Format CD single Length 2:57 Writer(s) Jorge Luis Piloto | Genre Latin Label RCA | |
Released July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02) | ||
"Falsas Esperanzas" (English: "False Hopes") is a song performed by American recording artist Christina Aguilera for her second studio album, Mi Reflejo (2000). It was written by Jorge Luis Piloto and released as a single through RCA Records on July 2, 2001. The uptempo Latin record was produced by Rudy Pérez and features instrumentation from a horn.
Contents
"Falsas Esperanzas" received mixed reviews from music critics with some naming it a stand-out track from the album while others were not impressed by it. The single peaked at fifteen on the Productores de Música de España and number seven on the Dutch Tipparade. Aguilera performed "Falsas Esperanzas" at the 2001 Grammy Awards and during her tours Justified and Stripped Tour and The Stripped Tour.
Background
According to her manager Steve Kurtz, Aguilera expressed interest in recording a Spanish-language album before she recorded her debut studio album Christina Aguilera (1999). Producer Rudy Pérez was approached during the recording sessions of Mi Reflejo and asked to produce a number of tracks. After agreeing, he produced many songs including the Jorge Luis Piloto written piece "Falsas Esperanzas".
"Falsas Esperanzas" is an uptempo Latin song that incorporates elements from Tropical music. Instrumentation of the track comes from a horn done by Venezuelan-American musician by Ed Calle and a few Tropical elements, including a "snazzy" piano performance by Cuban musician Paquito Hechavarría. "According to music critic Kembrew McLeod, the track features 'bouncy rhythms' and 'splashes of horns'." Sun-Sentinel editor Sean Picolli wrote that the song's refrain contains a see-saw effect with the lines "No me des ... No me digas ..." (English: "Don't give me ... Don't tell me ..."). These lines hint toward lyrical themes pertaining to relationship troubles as well as defiance.
Release and reception
"Falsas Esperanzas" was released as the third single from Mi Reflejo on July 2, 2001 in Spain and on July 3, 2001 in the United States. A remix of the song was released in Germany on July 17, 2001. It peaked at number seven on the Dutch Tipparade chart and number fifteen in Spain. Patty Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel thought that the piece had more Latin influence than contemporary Latin hits such as Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca" or Lou Bega's "A Little Bit of Mambo". David Browne, writing for Entertainment Weekly felt that "Falsas Esperanzas" left Aguilera "room to growl like a "blues singer". Sonic.net editor Kembrew McLeon lauded the song as one of Aguilera's best uptempo songs that "breathe[s] life into the album". Picolli praised the song as the album's best track, noting: "a dizzy Vegas showstopper... that scoots along on Aguilera's high-flying harmonies and a defiant chorus". "Falsas Esperanzas" was later included on the Spanish edition of Aguilera's greatest hits album Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008). The song also served as the main theme for the Mexican telenovela Como en el cine.
Live performances
In December 2000, she held a one-hour special show on ABC and performed "Falsas Esperanzas", it was later recorded in a video release entitled My Reflection. Aguilera also gave a performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards in February, performing "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" and "Falsas Esperanzas" Leila Cobo of Billboard magazine called Aguilera's Grammy performance "remarkably mainstream". During her 2003 Justified and Stripped Tour, her first co-headlining tour with Justin Timberlake, she performed a medley of "Falsas Esperanzas" and "Contigo en la Distancia". At the end of the performance, a male dancer ripped off the skirt she wore, revealing "tiny" denim shorts underneath. Later, she "saucily" replied, "Just because my album name is Stripped, doesn't mean you can take my clothes off". She also performed the medley during the tour's extension, The Stripped Tour in late 2003; it was later included in the DVD release Stripped Live in the U.K..