Whenever, Wherever

Background and release

After the 1998 release of her second major album, ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?, achieved major success, Shakira released her first live album, MTV Unplugged: Shakira, in 2000. However, Shakira wanted to break through in the United States and the world with songs in English. Shakira said, "Before assuming this big challenge of writing for the first time in English and making my first English album and presenting it to the world… of course I was feeling ready for it, a little bit scared… actually a lot scared. But I knew I could do it and my instincts always told me to go ahead and jump in the water." Then, "Whenever, Wherever" was released as her debut-English single, on 27 September 2001. At the same time, she also released the selection's Spanish version, titled "Suerte," meaning "Luck," for Spanish markets.

Composition

"Whenever, Wherever" was written and produced by Shakira and Tim Mitchell, with additional co-writing credits by Cuban-born American singer Gloria Estefan. Sonically, the song is a mix of latin music and worldbeat with distinctive latin instruments like the Charanga and Quena Flute "Whenever Wherever" is composed in the key of C# minor. The song is heavily influenced by Andean music, and includes the charango and panpipes in its instrumentation.

Lyrically, "Whenever, Wherever" talks about fate and how it has played a major role in Shakira's romance. It starts with a guitar, similar to the four-note riff from Pink Floyd's "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond," leading to the explosive melody. Then, Shakira talks that she would follow her boyfriend to the top of the highest mountain, risking life and limb to be intimate with him. In the pre-chorus, she sings, "le ro lo le lo le, Le ro lo le lo le's." In the chorus, she sings, "Whenever, wherever/We're meant to be together/I'll be there and you'll be near/And that's the deal my dear."

Critical reception

"Whenever Wherever" received mainly positive reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson of AllMusic picked the song as a highlight, writing that it's "infectious" and "it's to Shakira what 'Livin' la Vida Loca' was to Ricky Martin: the major hit that brought her to English-speaking audiences in a big way." Lisa Oliver of Yahoo! Music called it " the top track from the album by miles," writing that, "Despite such bemusement-inducing lyrics as 'lucky that my breasts are small and humble so you don't confuse them with mountains', it still manages to make you sit up and fancy the synthetic-fiber trousers off her." The phrase was praised by The Guardian's Alexis Petridis, who called it "the most thought-provoking line of recent memory." The website Bland Is Out There also enjoyed the phrase, writing that, "it's the most clever, self-confident couplet to hit radio in the long time." The review also wrote that the Spanish version, "Suerte," was far superior, explaining, "In English, Shakira's vocals are breathy and nasal. But in her native tongue, she's commanding and willowy." For David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, the song has a "shameless Latin-pop hook."

Commercial performance

"Whenever, Wherever" was Shakira's most successful single, until "Hips Don't Lie" was released in 2006. In the United States, "Whenever, Wherever" debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it peaked at number six. In doing so, it became her first top-ten single on the chart. Additionally, the track respectively peaked at numbers one, three, and four on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, Latin Pop Airplay, Hot Dance Club Play, and Top 40 Tracks component charts. In Canada, the song peaked at number 4. In Australia, the song debuted at number-one, on 10 February 2002, remaining at the top for six weeks. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 39 on the RIANZ chart, on 20 January 2002, while it reached the number-one spot in its fourth week. It spent 8 non-consecutive weeks at the top, becoming her highest-charting single.

In Europe, "Whenever, Wherever" became a major success, topping the charts of more than fifteen countries, quickly establishing Shakira's presence in the European mainstream. In the United Kingdom, the song became Shakira's first top three hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two for two consecutive weeks, and eventually spent ten weeks in the top ten of the chart, as well as nineteen weeks in the top 75. The song currently stands as the seventh bestselling song by a female artist in the 21st century in the United Kingdom. It is also the thirty-eighth bestselling single of the 2000s decade in the UK. In Austria, the song remained at the top for seven weeks, while in France, it remained for four weeks. In Italy, the song debuted at number-one, staying at the top for one further week. Later, it fell to number 4, climbed to number 2 and reached the top again. Later, it fell to number 2 and attained the top once again. Later, the song fell to number 2 and climbed to number-one, where it remained for two further weeks, spending seven non-consecutive weeks at the top, and becoming the best selling single of 2002. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number nine on the singles chart, and the following week, it reached the number-one position, where it remained for a total of seventeen consecutive weeks, becoming the twenty-second most successful song of the decade in that country. Topping the charts for 17 weeks, it also set a record in being the longest time on the number one spot in the country. In February 2014 "Whenever, Wherever" entered the UK Singles Chart again at number 99.

The Spanish version of the song, "Suerte" or "Luck," also written by Shakira and Mitchell, was released as a single in Spain, Mexico as well as in a handful of countries in South America. It too became a huge hit, peaking at number-one on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart for seven non-consecutive weeks and remained within the top ten of the chart for over four months. It also topped the charts in almost all of the Spanish-speaking countries where it was released.

