"Loca" ( en, "Crazy") is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

, taken from her ninth studio album, ''

Sale el Sol ''Sale el Sol'' ( en, The Sun Comes Out, italic=yes) is the ninth studio album by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, released on 19 October 2010, by Epic Records. The album marks a return to Shakira's signature Latin pop sound after the e ...

'' (2010). It was released by Epic Records as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the album. The Spanish-language version features Dominican rapper El Cata, and was released on 10 September 2010, while the English-language version features British rapper

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

, and was released on 13 September 2010. It was written and produced by Shakira, with additional songwriting from

Edward Bello Edward E. Bello Pou, better known by his stage name El Cata, is a Dominican singer and songwriter, who emerged in the music scene in 1999, born and raised in Barahona, Dominican Republic. Early life Bello is the second son of Maria Luisa Pou ...

Armando Pérez Armando Christian Pérez (born January 15, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper and businessman. He began his career in the early 2000s, recording reggaeton, Latin hip hop, and crunk music under a multit ...

, and

Dylan Mills Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British Rapping#Emcees, MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime (music genre), grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, basslin ...

. The song is a Latin pop and merengue track that lyrically describes Shakira's eccentric infatuation with a man. In August 2014, a senior US district judge found "Loca" to have been indirectly plagiarised from "Loca con su Tiguere", a mid-1990s song composed by Dominican songwriter Ramon "Arias" Vasquez. The case was dismissed in August 2015 after it was found that Vasquez had fabricated the evidence he had presented in court. Upon its release, "Loca" received generally favourable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who complimented the inclusion of merengue music on the recording. The English version of the song became a worldwide commercial success and peaked inside the top five of the record charts of countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary and Italy. The Spanish version peaked atop the charts of Spain and Switzerland, and became a hit on the Latin record charts in the United States, topping the '' Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs,

Latin Pop Airplay 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 ...

, and

Tropical Songs The Tropical Airplay chart (formerly known as Tropical/Salsa and Tropical Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine introduced in 1994. The first number-one song on the chart was " Quien Eres Tu" by Luis Enrique. Originally, ra ...

charts. "Loca" received

record certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

s in various countries around the world, including a

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

certification in Colombia and multi-

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

certifications in Italy, Mexico, and Spain. Its accompanying music video was filmed in Barcelona, Spain in August 2010, and was released the following month. It features Shakira interacting with a beach crowd, and dancing in front of the sea wearing a golden bikini. It generated a favourable response from critics, many of whom praised its concept for matching the vibe of the song. For additional promotion, Shakira performed "Loca" on several television shows and on her

The Sun Comes Out World Tour The Sun Comes Out World Tour (also known as the Sale el Sol World Tour) was the fifth concert tour by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, launched in support of her eighth and ninth studio albums, ''She Wolf'' (2009) and '' Sale El Sol'' ( ...

Background and composition

"Loca" was written by American rapper

, better known by his stage name

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

, Dominican rapper

, and Shakira, for the singer's ninth studio album ''

'' (2010). The album marked the first time she worked with Bello, who is better known by his stage name El Cata, and their collaboration started after Shakira expressed her desire to experiment with

merengue music Merengue is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic, which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities. Merengue was inscribed ...

, saying "I grew up listening to merengue— that was a big part of my life, and I was missing it". Merengue is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic, and after being referred to Bello by Pitbull, Shakira travelled to the country and began recording sessions with him in his "tiny" studio in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

. Bello talked about his collaboration with Shakira, saying "If I was thinking that this little studio was going to be in the world’s vision at this time, I wouldn't believe it". "Loca" is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

-pop song composed of

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

-laden merengue beats combined with techno dance percussion beats. Lyrically, the song is about Shakira expressing her erratic and obsessive behaviour towards her lover, more so than his other leading lady, prominently heard in the lines "She'd die for your love / But your love's only mine, boy" and "I'm crazy but you like it". Two versions of the song are present on the album; the English-language version features vocals from English rapper

