"Manos al Aire" (; English: "Hands in the Air") is a

Spanish-language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

song by Canadian singer-songwriter

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

. Written by Furtado,

Alex Cuba Alexis Puentes (born 1974), better known by his stage name Alex Cuba, is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. He has won two Juno Awards for World Music Album of the Year: in 2006 for ''Humo de Tabaco'', and in 2 ...

and James Bryan, it was produced by Furtado and Bryan for the former's fourth studio album, ''

Mi Plan ''Mi Plan'' ( en, My Plan) is the fourth studio album and the first Spanish-language album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released independently on September 11, 2009 by Furtado’s own record label Nelstar Entertainment wit ...

'' (2009). The song, which translates to "Hands in the Air" or "I surrender", is about "surrendering to love, and vulnerability", as Furtado put it. She felt that the song could only be sung in Spanish because it would be a "train-wreck" if it were sung in English because of the complexity of the lyrics. It was released by Nelstar Entertainment and

Universal Music Latino Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group, is a record company specialized in producing and distributing Latin music in Mexico, the United States, and Puerto Rico. UMLE includes famous Latin music labels such as Uni ...

as the first single to worldwide radio on June 29, 2009. "Manos al Aire" reached number-one on the US ''

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 ...

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, becoming Furtado's first number-one song on the chart as a lead artist. Furtado also became the first North American act to have an originally written Spanish song to reach number-one on the chart. It peaked at number two in Germany, Czech Republic and Italy. It also peaked within the top 10 in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and Spain. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of the song was filmed in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and it portrayed Furtado as an angry lover who, during the video, throws away personal belongings and items, and removing articles of clothing which symbolizes her letting her guard down and surrendering to love. The song won a BMI Award in 2011.

Background and writing

"Manos al Aire" was co-written by Nelly Furtado, James Bryan and Alex Cuba, and produced by Furtado and Bryan. It is a

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

song with "a slice of

pop/rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

with twangy guitars, tight drums and terrific breathy vocals" and has acoustic and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

influences The song's title translates to "Hands in the Air" or "I Surrender". Furtado told

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

that the song is about "surrendering to love, and vulnerability ... and it talks about the dynamic of a relationship and the everyday fight to be a couple". Furtado felt that the emotions that the lyrics portray could only be expressed in Spanish because, as she put it: "There's a complexity going on there that would be a bit of a train-wreck in English."Vena, Jocelyn (Posted: August 5, 2009
"Nelly Furtado Says Singing In Spanish On ''Mi Plan'' Felt 'Natural'"
MTV Networks. Retrieved July 11, 2011. In an interview with Mayor Nissim, of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

, she further explained the conception of the song. She said that the song's protagonist feels angry but during the chorus says, as she put it, "My hands are in the air, let's work this out". Furtado also felt that if the song was performed in English, she would be labelled "furious or sappy" because of the content. It was recorded by Bryan at the Rumblecone Studios and The Orange Lounge in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, and mixed by Demacio "Demo" Castellón.

Critical reception

Mayer Nissim of

said: "the fact that 'Manos' and several other songs feature rather Americanised production can prevent them from completely hitting the mark - sad to say, but Furtado's tunes don't always get the Spanish wallop her vocals deserve."Nissim, Mayer (Posted: September 13, 2009
Music - Album Review - Nelly Furtado: 'Mi Plan' - Digital Spy.
Retrieved January 10, 2011.

Leila Cobo Leila Cobo is a Colombian journalist, writer, novelist, pianist and television show host. She is noted for her coverage of Latin music for ''Billboard'' where she is currently the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español, overseeing the ...

stated that the song "doesn't set the tone for the album, which balances intimacy with commercial appeal." Michael Cragg, of

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

, called the song "a catchy blend of rock guitars and pattering beats". He also wrote that the chorus-line is "one of the few that genuinely stick in the mind".

Chart performance

The single was well received in the United States. During its third week on the ''

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, it ascended from number 30 to number 13. After two weeks at number two, "Manos al Aire" replaced

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 ...

