn’t me, I have nothing to do with that". The song was used in a promo campaign for the new season of ABC
's Desperate Housewives
. The campaign features Shakira's video cut together with scenes from the new season of the show. A chyron with the song and album title are also on the promo. A Second promo was also released featuring a 30 second snippet of She Wolf playing to the video of the Housewives in various moving pictures.
got an advanced listen of the track, describing it as "literally very good". "It doesn't sound like anything Shakira has done before — it's a bit dancey and a bit electronic with a quite organic disco feel — but even as an instrumental there would still be a feeling that this is very much a Shakira-sounding track....it's a new sound for Shakira but only Shakira could make a song like this and get away with it... "'She Wolf' represents a brilliantly tight bond between art and artist. It's fun and deranged, too, like pop music at its best sometimes needs to be". The following day, Digital Spy
also had an advance listen of the track; the review said that the song "sounds like nothing else in the charts at the moment... This is the sort of track that will sound terrific on the radio, terrific on the dancefloor and especially terrific as you strut into work with your iPod cranked up to full whack on a hot summer's morning. In short, it's an absolute smash". Also, he added: "With a pounding bassline reminiscent of '70s disco, a chorus that combines over-dubbed vocals with clubby synths, and a smattering of heavy panting throughout, this manages to be fresh and quirky while still sounding like a smash. A tricky feat to pull off — but that's what happens when a great popstar fervently follows her own unique evolutionary path." He gave to the song 5 out of 5 stars. Rolling Stone
said the song is a "fierce piece of electro-pop". The Guardian
said it is Shakira's "most powerful song yet". Billboard reviewed 'Loba': "Though the song's wolf cries and panting noises are a little goofy, it's sure to get the Colombian singer's die-hard fans howling right along on the dancefloor. Its infectious groove rides a funk bassline, pulsates like a wild animal's heartbeat and plays perfectly to Shakira's ability to sing fast, crowded phrases in a way that forces the listener to pay attention. It's an unselfconsciously sexy, stylish ode to a woman on the prowl". James Montgomery for MTV
gave the song a positive review calling it "the most insanely brilliant (or brilliantly insane) song you'll hear in 2009" and highlighting "the fact that Shakira uses the term "lycanthropy
" and, seconds later, compares herself to a coffee machine (both of which are surely firsts in the history of pop music)."
Bill Lamb of About.com
gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars commenting that "The retro disco sound wrapped in scratchy 70's dance guitars is arresting and with a set of lyrics detailing an ignored partner's desires to transform into a "she wolf," the song is masterful". He also stated that "Musically, "She Wolf" is a step in a different direction from much of Shakira's past output, but to the tremendous credit of her and her co-producers John Hill and Sam Endicott (of the Bravery), the sound is like no one else. On Oral Fixation Vol. 2
, Shakira stepped into dance club territory with the political anthem "Timor". but here she drives straight toward 70's underground disco complete with a closing of lush strings. In other hands the howls and heavy breathing could sound silly and even embarrassing. Here they are completely appropriate and expected. The Spanish language version "Loba" will ensure success on Latin pop charts. It's quite possible the English language track will carry once again to the top of the pop singles charts around the world in the footsteps of "Hips Don't Lie." Once again Shakira is expressing truly international appeal in almost effortless fashion", he added that " She Wolf is one of the most quietly powerful three minutes of pop music in 2009". Other critics—such as Andrew Bast from Newsweek
—criticized the song for being too simple and confusing "Which is to say nothing of the song itself: a synth-laced dance track about an animal-possessed woman trapped in a closet. The lyrics are confounding, i.e. 'I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office.' It drones on with a flippy little guitar lick and a repeating bass line. Dynamics? No. Journey? None. Energy? Unless it's blasted at a club, there's little to be found."