(who also wrote the lyrics of his parts), while the Spanish-language version features El Cata. Speaking about the collaboration, Dizzee Rascal said that "I know it sounds a bit mad now, but you'll see it and see what's going on". He further said "It's me doing something different man, on a merengue tip." In an interview with ''Billboard'', Dizzee Rascal said about Shakira that, "she's a bit of a trendsetter -- she does loads of different things on a major scale" and added "You'd expect her to use an American rapper or the song but she chose me. It meant a lot." He then commented about the song that, "I'd like to be in that Spanish market. I got into the whole reggaeton thing when it came out, so I always wanted to get around to something like that". "Loca" served as the lead single from ''Sale el Sol''. The Spanish version of the song, featuring El Cata, was released on 10 September 2010. The English version, featuring Dizzee Rascal, debuted later on 13 September 2010.

Plagiarism case

On 19 August 2014, Alvin Hellerstein, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, concluded that the Spanish version of "Loca" had been indirectly

plagiarised Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and though ...

from "Loca con su Tiguere", a mid-1990s song composed by Dominican songwriter Ramon "Arias" Vasquez. He testified that he had met Bello in 2006 and had introduced him to two of his songs, including "Loca con su Tiguere". According to Vasquez, Bello was impressed by the song and asked him to record it. However, Bello claimed that the song was originally his and was based on his relationship with his ex-wife as opposed to Vasquez's claim that "Loca con su Tiguere" was based on his sister's relationship with a street-tough boyfriend. Hellerstein ruled in favour of Vasquez and found the two songs to be similar in structure and rhythm. As the Spanish version of "Loca" features Bello singing numerous portions, the judge reasoned that it too was plagiarised from Vasquez's song. After a trial phase, SonyATV Latin and Sony/ATV Discos (the distributors of the Spanish version of "Loca" in the United States) will pay damages to Mayimba Music, the owner of the rights to Vasquez's song and the plaintiff in the lawsuit. On 10 August 2015, the case was dismissed by Hellerstein after Sony Music brought forth new evidence suggesting that Vasquez had fabricated the cassette tape that he had earlier produced in court to prove that the song was originally recorded by him. Hellerstein said the evidence given by Sony Music provided "competent and substantial proof" that the cassette tape was fake.

Critical reception

Upon its release, "Loca" received generally favourable reviews from

. A reviewer from '' Billboard'' complimented Shakira for displaying her unpredictable musical choices by having Dizzee Rascal sing over a merengue beat, which they termed as a "jarring combination". Robert Copsey from '' Digital Spy'' also reviewed the song positively, and labelled the song "bizarre yet thoroughly enjoyable". Jennifer Schaffer from '' Stanford Daily'' marked Dizzee Rascal's rap as the highlight of the song. James Reed from ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' termed it as an "irresistible merengue hybrid" and deemed the Spanish version of the song as an album essential. Michelle Morgante, again from ''The Boston Globe'', was impressed by the song's effectiveness in both its Spanish and English version, which she commented is "lost in some of Shakira's other attempts at language switching". Allison Stewart from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', however, claimed that there was "little appreciable difference" between the two versions of the song. The Spanish version of the song was nominated for "Top Latin Song" at the 2011 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. Two other songs by Shakira, "

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

" and "

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", also known as "Waka Waka (Esto es África)" in Spanish, is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring the South African band Freshlyground. Written, composed, and produced by Shakira and John Hill, it was ...

