Format 12" single
CD single Label Sony Latin | Length 4:28 | |
Released September 7, 1998 (1998-09-07) Recorded 1998; Crescent Moon Studios
(Miami, Florida) Genre Brown-eyed soul
mariachi
latin pop | ||
"Ciega, Sordomuda" (English: Blind, deaf-mute) is a song recorded by Colombian singer Shakira for her fourth studio album Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). It was written by Estéfano, and Shakira. It was released on September 7, 1998, as the lead single from the album. "Ciega, Sordomuda" is a latin pop song, and the lyrics express her clumsy feeling when the person that she loves is near; she doesn't pay attention to their signals because she is completely blinded.
Contents
The song reached the number-one spot on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for three weeks in 1998. It was a hit all over Latin America, reaching #1 in the charts of every single country. It also became one of the most successful songs of the 1990s. It remains as one of her best-known songs and has been performed several times since its release, most recently during her The Sun Comes Out World Tour. The song's accompanying music video, directed by Gustavo Garzón, was shot on a beach in California, and features the singer being chased by policemen in a nightclub, where the plot takes a turn toward surreal. The song was ranked as one of the best songs of the 1990s, and ranked 7th place on the 100 greatest songs of the 1990s in Spanish, according to VH1.
Background and composition
Following the commercial success of her previous album Pies Descalzos, Shakira's album debut in the international music industry, "Ciega, Sordomuda" was released as the lead single from her next album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?. The song was not going to be the first single from the album, in favor of "No Creo". In an interview with Yamid Amat, Shakira explained the lyrical meaning behind the song, saying, "Why ciega, sordomuda? Because, I know that everybody sometimes has experienced the hypnotic and catalytic state that we immerse ourselves each time when we're in love. We lose the will and the control of the senses...This song is a song that was born from reality: a personal story...But although it has a great reality dose, it also has a great dose of sarcasm and humor..." The song was written by Estefano Delgado and Shakira, and was produced by the artist and Emilio Estefan.
Music video
The song's accompanying music video, directed by Gustavo Garzón, was shot on a beach in California. The music video begins with a woman dressed in a wig, with trumpets backing her, lip-synching to the song. Soon, the woman is taken away with many other people, including Shakira herself. Shakira meets a man who later dresses as a policeman and they both escape - he is cast as a boyfriend in the video. Shakira hides in a wig store, pretending to be a mannequin, and drives a car blindfolded while the whole city searches for her, blindfolded as well. At the end, the police attack the dance club where the runaways are dancing, but Shakira escapes with the boyfriend. Later, the police find video tapes of Shakira and look at them - some of the scenes are from her 2000 video, "No Creo". While watching, the police tear open their shirts to reveal malfunctioning circuitry beneath. It was nominated for a Lo Nuestro Award for Video of the Year.
Format and track listing
- "Ciega, Sordomuda" – 4:28
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dónde Están los Ladrones?, Sony Music Latin, Columbia Records.