at number twenty-three, becoming Shakira's best debut on this chart since her 2007 collaboration with Alejandro Sanz
, "Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No
". It has since peaked at number one, becoming Shakira's eighth number-one single and making her the seventh artist (and second female artist behind Gloria Estefan
) with most number-one Latin hits. The song has also earned Shakira her fourteenth top ten single on the chart, making her the fifth female artist with most top ten hits on the chart tying with Selena
and just behind Gloria Estefan, Ana Gabriel
, Rocío Dúrcal
, and Ednita Nazario
. "Loba" also hit number one on the Latin Pop Songs chart, becoming her tenth number-one song on the chart, eventually making her the first female artist to achieve this feat and the fourth artist with the most number-one hits (behind Enrique Iglesias
, Cristian Castro
, and Luis Miguel
). The song also topped Billboard Tropical Songs. After its digital release, "She Wolf" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
at number thirty-four on the issue date of August 1, 2009, making it Shakira's best debut ever on the Hot 100 and her sixth top forty hit. Reaching a peak of #11, it has become one of her highest-charting songs behind "Beautiful Liar
" (number three), "Hips Don't Lie
" (number one), "Whenever, Wherever
" (number six), and "Underneath Your Clothes
" (number nine). During the same week, it also debuted on the Canadian Hot 100
at number sixty and has so far reached number five.
The single's digital release in the UK had to be pushed forward from September 21 to September 11, after a number of copycat cover versions by other, smaller artists appeared online. On September 13, "She Wolf" subsequently entered the UK Singles Chart
at number twenty-five before climbing to number five the following week. After the song's physical release, "She Wolf" ascended one place further to number four where it remained for another week and has so far peaked. As it stand, the song is Shakira's fifth highest charting single in the UK to date. The same week, the song made its debut in Ireland at number four, staying in the same position for the following week. In its third week in the chart, the song rose to number two, being kept of the top spot by The Black Eyed Peas
' "I Gotta Feeling
". The song has so far peaked at number two. In Spain the song peaked at number two on the PROMUSICAE
Top 50 singles chart. The single had a very successful chart run, remaining in the top ten during months. The single finally achieved 2x Platinum with sales over 80,000 units. On the issue dated July 27, 2009, the song debuted at number sixty-eight on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
. On August 17, 2009 the song reached the top fifty, almost one week before the official release of the CD single. Following the release of the CD single, the song jumped from number forty-four to number eighteen on the issue dated August 31, 2009. The following week "She Wolf" dropped to number thirty and dropped again the week after to number forty.
. It was shot in June 2009 in Los Angeles, California. It premiered on MTV
on July 30 at 8 pm and features a live wolf. A video for the Spanish version was also released. Shakira's official website described the video as "An inventively sexy video directed by Jake Nava and featuring the metamorphosis of a woman told through her unique dance techniques". The video premiered as expected to a positive review from MTV. James Montgomery for MTV praised Shakira's dancing skills stating "Shakira has taken the art of body-contorting to new (somewhat unsettling) highs in "She Wolf". She herks and jerks, folds herself in half, torques vertebrae, lifts legs over her head, pops her shoulders in and out of their sockets, hangs upside down, nearly topples over ... the list goes on and on. She out-dances everyone in the business, and even manages to out-Beyoncé
". Andrew Bast from Newsweek
gave a negative review stating that, "Of course, sex appeal is an essential element of successful musicians, but for someone as talented as Shakira to resort to trashiness on par with Britney
’s most bothersome buffoonery is, to put it mildly, a letdown." According to Metro.uk, the music video became an internet sensation with over 35 million views since July.
The video begins with Shakira walking into a walk-in wardrobe (leaving her lover asleep) where she body-pops and dances by herself, also paying tribute to Michael Jackson
's famous anti-gravity lean on "Smooth Criminal
", "He was the king of artistic magic," Shakira said on an interview from Good Morning America. Then, the wardrobe transforms into a cave-like structure with her dancing. Next, the cave turns into a club with her dancing with five backup dancers. After that, it shows her in a gold cage making seductive poses, with a sign over the cage reading "Do Not Feed the Animal." The scene switches back & forth. Next, a wolf is walking and then transforms into a girl at the club. In the final scene it shows Shakira dancing on top of a high building in San Francisco and dancing with a ladder. The final scene switches back & forth to every scene in the video.
, on September 16. Later, she sang "She Wolf" and "Did it Again" on the Jimmy Kimmel Live
, on September 18. Later, she performed the song at the 2009 ALMA Awards
and on Saturday Night Live
. Shakira also appeared on the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
, T4
, and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
to promote her music in the United Kingdom. Also, she performed the song on the Oliver Pocher Show
in Germany, among various other European shows. She also performed the Spanish version of the song on the show Christina. Also, On October 15, she performed the song Spanish version on Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009.
