"Dame" ( en, "Give Me") is a song written by Alejandro Lerner and Kiko Cibrian and performed by Mexican recording artist

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...

. It was released as the lead single from his eleventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Nada Es Igual...'' on 15 July 1996 to radio stations. "Dame" was recorded at the

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

studio in Los Angeles, California. The song incorporates R&B and hip-hop influences. The music video for "Dame" was directed by

Marcus Nispel Marcus Nispel is a German film director and producer, Fulbright Scholar, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', as well as an extensive career in television commercials and music videos. H ...

and filmed at the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

in California and was nominated Video of the Year. It received mixed reactions from music critics who felt that the track sounded too similar to his previous pop recordings. "Dame" peaked at number two and one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs and

Latin Pop Songs Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...

charts in the United States and received a BMI Latin Award in 1998.

Recording and composition

"Dame" was recorded at the

studio in Los Angeles, California in February 1996. It was written by Alejandro Lerner and Ignacio "Kiko" Cibrian and co-produced by the latter and Luis Miguel. "Dame" is an uptempo " R&B-lite" track with "underlying hip-hop rhythms". Fernando Gonzalez of the ''

Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East Bay ...

'' called it "

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

"-lite funk". The track features Pancho Loyo on the organ, Paul Jackson Jr. with the guitar,

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

conducting the

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', ''Rock with You'', ...

performing the

brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin a ...

s, and was engined and mixed by Paul McKenna. In the song, Miguel uses the word "Dame" 19 times including in some phrases such as "dame alguna prueba de amor" ("give me some proof of love"), "dame un mapa de tu cuerpo" ("give me a map of your body"), and "dame todos tus sentidos" ("give me all your senses").

Music video

The music video for "Dame" was direct by German director

, who also directed the video for " Runaway" by Janet Jackson. Filming took place on 29 and 30 June 1996 in the

near Los Angeles, California and took two hours to complete. The total cost of the video was US$250,000. The video features Miguel and a group of trumpeters who are dressed in a black suit; black-and-white scenes with a woman, and explosions in the background. During the previous scenes 375 kilos of dynamite were used. Miguel did not want a

body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

during the explosion scenes as he "did not want to leave this experience behind". The total cost of the video was US$250,000.

Achy Obejas Achy Obejas (born June 28, 1956) is a Cuban-American writer and translator focused on personal and national identity issues, living in Benicia, California. She frequently writes on her sexuality and nationality, and has received numerous awards fo ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' opined: "There's Luis Miguel, unshaven, looking haggard, wearing a suit in the middle of the Mojave. He's not all that toned, he's just a guy: An hombre, not a muchacho anymore." It received a nomination for Video of the Year at the 1997 Lo Nuestro Awards, but lost to "La Aurora" by

Eros Ramazzotti Eros Walter Luciano Ramazzotti (; born 28 October 1963) is an Italian pop singer, musician and songwriter. He is popular in Italy and most European countries, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in bo ...

Live performances and other appearances

Miguel performed "Dame" as part of the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

for his

Tour America 1996 America Tour 1996 (also known as the Nada Es Igual Tour) was a concert tour performed by Luis Miguel during the last part of 1996 to promote his last album ''Nada Es Igual''. It only lasted for one month and it only took place at some places in S ...

(1996) and Romances Tour (1997-98), and the first leg of the

Amarte Es Un Placer Tour Amarte Es Un Placer Tour (English: Loving You Is a Pleasure Tour) was a concert tour by Luis Miguel to promote his album '' Amarte Es Un Placer''. This tour had a length of 8 months and ran through Mexico, US, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuel ...

. "Dame" and its music video was included on Miguel's compilation album '' Grandes Éxitos'' (2005).

Critical reception and accolade

Upon its release, "Dame" received mixed reactions from music critics. ''

El Siglo de Torreón EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

'' editor Juan Pablo García Macotela felt that the song did not differ from Miguel's previous pop recordings citing the song's "same sound, same musical structure, same style that has not changed a bit". He also felt that the over usage of the word "Dame" on several phrases made the song "monotonous". Ernesto Portillo, Jr. of ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' noted that "Miguel fans will surely enjoy the up-tempo "Dame"". ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' editor Mario Tarradell commented: "While there's no denying the catchiness of his radio-ready, R&B-lite fare – "Si Te Vas", "Dame", "Todo Por Su Amor" – there are no distinguishing licks to separate these songs from past hits such as " Suave", " Sera Que No Me Amas" and "Oro de Ley"." Anne Valdespino called "Dame" a "bright, upbeat" tune" and felt it was "among the best tracks on the album". She also praised the arrangements in the song as "polished arrangements worthy of

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

". "Dame" was recognized at the 1998 BMI Latin Awards as one of the best performing songs of the year.

Release and commercial performance

"Dame" was commercially released on 15 July 1996. In the United States (US), it debuted at number 19 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...

on the week of the 17 August 1996. The song peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart in the US with the number one position being held off by

Marco Antonio Solís Marco Antonio Solís Sosa (born 29 December 1959) is a Mexican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. Born and raised in Ario de Rosales, Michoacán, Solís began his musical career at the age of six, performing part of Los Hermanito ...

's song "Que Pena Me Das". On the

chart, it debuted at number 12 on the week of the 17 August 1996. It reached number one on the

chart three weeks later, becoming his fifth number one song on the chart. The song remained on top of this chart for five weeks until it was replaced by

Chayanne Elmer Figueroa Arce (born June 28, 1968), better known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide, making him one of ...

's song "Solamente Tu Amor". "Dame" ended 1996 as the ninth best-performing Latin pop song in the US.

Track listing

;US promo #"Dame" – 4:54 ;Remix #"Dame" (New Club Soda Mix) – 6:31 #"Dame" (instrumental version) – 4:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from the ''Nada Es Igual...'' liner notes. *Luis Miguel – vocals, producer * K. Cibrian –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, co-producer, arranger, programming *F. Loyo – piano *G. Page – string arrangements * L.A. Philharmonic Strings Orchestra –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

* J. Hey –

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

, brass arranger and direction * G. Grant – brass * B.Reichenbach – brass *B. Fields – brass * H. Mancini –

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

*G. Vodky – background vocals *I. Holland – background vocals *W. Weaton – background vocals * D. Navarro – background vocals *Cleto – background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1996 songs 1996 singles Funk songs Luis Miguel songs Music videos directed by Marcus Nispel Song recordings produced by Luis Miguel Songs in Spanish Warner Music Latina singles Songs written by Kiko Cibrian