"Cuba Libre" ("Free Cuba") is a 1998 song by American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released as the third single from her eighth studio album, ''

Gloria! ''Gloria!'' is the eighth studio album released by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, released on June 2, 1998, by Epic Records. Background ''Gloria!'' is a dance and house album which was a departure from Estefan's previous wo ...

''. It is a dance-pop song which was included on the album in two versions: English and Spanish. The song is one of the three only Spanish-language tracks, alongside " Oye!" and " Corazón prohibido". It represents a homage to Estefan's homeland, Cuba. "Cuba Libre" was written and composed by Gloria Estefan, along with Emilio Estefan Jr. and

Kike Santander Flavio Enrique "Kike" Santander Lora is a Colombian-American composer, record producer, arranger and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the principal Latino composers of the day, having worked with artists such as David Bisbal, Cristia ...

Critical reception

Ben Wener from ''

Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, and serving the north-western Pittsburgh suburbs. The ''Times'' is a direct descendant of many of Beaver County's newspapers, starting with the ' ...

'' noted the "bouncing

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...

flourishes" of the track in his review of ''

gloria! ''Gloria!'' is the eighth studio album released by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, released on June 2, 1998, by Epic Records. Background ''Gloria!'' is a dance and house album which was a departure from Estefan's previous wo ...

''. The Daily Vault's Alfredo Narvaez wrote that "Cuba Libre" is about "the feelings many of the expatriates of that island feel - hoping for a day that they'll be able to return home."

Chuck Eddy Chuck Eddy (born November 26, 1960) is an American music journalist. Life and career Chuck Eddy was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting his journalism career with ''The Village Voice'' and ''Creem'', where he published one of the first nat ...

from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' named the song as "ominously undulating", adding that it "reach sfor the skies like a missile-crisis fiesta thrown by Donna Summer." Joey Guerra from ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' called it "an ode to Estefan's birthplace". Victoria Segal from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' stated that the singer "sparkles with diva potential", "tenderly singing of her homeland". Larry Flick from ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' applauded the song, as well as " Oye!", by stating that they "have a ferocious new energy and a vocal spark that Estefan hasn't previously displayed."

Track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Cuba Libre". Europe CD Maxi single (666691 2) # "Cuba Libre" (Spanish Version) # "Cuba Libre" (English Version) # "Bailando Megamix"

Charts

References

External links

Lyrics with English translation
{{authority control Songs about Cuba Songs about freedom 1998 singles Gloria Estefan songs Macaronic songs 1998 songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Gloria Estefan Songs written by Emilio Estefan