"Mío" ''(English: "Mine")'' is a song recorded by Mexican singer

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she first achieved recognition as ...

for her debut solo 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 ...

La Chica Dorada ''La Chica Dorada'' (English: ''The Golden Girl'') is the debut solo studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, released on October 20, 1992, by EMI Capitol de México. The album was produced and directed by Miguel Blasco, and written mostly b ...

'' (1992). It was written by

José Ramón Flórez José Ramón Flórez (also known as J.R. Flórez), is a Spanish songwriter and record producer. He wrote songs for many popular singers in Mexico during the 1980s. His work included compositions and mixing & mastering for Yuri,Miguel Blasco Miguel Blasco is a music producer and songwriter. Born in Spain. When he was 16 years old, he joined his first rock band and moved to Ibiza in 1963 through the first years of the musical movement called "beatnic", before the "hippies". On stage, ...

and J.R. Florez. After recording and sending a demo tape, Rubio signed a multi-album deal with EMI Capitol de México in June 1992. "Mío" is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

song that refers to a girl's passionate feelings. "Mío" was released on August 30, 1992 through

Capitol Latin Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI. History In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena to E ...

. It reached number one in at least 12 countries, including Mexico, where it earned

gold 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 ...

and became the country's best-selling song of 1993. An accompanying music video, directed by Ángel Flores, portrays Rubio as a young ''femme fatale'' which is filmed by her crush, and starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around him, while watching her love interest from afar. It was also nominated for Favorite Video at the 1993 ERES Awards. "Mío" is one of the most emblematic songs of the 90s in Spanish, according to music videos channel

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the song reached the number 3 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 Tracks and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. Thanks to the success of the song, "''Mío''" is considered one of the best songs in the 1990s in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, while it is considered Paulina's biggest hit during the decade. According to the media and fans, "Mío" has been considered Paulina Rubio's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

. To commemorate Rubio's lasting impact on the industry and her 25 years of career, Lucas Villa of AXS considered "Mío" 10 of her best singles. He said "is quintessential '90s and, most importantly, signature Paulina Rubio"

Background and development

After previous early success with

Timbiriche ''Timbiriche'' (also known for a brief time as ''La Banda Timbiriche'') is a Mexican pop music group. The group started as a children's group in 1981 and managed to evolve successfully into adulthood. Timbiriche is considered one of the most ic ...

, recording ten studio albums, among them ''

Timbiriche 7 ''Timbiriche'' (also known for a brief time as ''La Banda Timbiriche'') is a Mexican pop music group. The group started as a children's group in 1981 and managed to evolve successfully into adulthood. Timbiriche is considered one of the most ic ...

'' (1987), which is considered one of the best-selling albums in Mexico, Rubio initially traveled to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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to study. However, her plans changed when she repeatedly visited

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. There she began to surround herself with well-known people from the music scene, including

Miguel Blasco Miguel Blasco is a music producer and songwriter. Born in Spain. When he was 16 years old, he joined his first rock band and moved to Ibiza in 1963 through the first years of the musical movement called "beatnic", before the "hippies". On stage, ...

José Ramón Flórez José Ramón Flórez (also known as J.R. Flórez), is a Spanish songwriter and record producer. He wrote songs for many popular singers in Mexico during the 1980s. His work included compositions and mixing & mastering for Yuri,Gian Pietro Felisatti, a successful Spanish production and writing team. They knew little about Rubio and knew that she wanted to make her solo debut; as a result, they wrote several clichéd pop songs for her in late 1991, including the song "La Chica Dorada," which reflected Rubio's wishes to become a music star. Blasco and Flórez were known in Mexico for writing for other female singers such as

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

Lucero Lucero may refer to: * Lucero (given name) a Spanish given name * Lucero (surname) a Spanish surname * Lucero (entertainer) (born 1969), Mexican singer and actress ** ''Lucero'' (album), eponymous album released in 1993 * Lucero (band), an America ...

and Alejandra Guzmán. Flórez also wrote the song "Hey Güera" by Guzmán, dedicated to Rubio because she had come between Guzmán's relationship and Erik Rubin, who at the time was her boyfriend. The press in Mexico began to talk about the scandal and the third indiscurrence awarded to Rubio; a

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

that has been part of pop culture in Mexico. For her part, Blasco already knew about the subject and had produced some Guzmán albums. In response to Guzmán, Rubio asked Flórez and Valle to write the response to "Hey Güera." At her request, they wrote "Mío". Rubio recorded the song at the Balu-Balu Studios in Madrid in late 1991 and early 1992 and at the end of the recording session for the album he returned to Mexico to continue working on the

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

telenovela, '' Baila Conmigo''. In June 1992, Rubio signed with EMI Capitol to release her first album and "Mío" was released August 30, 1992.