's " Loba" at number-one the ''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart, during the week dated September 12, 2009."Chart Beat Thursday: Colbie Caillat, Black Eyed Peas, Prince".
''Billboard''. Retrieved June 24, 2011. It became Furtado's first number one song as a lead artist, and her second since

Juanes file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49108.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49211.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 19 ...

' " Fotografía" topped the chart in 2002. Shakira's "Loba" had regained its place at number-one, ending the song's four week stint at the top spot. In Italy, "Manos al Aire" debuted at number two and remained at the spot for two consecutive weeks."italiancharts.com - Nelly Furtado - Manos al Aire".

FIMI 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 ...

. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2011. After it fluctuated down the chart, it climbed up back into the top 10 and remained for four weeks until it left the chart three weeks later. The song peaked at number nine for two consecutive weeks, after spending 10 weeks on the chart in Spain."spanishcharts.com - Nelly Furtado - Manos al aire".
PROMUSICAE. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 17, 2011.

Music video

The

for "Manos al Aire" was filmed in June 2009 in

and premiered on July 29, 2009."Video Premier: Nelly Furtado's 'Manos al Aire'".

MTV Networks Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...

/ Blogamole. Retrieved July 11, 2011. It was released to Apple's

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

on August 3, 2009. In the beginning of the video, Furtado is shown driving an army jeep and sporting army gear, all of which she said represents her character's strong ego. As the video progresses, Furtado is shown throwing items and personal belongings out of the Army truck. These belongings are symbolized as her "emotional" weapons. In another scene, Furtado departs from the truck, and begins walking down a street.(Posted: July 28, 2009
"International Video Premiere: "Manos al Aire".
(in Spanish).

Univision Communications TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American media company headquartered in New York and Mexico City, which owns the American Spanish language broadcast network Univision. 45% of the company is held by the ...

. Retrieved July 18, 2011. She also begins shedding her army gear and getting rid of her purse and other articles of clothing, all of which symbolizes letting her guard and defenses down. As the video comes to a conclusion, Furtado, who is vulnerable, shows up to her boyfriend's frontdoor, who greets her with the same defenseless attitude. Per Furtado's request, the video features English subtitles for viewers. The lyrics in the English subtitles for the video are not literal translations, they are an English interpretation of the song, which Furtado herself had written.

Track listing

; German 2-track singleManos al Aire - Single by Nelly Furtado
''iTunes''. Retrieved March 9, 2011. #"Manos al Aire" — 3:28 #"Manos al Aire" (Robbie Rivera Radio Mix) — 3:35 ; German 4-track single"Manos al Aire: Nelly Furtado: Amazon.de: Musik".
Amazon Germany. Retrieved July 19, 2011. # "Manos al Aire" — 3:28 # "Manos al Aire" (Robbie Rivera Radio Mix) — 3:35 # "Manos al Aire" (Robbie Rivera Juicy Mix) — 7:07 # "Manos al Aire" (Robbie Rivera Radio Mix Instrumental) — 3:33

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Mi Plan'' liner notes.(2009) Album notes for ''

'' by

ooklet Nelstar Entertainment, Inc. Miami, FL. *Nelly Furtado –

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

*James Bryan – producer, recording engineer,

drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These mus ...

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 ...

keyboards 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 ...

*Demacio "Demo" Castellón – mixing *Dan Warner – additional guitar,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*The Demolition Crew – co-producer *Michael Anthony – additional drum programming *Nick Banns – string arrangements *Daniel Stone –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

*Jason "Metal" Donkersgoed – assistant mixing *Ron Taylor – digital editing *Chris Gerhinger – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release dates

References

{{Authority control 2009 singles Nelly Furtado songs Spanish-language songs Songs written by Nelly Furtado Songs written by Alex Cuba Music videos directed by Director X Universal Music Latino singles 2009 songs Songs written by James Bryan McCollum