", were also nominated, and the award was won by the latter song. In the same year, at the Latin ''Billboard'' Music Awards, the Spanish version was nominated for "Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event" and "Latin Digital Download of the Year", but lost both. At the 2011

Premios 40 Principales LOS40 Music Awards, formerly known as ''Premios 40 Principales'', is an award show by the musical radio station LOS40. It was created in 2006 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the worldwide station. History LOS40 is the m ...

awards ceremony, the Spanish version of the song was nominated for "Mejor Canción Internacional en Español" ("Best International Song in Spanish"). The Spanish version of the song was nominated for "La Más Pegajosa" ("Catchiest Tune") and "Mi Ringtone" ("My Ringtone") at the 2011

Premios Juventud Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) is an awards show for Spanish-speaking celebrities in the areas of film, music, sports, fashion, and pop culture, presented by the television network Univision. Winners are determined by online vote at univision.com ...

awards, but lost both categories to American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

's song "

Bon, Bon "Bon, Bon" is a song by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull from his fifth studio album, '' Armando''. It was released as the album's third official single on August 27, 2010. It heavily uses portions of the song "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be C ...

". The English version of the song received a nomination in the category of "Best Latin/Reggaeton Track" at the 26th Annual International Dance Music Awards in 2011.

Commercial performance

The English version of "Loca" became a worldwide commercial success. After debuting at number 17 on the

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

, it peaked at number two and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. In this region, it was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for selling 15,000 units. In the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, the song peaked atop the

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...

chart for two weeks, and spent a total of 26 weeks in the region. It was Shakira's fourth single to reach number one in the country. The Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) certified it gold for sales of 10,000 units. "Loca" also reached number one on the Czech Airplay Chart for a total of seven consecutive weeks. In France, the song entered the singles chart at number four and peaked at number two, spending a total of 49 weeks in the region. However, it managed to reach number one on the French digital songs chart. It was the eighth best-selling single in 2010 in France, with sales of 143,337 units. "Loca" peaked at number four on both the Hungarian Singles and Dance charts. The song entered the top 20 of the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

at number one, becoming Shakira's first single since "

Beautiful Liar "Beautiful Liar" is a song by American singer Beyoncé and Colombian singer Shakira. It was written by Beyoncé, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Beyoncé for th ...

" to accomplish the feat, and stayed atop the chart for six weeks. In this region, it was certified double-

by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) for selling 60,000 units. In the United States, "Loca" peaked at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. On the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, it became Shakira's first single since " Did It Again" to peak at number one. The Spanish version of "Loca" peaked at number two on the

Monitor Latino Monitor Latino (stylised monitorLATINO) is a singles chart founded in 2003 which ranks songs on chart based on airplay across radio stations in Latin American countries and Hispanic radio stations in the United States using the Radio Tracking Data ...

chart in Mexico, and was certified double-platinum by the

Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) (English: Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C.) is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in M ...

(AMPROFON) for selling 120,000 units. It entered the

Spanish Singles Chart Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

at number 10 and peaked at number one for 12 weeks. It stayed on the chart for a total of 47 weeks, and was certified double-platinum by the

Productores de Música de España Productores de Música de España (English: Spanish Music Producers, shortened as Promusicae) is the national organisation responsible for the music charts of Spain. It is a trade association that represents more than 90% of the Spanish recorded m ...

(PROMUSICAE) for sales of 80,000 units. The song entered the Swiss Singles Chart at number two and peaked at number one for four weeks; it spent a total of 40 weeks on the chart. In this region, IFPI certified "Loca" platinum for selling 30,000 units. The Spanish version became a huge hit on the Latin record charts in the United States. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs, and also peaked atop the

and

chart. "Loca" was Shakira's eighteenth top 10 single on the Hot Latin Songs chart, making her the third-ranking female artist with the highest number of top 10 singles on the chart, behind Gloria Estefan and

Ana Gabriel María Guadalupe Araujo Yong (born December 10, 1955), better known as Ana Gabriel, is a Mexican singer and songwriter from Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. ...