Composition

"Mío" is a

song with elements of

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

and new wave, that lasts for three minutes and forty five seconds. The song's instrumentation features

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

s. Has a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

-influenced chorus and includes a

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

insert on the bridge. The song is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 120 beats per minute. As for the lyrics, according to several entertainment journalists, "Mío" contains concrete, direct and elegant phrases. In some lines Rubio interprets herself as a feline.

Reception

Critical response

"Mío" is one of Rubio's most famous singles and had a predominantly positive critical reception. Contemporary journalists assert that the song "reflected the anxiety of owning everything." The Chilean academic Ricardo Martínez wrote for ADN Radio Chile that "Mío" is "one of those unobjectionable karaoke songs, well flamboyant". As the first single from La Chica Dorada, it received many comparisons to the same dance-pop beat of the American singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. Following its debut on the Billboard Latin charts, critics called "Mío" a "dancefloor thumper" song.

Commercial performance

With "Mío", Rubio became first ex vocalist

to entered hits on the ''

'' US

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 ...

chart, where it debuted at number 19 on the issue dated November 28, 1992. The song reached number three on the chart the week of February 13, 1993 and remained there for three weeks and was on the chart for 17 weeks. Upon its release in Latin America, the single quickly climbed up the top ten charts, simultaneously peaking at number one in El Salvador, Panama and Peru. In Mexico, it was a success, became Rubio's first number-one hit and was certified gold.

Music video

The music video for "Mío" was filmed in a recording studio in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

and was directed by writer and director Ángel Flores, and produced by Ariel Montes, who worked with the singer for the first time. The video features Paulina Rubio's first look as "la chica doarada", wearing different outfits, mainly in gold, as well as elements alluding to gold, teased blonde hair and eyebrows marked. Music video's aesthetics is generally a

kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation with ...

ode to contrast singer's melodramatic interpretation. It begins with Paulina Rubio posing for the cameraman, who is her love interest; the role of the subject is played by former model José Cabalán Macari. It continues with close-up shots of the singer dancing in different scenarios. In the first one, she steps out of a curtain that has a huge red heart print, wearing a gold jumpsuit. In the next one, videos of purple flowers and iconic locations of Mexico City such as the

Angel of Independence The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name ''El Ángel'' and officially known as ''Monumento a la Independencia'' ("Monument to Independence"), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de l ...

are projected on a curtain. Other elements used in the music video are a blue sky background with white clouds and golden angel wings, a cardboard cherub suspended by threads, a red heart with white wings also suspended, and a huge pop art style

vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

. In one of the scenes the shadows of Paulina Rubio and her love interest are shown in front of a background of purple and violet flowers. The video premiered in the Mexico in September 1993. It was also nominated for Favorite Video at the ERES Awards in January 1993.

Covers, samples, and media usage

"Mío" has been covered on numerous occasions. One of the earliest covers of the song was by the Puerto Rican merengue singer Jailene, recorded in 1994, and was later included in the release of their debut studio album. Mexican singer Paty Cantú used a fragment of the song in her homonymous song from her album ''

Corazón Bipolar ''Corazón Bipolar'' is the third album by the Mexican singer Paty Cantú Patricia Giovanna Cantú Velasco (born 25 November 1983), known professionally as Paty Cantú, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress, who rose to fame as one ...

'' in 2012. It included the epic chorus with Rubio's voice ''("Mío, ese hombre es mío... A medias pero mío, mío, mío")'' on the bridge of it. Cantú assured that "loved the idea and I ended up putting it in, played

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

for me when I was very little and I loved it." She also used the samples "Mío" to perform it at her concerts during her musical tour in 2013 and made a mashup.