Mexico Maxi CD
Middle Eastern Maxi CD
International 2-Track CD
Official versions
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n singer–songwriter Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
taken from her third English-language studio album of the same name
She Wolf (album)
She Wolf is the sixth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, first released on October 9, 2009 through Epic Records and Sony Music Latin. The album sees Shakira shift from Latin pop and pop rock to electropop while also exploring dancehall...
. Shakira wrote and produced the track with John Hill
John Hill (musician)
John Hill is an American guitarist best recognized as a member of The Apples in Stereo and Dressy Bessy.Hill, a college friend of drummer Hilarie Sidney and bassist Jim McIntyre, joined The Apples in January, 1994 after the departure of lead guitarist Chris Parfitt...
, and Sam Endicott
Sam Endicott
Sam Endicott is the lead singer of the The Bravery.- History :Endicott grew up in Brookmont a Washington, DC, suburb of Bethesda, Maryland...
(lead singer and songwriter of The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
). The song was released as the lead single worldwide and is being distributed with a Spanish version "Loba", which is being used to promote the album in Spanish-speaking countries."she wolf" has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
"Loba" premiered on June 29, 2009, and was played on various radio stations. Shakira premiered "She Wolf" on Z100
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
and KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a partial Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz...
on July 13, 2009, and the single was available to download from the following day. The song hit U.S. radio on July 21, 2009.
Background
Shakira talked to Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
about the song: "'She Wolf' came to me very mysteriously, I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting". Shakira talked further about the song to Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
: "I think 'She Wolf' has a lot to do with the moment in which I feel I am. I feel much freer now as a woman, a little more in touch with my own desires, and I tend to listen to myself a little more. ‘What does Shakira want?’. Not what everybody else wants, but what do I really want? And I think that the song deep inside is about that. [It’s] like a more animalistic side of you, a more primitive side ... an animal person in a way, So when you understand these things you forgive yourself every time you screw up, you say, It wasn’t me, that was the she wolf ... that was the animal in me, that wasn’t me, I have nothing to do with that". The song was used in a promo campaign for the new season of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives (season 6)
The sixth season of Desperate Housewives, a television series created by Marc Cherry, began airing on September 27, 2009 and concluded on May 16, 2010.The season consisted of 23 episodes. The deceased Mary Alice Young continues to narrate the events in the lives of her friends and Wisteria Lane...
. The campaign features Shakira's video cut together with scenes from the new season of the show. A chyron with the song and album title are also on the promo. A Second promo was also released featuring a 30 second snippet of She Wolf playing to the video of the Housewives in various moving pictures.
Critical reception
The song has been very well received by pop critics. On June 16, 2009, PopjusticePopjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
got an advanced listen of the track, describing it as "literally very good". "It doesn't sound like anything Shakira has done before — it's a bit dancey and a bit electronic with a quite organic disco feel — but even as an instrumental there would still be a feeling that this is very much a Shakira-sounding track....it's a new sound for Shakira but only Shakira could make a song like this and get away with it... "'She Wolf' represents a brilliantly tight bond between art and artist. It's fun and deranged, too, like pop music at its best sometimes needs to be". The following day, Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
also had an advance listen of the track; the review said that the song "sounds like nothing else in the charts at the moment... This is the sort of track that will sound terrific on the radio, terrific on the dancefloor and especially terrific as you strut into work with your iPod cranked up to full whack on a hot summer's morning. In short, it's an absolute smash". Also, he added: "With a pounding bassline reminiscent of '70s disco, a chorus that combines over-dubbed vocals with clubby synths, and a smattering of heavy panting throughout, this manages to be fresh and quirky while still sounding like a smash. A tricky feat to pull off — but that's what happens when a great popstar fervently follows her own unique evolutionary path." He gave to the song 5 out of 5 stars. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said the song is a "fierce piece of electro-pop". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said it is Shakira's "most powerful song yet". Billboard reviewed 'Loba': "Though the song's wolf cries and panting noises are a little goofy, it's sure to get the Colombian singer's die-hard fans howling right along on the dancefloor. Its infectious groove rides a funk bassline, pulsates like a wild animal's heartbeat and plays perfectly to Shakira's ability to sing fast, crowded phrases in a way that forces the listener to pay attention. It's an unselfconsciously sexy, stylish ode to a woman on the prowl". James Montgomery for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
gave the song a positive review calling it "the most insanely brilliant (or brilliantly insane) song you'll hear in 2009" and highlighting "the fact that Shakira uses the term "lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
" and, seconds later, compares herself to a coffee machine (both of which are surely firsts in the history of pop music)."
Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars commenting that "The retro disco sound wrapped in scratchy 70's dance guitars is arresting and with a set of lyrics detailing an ignored partner's desires to transform into a "she wolf," the song is masterful". He also stated that "Musically, "She Wolf" is a step in a different direction from much of Shakira's past output, but to the tremendous credit of her and her co-producers John Hill and Sam Endicott (of the Bravery), the sound is like no one else. On Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Oral Fixation Vol. 2 is the fifth studio album by Colombian pop singer-songwriter Shakira, released on November 28, 2005 by Epic Records. According to her biography on her website and Epic Records, the album has sold 8 million copies worldwide....
, Shakira stepped into dance club territory with the political anthem "Timor". but here she drives straight toward 70's underground disco complete with a closing of lush strings. In other hands the howls and heavy breathing could sound silly and even embarrassing. Here they are completely appropriate and expected. The Spanish language version "Loba" will ensure success on Latin pop charts. It's quite possible the English language track will carry once again to the top of the pop singles charts around the world in the footsteps of "Hips Don't Lie." Once again Shakira is expressing truly international appeal in almost effortless fashion", he added that " She Wolf is one of the most quietly powerful three minutes of pop music in 2009". Other critics—such as Andrew Bast from Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
—criticized the song for being too simple and confusing "Which is to say nothing of the song itself: a synth-laced dance track about an animal-possessed woman trapped in a closet. The lyrics are confounding, i.e. 'I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office.' It drones on with a flippy little guitar lick and a repeating bass line. Dynamics? No. Journey? None. Energy? Unless it's blasted at a club, there's little to be found."
Chart performance
The song made its official debut on the Billboard Hot Latin SongsHot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song...
at number twenty-three, becoming Shakira's best debut on this chart since her 2007 collaboration with Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sanz , is a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. For his work, Sanz has won a total of fifteen Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He has won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year three times, more than any other artist...
, "Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No
Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No
"Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No" is a song recorded by Alejandro Sanz and Shakira, for Sanz's 2006 studio album El Tren De Los Momentos. It was released as the second single from the album in late 2006. "Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No" is the second duet recorded by the two singers, who previously recorded...
". It has since peaked at number one, becoming Shakira's eighth number-one single and making her the seventh artist (and second female artist behind Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
) with most number-one Latin hits. The song has also earned Shakira her fourteenth top ten single on the chart, making her the fifth female artist with most top ten hits on the chart tying with Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
and just behind Gloria Estefan, Ana Gabriel
Ana Gabriel
Ana Gabriel is a Mexican singer and composer.Ana Gabriel was born as María Guadalupe Araujo Yong, in Santiago de Comanito, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. She moved to Tijuana, Baja California and studied accounting...
, Rocío Dúrcal
Rocío Dúrcal
Rocío Dúrcal , born as María de los Ángeles de Las Heras Ortíz, was a Spanish singer and actress, known artistically as Rocío Durcal. Spanish is the best selling solo albums with more than 80 million to date...
, and Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
. "Loba" also hit number one on the Latin Pop Songs chart, becoming her tenth number-one song on the chart, eventually making her the first female artist to achieve this feat and the fourth artist with the most number-one hits (behind Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...
, and Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
). The song also topped Billboard Tropical Songs. After its digital release, "She Wolf" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number thirty-four on the issue date of August 1, 2009, making it Shakira's best debut ever on the Hot 100 and her sixth top forty hit. Reaching a peak of #11, it has become one of her highest-charting songs behind "Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
" (number three), "Hips Don't Lie
Hips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
" (number one), "Whenever, Wherever
Whenever, Wherever
"Whenever, Wherever" is a Latin pop song written by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, Gloria Estefan, and Tim Mitchell for Shakira's first English language album, Laundry Service. The track was produced by Shakira, and recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami as well as Compass Point Studios in...
" (number six), and "Underneath Your Clothes
Underneath Your Clothes
"Underneath Your Clothes" is a power ballad by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira - the second English language single released from Laundry Service . It is a love song with lyrics by Shakira and music by her and Lester Mendez and tells the story of the unconditional love that a woman has for her...
" (number nine). During the same week, it also debuted on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at number sixty and has so far reached number five.