Music video

The music video was filmed in the Barcelonian district of La Barceloneta on 19 August 2010, and was directed by Jaume de Laiguana, who had previously worked with Shakira on the videos for the songs " No" and "

". The music video was shot in "guerrilla-style", utilizing

hand-held camera Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held cameras are used because they are conve ...

s to shoot many of the scenes. Shakira talked about the video, saying "I decided to just do something more spontaneous, and be myself and be free and feel free about it because that is what this song is about". The music video was released on 29 September 2010, and the Spanish and English versions of the video were individually released on iTunes on 11 October 2010, and 13 October 2010, respectively. The video starts with Shakira roller-skating with many fans surrounding her. After roaming about the city, including numerous scenes of dancing, she publicly changes her wardrobe and hitches a ride on a motorbike. Further on, she dances and jumps into a fountain. During the next verse, she is seen belly dancing with Rascal by the beach and, near the end of the video, she dives into the sea along with many fans and celebrates. Scenes of Shakira dancing wearing a gold triangle bikini and gold sequined pants are also interspersed throughout the video. Dizzee Rascal also makes an appearance during his part of the song. Walter Frazier from ''Billboard'' reviewed the video positively, and appreciated Shakira's craziness in the video. James Montgomery from MTV gave the video a very positive review, calling it a "rare video" which perfectly complimented the nature of the song. The music video was nominated for "

Best Short Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

" at the 12th Latin Grammy Awards in 2011, but lost to the video of Calle 13's " Calma Pueblo". At the 2011

Premios Nuestra Tierra The Premios Nuestra Tierra (Our Country Award) are a recognition that is given to Colombian and some International artists. They have a format similar to that of the Grammy Award, Grammy awards, but restricted to the Colombian scope. History The ...

award ceremony, the music video won the award for "Mejor Video Musical Para Artista Colombiano" ("Best Music Video for Colombian Artist"). It was nominated at the 2011 Premios Juventud for Mi Video Favorito (My Favorite Video). Having received 100 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, the music video was given a VEVOCertified Award.

Live performances

Shakira performed the English version of "Loca" first on 23 September 2010 on the '' Late Show with David Letterman''. Shakira appeared on ''

Lopez Tonight ''Lopez Tonight'' is an American late-night television talk show that was hosted by the comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host a late-nig ...

'' to talk about "Loca" and taught host George Lopez the dance steps of the song. She performed it on '' Dancing With The Stars'' on 19 October – the release date of the album. Shakira also performed the song on November 9 at the finale of the German version of the ''

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...

''. Shakira performed the song with

together for the first time on the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 on 7 November. Gabi Gregg from MTV chose the performance as the best on the show, praising Shakira's dance moves and noting that "she actually sounds the same live as she does recorded". Jillian Mapes from ''Billboard'' included the performance on her list of "5 Must-See Moments at the 2010 MTV European Music Awards". Shakira performed the Spanish version of the song live during the 12th Latin Grammy awards ceremony. The song was included on the setlist of

in 2010 and 2011. During the performances, Shakira wore a pair of neon leopard-print pants and performed a dance routine with "intricate and urban choreographies". On 25 October 2010, Shakira was leaving the Honda Centre parking lot in California after a concert, but got out of her limo and performed "Loca" with two dancers on top of a car.

Formats and track listings

Digital download (English version) # "Loca" (featuring

) – 3:11 Digital download (Spanish version) # "Loca" (featuring El Cata) – 3:04 CD single # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) – 3:11 # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) (Gucci Vump aka Brodinski & The Shoes Discothèque Remix) – 4:07 Digital EP # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) (JS Mix) – 3:13 # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) (Sticky Drums Remix By Gucci Vump Aka Brodinski and the Shoes) – 3:14 # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) ( Freemasons Radio Edit) – 3:01 # "Loca" (featuring Dizzee Rascal) (Music Video) – 3:24

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010 singles Shakira songs Dizzee Rascal songs El Cata songs Merengue songs Songs written by Shakira Songs written by Pitbull (rapper) Barcelona in popular culture Music videos shot in Spain Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Switzerland Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Songs written by El Cata Songs written by Dizzee Rascal 2010 songs