Music video

The music video was directed by Francis Lawrence in front of a green screen, and features Shakira surrounded by the earth's natural wonders. It begins with her submerged in the ocean, before leaping out onto the surrounding rocks and observing a landscape of mountains; a falcon swoops down towards her. She then proceeds to walk barefoot into the desert, where she is soon seen dancing amid a stampede of horses. The stampede suddenly ceases, and Shakira kneels into a shallow pool of mud, and begins crawling through it. As the video nears its conclusion, she is on top of a snowy mountain before jumping off, descending into water and submerging herself once more, as the video comes full circle.

The video became an instant hit on several music programs. It became Shakira's first video to retire on MTV's Total Request Live, and reached number one for a single week on the MuchMusic program Countdown. It won the 2002 Latin Grammy Award for "Best Short Form Music Video." There are 2 remix videos using the Tracy Young Spin Cycle Mix and the Tracy Young Tribal Mix.

Other versions and live performances

Shakira recorded a studio recording of the live version of "Whenever, Wherever," which was used for television performances, for both the English and Spanish versions of the song. It was called the "TV Edit." She sang the original CD version only once, on the 2001 Radio Music Awards, where she performed the song live for the first time. A remix of the song was included on the re-release of Laundry Service, Laundry Service: Washed & Dried. This was titled the "Sahara Mix," and was completely transformed from the original version, instead being given a heavy Middle Eastern feel. For her world tour, the Tour of the Mongoose, Shakira took the drums that begin the "Sahara Mix" and incorporated them into an intro for the original version of "Whenever, Wherever/Suerte," which extended the amount of time Shakira had to interact with the audience. She also included the same intro for "Whenever, Wherever/Suerte" for her second world tour, the Oral Fixation Tour. However, for this tour, she danced to the drums with a rope, as opposed to dancing with a candelabra on her head as she did during the Tour of the Mongoose. To promote the DVD Live & Off the Record, Shakira used the song as a second single, editing the original live version to a radio edit version and video edit version, which was included in the "Poem to a Horse" promo. During The Sun Comes Out World Tour, Shakira gave the song a more rock-oriented sound, mixed it with a cover of the English band EMF's "Unbelievable," and brought select female audience members on stage for a short dance lesson.

1. Whenever Wherever 3:17
2. Objection (Tango) 3:43

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16
2. Suerte 3:14

1. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) 3:14
2. Whenever, Wherever 3:16

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16
2. Suerte (Whenever Whenever) 3:14
3. Whenever Wherever (TV Edit) 3:39
4. Inevitable 3:13

1. Whenever Wherever – Album Version 3:16
2. Whenever Wherever TV Edit 3:39
3. Suerte – Album Version 3:14
4. Suerte TV Edit 3:38

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16
2. Suerte 3:14
3. Estoy Aqui 3:55
4. Tú 3:36

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16
2. Suerte (Whenever Wherever) 3:14
3. Whenever Wherever – Tracy Young's Spin Cycle Mix 7:03
4. Whenever Wherever – Video

1. Whenever, Wherever (TV Edit) 3:39
2. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) 3:14
3. Estoy Aqui 3:52
4. Tú 3:36
5. Whenever Wherever (Tracy Young's Spin Cycle Mix) 7:03
6. Whenever Wherever (Dark Side Of The Moon Mix) 7:45

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16

1. Whenever Wherever 3:16
2. Suerte 3:14

1. Whenever, Wherever – Sahara Mix 3:56
2. Whenever, Wherever – Hammad Belly Dance Mix 3:45

1. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) 3:14
2. Whenever, Wherever 3:16

1. Whenever Wherever

1. Whenever Wherever – Tracy Young Tribal Mix 9:40
2. Whenever Wherever – Tracy Young Tribal Mix Radio Edit 3:15

1. Tracy Young’s Spin Cycle Mix 7:02
2. Acapella 121 BPM 3:36
3. Tee’s Blue Dub – New Version 7:37
4. The Dark Side Of The Moon Mix 8:14

1. Whenever, Wherever 3:16
2. Whenever, Wherever – Tracy Young's Spin Cycle Mix 7:03
3. Whenever, Wherever – A Cappella 121 Bpm 3:37
4. Whenever, Wherever – Tee's Blue Dub New Version 7:37
5. Whenever, Wherever – The Dark Side Of The Moon Mix 7:45

1. Whenever Wherever
2. Suerte (Whenever Whenever)

1. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) 3:14
2. Te Aviso Te Anuncio (Tango) 3:47

1. Whenever, Wherever – Sahara Mix 3:56
2. Whenever, Wherever – Hammad Belly Dance Mix 3:45

1. Whenever Wherever – Tracy Young's Spin Cycle Mix
2. Whenever Wherever – A Cappella 121 BPM
3. Whenever Wherever – Tee's Blue Dub
4. Whenever Wherever – The Dark Side Of The Moon Mix

1. Whenever, Wherever (Album version) 3:16
2. Suerte (Album version) 3:14
3. Whenever, Wherever (The dark side of the moon mix) 7:45