The single's digital release in the UK had to be pushed forward from September 21 to September 11, after a number of copycat cover versions by other, smaller artists appeared online. On September 13, "She Wolf" subsequently entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number twenty-five before climbing to number five the following week. After the song's physical release, "She Wolf" ascended one place further to number four where it remained for another week and has so far peaked. As it stand, the song is Shakira's fifth highest charting single in the UK to date. The same week, the song made its debut in Ireland at number four, staying in the same position for the following week. In its third week in the chart, the song rose to number two, being kept of the top spot by The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
". The song has so far peaked at number two. In Spain the song peaked at number two on the PROMUSICAE
PROMUSICAE
Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry...
Top 50 singles chart. The single had a very successful chart run, remaining in the top ten during months. The single finally achieved 2x Platinum with sales over 80,000 units. On the issue dated July 27, 2009, the song debuted at number sixty-eight on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. On August 17, 2009 the song reached the top fifty, almost one week before the official release of the CD single. Following the release of the CD single, the song jumped from number forty-four to number eighteen on the issue dated August 31, 2009. The following week "She Wolf" dropped to number thirty and dropped again the week after to number forty.
Music video
The music video was directed by Jake NavaJake Nava
Jake Nava was born on 17 August and grew up in northern London. He currently lives in eastern London.He graduated from the University of WestministerJake Nava is an English-born music video and film director.-Filmography:MUSIC VIDEOS...
. It was shot in June 2009 in Los Angeles, California. It premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
on July 30 at 8 pm and features a live wolf. A video for the Spanish version was also released. Shakira's official website described the video as "An inventively sexy video directed by Jake Nava and featuring the metamorphosis of a woman told through her unique dance techniques". The video premiered as expected to a positive review from MTV. James Montgomery for MTV praised Shakira's dancing skills stating "Shakira has taken the art of body-contorting to new (somewhat unsettling) highs in "She Wolf". She herks and jerks, folds herself in half, torques vertebrae, lifts legs over her head, pops her shoulders in and out of their sockets, hangs upside down, nearly topples over ... the list goes on and on. She out-dances everyone in the business, and even manages to out-Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
". Andrew Bast from Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
gave a negative review stating that, "Of course, sex appeal is an essential element of successful musicians, but for someone as talented as Shakira to resort to trashiness on par with Britney
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
’s most bothersome buffoonery is, to put it mildly, a letdown." According to Metro.uk, the music video became an internet sensation with over 35 million views since July.
The video begins with Shakira walking into a walk-in wardrobe (leaving her lover asleep) where she body-pops and dances by herself, also paying tribute to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's famous anti-gravity lean on "Smooth Criminal
Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...
", "He was the king of artistic magic," Shakira said on an interview from Good Morning America. Then, the wardrobe transforms into a cave-like structure with her dancing. Next, the cave turns into a club with her dancing with five backup dancers. After that, it shows her in a gold cage making seductive poses, with a sign over the cage reading "Do Not Feed the Animal." The scene switches back & forth. Next, a wolf is walking and then transforms into a girl at the club. In the final scene it shows Shakira dancing on top of a high building in San Francisco and dancing with a ladder. The final scene switches back & forth to every scene in the video.
Live performances
Shakira's first live performance of the song was on the final of the 2009 season of America's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
, on September 16. Later, she sang "She Wolf" and "Did it Again" on the Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, on September 18. Later, she performed the song at the 2009 ALMA Awards
Alma Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field...
and on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Shakira also appeared on the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, T4
T4 (Channel 4)
T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
, and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
to promote her music in the United Kingdom. Also, she performed the song on the Oliver Pocher Show
Oliver Pocher
Oliver Pocher is a German actor, stand-up comedian and television host.- Early life and professional training :...
in Germany, among various other European shows. She also performed the Spanish version of the song on the show Christina. Also, On October 15, she performed the song Spanish version on Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009.
Cover versions
- The British electro/disco band Hot ChipHot ChipHot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...
covered the song on Jo WhileyJo WhileyJohanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
's on BBC radio 1 program, BBC live lounge. They carried onto cover the song and performed it on a tour date in New York. - The indie band Chester FrenchChester FrenchChester French is an American indie pop band consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maxwell Drummey...
also covered the song and posted his video on YouTube along with many amateur cover versions. - In 2009, the song was parodied on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
by the country singer Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
, where she sang a version called "Bunny Hips Don't Lie", making reference to Shakira's "Hips Don't LieHips Don't Lie"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
". - The comedian Katy BrandKaty BrandKaty Brand is an English actress, comedian and writer known for her ITV2 series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show and for Comedy Lab Slap on Channel 4....
also did a spoof of both the video and the song with a song named "She Spazz". - Danielle Anderson under the stage name of Danielle Ate The Sandwich did a cover of "She Wolf".