Litzy Litzy Vanya Domínguez Balderas (born October 27, 1982), known by her stage name Litzy, is a Mexican singer and actress. Career Litzy is known for having been in the Mexican singing group Jeans (band), Jeans, and for her (formerly "always" pro ...

OV7 OV7, formerly known as La Onda Vaselina, is a Mexican Latin pop group formed in 1989, but it was not until the early 1990s that Onda Vaselina would begin to make their impact. La Onda Vaselina was formed with the members being children, but it was ...

and Erik Rubín himself also performed a "Mío" mashup with the songs "Hey Güera" ( Alejandra Guzman) and "Es Por Amor" (Litzy) on the first stage of the iconic 90's Pop Tour concert tour. The song has been used in countless television programs in Latin America and is part of Hispanic pop culture due to the great media impact it had at the time. The Mexican

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

production '' La Casa de las Flores'' made a cameo by Rubio throughout its broadcast with a drag queen performing her personality and songs, including "Mío", which appeared in the first season. Also featured in the 2020 LGBT film ''

The Strong Ones ''The Strong Ones'' (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Los fuertes'') is a 2019 Chilean film directed by Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo and starring Samuel González and Antonio Altamirano. The movie is based on the original short film ''San Cristóbal'', win ...

'', directed by Chilean cineast Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo.

Impact and legacy

After its release, "Mío" achieved unprecedented commercial success, many critics and journalists pointed out that part of that impact was thanks to the scandal between Rubio, Guzmán and Rubín and praised it as an "advertising strategy." Mexican journalist Cucho Gallegos assured that the

between Alejandra Guzmán, Erick Rubín and Paulina Rubio was "a very rich and historical musical dispute within pop music." However, the legacy of the song that launched Rubio to stardom went beyond gossip. According to

, "Mío" is considered one of the songs of the 90's that marked the music industry in Latin America. "Mío" has also gained wide acceptance in the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...

by becoming an anthem and Terra listed the song among the "35 gay songs in music history." Mexican writer Miguel Capistán and U.S. scholar Michael K. Schuessler, in their book ''México se escribe con J: Una historia de la cultura gay'', noted that "Mío" has "a spontaneous male chorus" that "awakens a non-heterosexual desire" in the gay audience, even if it is a song aimed at a heterosexual relationship.

Track listing and formats

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Mío". * Mexico Vinyl, 7", Single, Promo # "Mío" – 3:33 # "Mío (Instrumental)" – 3:33 * Mexico 7" Single, 45 RPM Single # "Mío" – 3:33 # "Sabor A Miel" – 3:53 *Mexico 12" single, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 *Mexico CD, Single, Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 # "Amor De Mujer (Remix)" – 7:53 *Ecuador Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 # "Amor De Mujer (Remix)" – 7:53 # "Sabor A Miel" – 3:53

Live performances

Rubio performed the song on the following concert tours: * Mío Tour * La Chica Dorada Tour * 24 Kilates Tour * El Tiempo Es Oro Tour * Planeta Paulina Tour * Paulina World Tour * Border Girl Tour * Pau-Latina Tour *

Amor, Luz y Sonido Tour Amor, Luz Y Sonido Tour or (in English) Love, Light & Sound Tour was the thirth concert tour by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, in support of her eighth studio album, '' Ananda'' (2006). The tour began on 23 February 2007 in Lanzarote, Canary Islan ...

* Gran City Pop Tour * Brava! World Tour * Deseo Tour The song was also performed on: * ''Paulina Rubio & Friends'' a 2011 TV special

Credits and personnel

* Paulina Rubio - lead

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

José Ramón Flórez José Ramón Flórez (also known as J.R. Flórez), is a Spanish songwriter and record producer. He wrote songs for many popular singers in Mexico during the 1980s. His work included compositions and mixing & mastering for Yuri,Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

* César Valle -

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

Music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

Executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

* Luis Méndez - Art Direction

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mio 1992 debut singles 1992 songs Songs in Spanish Paulina Rubio songs EMI Latin singles Songs written by José Ramón Florez Song recordings produced by Miguel Blasco LGBT-related songs