Puente (song)

"Puente" is a latin pop song by Guatemalan recording artist Ricardo Arjona, released on August 9, 2010 as the lead single from his twelfth studio album, ''Poquita Ropa'' (2010). The song was written by Arjona, who produced it with longtime collaborators Dan Warner and Lee Levin under their stage name Los Gringos. Two versions of the song were made, one of them being a mixture of salsa, merengue along with Cuban music influences; and the other an acoustic version made with piano and percussion.

Lyrically, "Puente" is a song related to the actual situation of Cuba and the immigration to the United States. The song received critical praise, with a critic stating that it "brings the album to an extraordinary conclusion", and received comparisons with Fito Páez song "Habana". Commercially, "Puente" did not attain commercial success, managing only to reach number 36 on the US ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Songs chart.

An accompanying music video for "Puente" was released in August 2010. It was directed by Joaquín Cambré and filmed between Mexico and Argentina. The clip, which showcases the problematic issues of migration in Cuba, was filmed by Arjona while he was on the Quinto Piso Tour.

Background

With ''Poquita Ropa'', Arjona wanted to drastically change his musical style. He tried to use as few instruments as possible, resulting in a production that sounds like a capella performances. Arjona said about the album, "music and women look better with little clothes","Arjona desnuda sus canciones en "Poquita ropa"
(in Spanish). Union Radio. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. and that "they he songsare like women; they get things up and are so concerned about this that they forget that the less clothes, more beauty. The songs are often overwhelmed by ourselves, because we saturate them with arrangements looking to exalt their qualities and we end up hiding them."

Arjona produced the album with the assistance of Dan Warner, who has worked with Shakira, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera."Ricardo Arjona tiende hoy su Puente"
. ''La Nación''. Retrieved on 28 March 2012. Jason Birchmeier from Allmusic commented that ''Poquita Ropa'' "finds Arjona at his most naked, backed by spare arrangements of acoustic guitar, piano, and Hammond B-3 along with occasional touches of strings, woodwinds, and chorus vocals." ''Poquita Ropa'' was the first album that Arjona recorded without producer Tommy Torres, whose last production was ''5to Piso'' (2008). The album is similar in style to Arjona's work on ''Galería Caribe'' (2000).

Composition

"Puente" is a latin pop song with salsa, merengue and Cuban music influences crafted in eight and a half minutes and divided in three parts. The first one is an a cappella song, sang mainly with a piano. The second part is a ballad with Caribbean and Latin sounds, with some salsa and Cuban influences. The third is a mixture of salsa and merengue, with Cuban influences. The song was written by Arjona, who produced it alongside longtime collaborators Dan Warner and Lee Levin, under their stagename Los Gringos. Mónica Maristain from newspaper ''La Nación'' compared it with a song released by Fito Páez in 1999, "Habana".Maristain, Mónica (19 July 2010)
"Ricardo Arjona se pone tropical en su nuevo disco"
(in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved on 11 May 2012. Jason Birchmeier from Allmusic praised the song, stating that it "brings the album to an extraordinary conclusion."

In the song, Arjona sings: "Habana / siempre en las mitades, tan mitad española, tan mitad africana / saben bien las olas que en cada ventana siempre hay un testigo / Habana." He also said that "Puente" was the only song that was "not allowed to undress"."“Poquita ropa” es el disco que siempre quiso hacer: Arjona"
(in Spanish). El Periódico USA. Retrieved on 11 May 2012. When asked about "Puente"'s main theme, Arjona commented, "Although many believe is a threshed topic, it isn't for a Cuban, be it on the island or Florida. The status of this dispute hasn't changed since 1959 and I've never seen something as disgusting as a rivalry between people occasioned from politics. Chávez can fight with Uribe, Fidel with Obama, but what has this to do with two third-generation cousins that inherit an enmity for a politic matter ."Arjona canta ahora con poquita ropa"
(in Spanish). ''El Colombiano''. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

Music video

The music video for "Puente" was released on 17 August 2010. It was directed by Argentinian director Joaquín Cambre, who also worked with Arjona on the music video for "Sin Ti, Sin Mi". In the video, to brothers live separately, one of them in La Havana, and the other in Miami, Florida. The video ends with the boys encountering each other in a bridge, along many other people. The video shows the problematic about the migration on Cuba."Ricardo Arjona llama a la unidad de los cubanos"
El Nuevo Herald. Retrieved on April 19, 2012. Arjona shot the video while on his ''Quinto Piso Tour

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