Track listing and versions
Australian Maxi CD- "She Wolf" – 3:08
- "She Wolf" (Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
Radio Edit) – 3:40 - "She Wolf" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) – 7:07
Mexico Maxi CD
- "Loba" – 3:08
- "Loba" (Pocho Club Mix) – 3:49
- "Loba" (Pocho Radio Mix) – 3:41
- "Loba" (Deep Mariano Club Mix) – 5:04
- "Loba" (Deep Mariano Radio Mix) – 4:31
Middle Eastern Maxi CD
- "She Wolf" (Said Mrad Club Remix) - 5:42
- "She Wolf" (Said Mrad Remix – Radio Edit) – 3:43
- "She Wolf" (Fahmy & Samba's SphinxMix – Club Mix) – 3:56
- "She Wolf" (Fahmy & Samba's SphinxMix – Radio Edit) – 2:53
- "She Wolf" (Mindloop Collective Lounge Mix) – 3:44
- "She Wolf" (Beirutbiloma Mix) – 3:43
International 2-Track CD
- "She Wolf" – 3:08
- "Loba" – 3:08
Official versions
- "She Wolf" – 3:08
- "She Wolf" (Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
Radio Edit) – 3:40 - "She Wolf" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) – 7:08
- "She Wolf" (Moto Blanco Dub Mix) – 7:07
- "She Wolf" (Villains Remix) – 4:10
- "She Wolf" (Villains Dub) – 4:06
- "She Wolf" (Deeplick Night club Mix) – 7:04
- "She Wolf" (Deeplick Radio Edit) – 3:26
- "She Wolf" (Calvin HarrisCalvin HarrisCalvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
Remix) – 4:47 - "She Wolf" (Said Mrad Club Remix) – 5:42
- "She Wolf" (Said Mrad Remix – Radio Edit) – 3:43
- "She Wolf" (Fahmy & Samba's SphinxMix – Club Mix) – 3:56
- "She Wolf" (Fahmy & Samba's SphinxMix – Radio Edit) – 2:53
- "She Wolf" (Mindloop Collective Lounge Mix) – 3:44
- "She Wolf" (Beirutbiloma Mix) – 3:43
- "Loba" – 3:08
- "Loba" (Poncho Club Mix) – 3:56
- "Loba" (Poncho Radio Mix) – 3:41
- "Loba" (Deep Mariano Club Mix) – 5:06
- "Loba" (Deep Mariano Radio Mix) – 4:34
- "Loba" (Salsa version) – 3:53
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Sales and certifications
| Country | Provider | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | FIMI | Platinum |
| Spain | PROMUSICAE PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... |
2× Platinum |
| Switzerland | IFPI | Gold |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Silver |
| United States | RIAA | Platinum |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 | 57 |
| European Hot 100 | 55 |
| French Digital Singles Chart | 33 |
| Germany Singles Chart | 38 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
67 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 8 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 39 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 64 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs | 13 |
| U.S. Latin Songs Year End 2009 Billboard Top Latin Songs Year-End Chart The Year-End charts for the Top Latin Songs chart are published in the last issue of Billboard magazine every year. The chart is based on information provided by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, which collects radio airplay information... |
9 |
| End of year chart (2010) | Position |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart | 48 |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Loba" | |||
| Latin America | June 29, 2009 | Airplay | Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| Chile | July 6, 2009 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
|
| Spain | July 14, 2009 | ||
| Mexico | July 21, 2009 | ||
| "She Wolf" | |||
| Chile | July 13, 2009 | Digital download | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Australia | July 14, 2009 | ||
| Brazil | |||
| Italy | Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
||
| US & Canada | July 21, 2009 | Airplay | |
| Australia | August 21, 2009 | CD single | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Mexico | September 1, 2009 | ||
| Germany | September 4, 2009 | ||
| Ireland and United Kingdom | September 11, 2009 | Digital download | RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| September 21, 2009 | CD single | ||