"Reach" is a 1996 song by Cuban American singer and songwriter

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

. It is co-written by Estefan with

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...

and was official theme song of the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

held in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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 single was included on the official Atlanta 96 album, ''Rhythm of the Games'', and later on Estefan's seventh studio album, ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

'' (1996). The song peaked within the top 10 in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway and Spain, where it reached number two. In the UK, it peaked at number 15, while on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, "Reach" reached number 47 in June 1996. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 23 in Australia and number 42 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 ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

at the ceremony in 1997 but lost out to

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

's "

Un-Break My Heart "Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, ''Secrets'' (1996). The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 19 ...

", which was also written by Diane Warren. Estefan recorded a Spanish version of the song, "Puedes Llegar", with

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

Jon Secada Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fus ...

Alejandro Fernández Alejandro Fernández Abarca (; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as El Potrillo by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the most successful Hispanic music artists. He is the ...

Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his care ...

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, José Luis Rodríguez,

Patricia Sosa Patricia Sosa (born January 23, 1956) is an Argentine singer and actress. Biography Born in Buenos Aires, Patricia Sosa began her career in 1975, with the cover band Nomady Soul. She created the rock band La Torre with her husband Oscar Mediavi ...

and

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres ...

on vocals. This version can be found on the Spanish version of the Olympics compilation album, ''

Voces Unidas ''Voces Unidas'' is a studio album recorded by several famous Latin artists for the 1996 Summer Olympics, Olympic Games "Atlanta 1996", released on May 14, 1996 through EMI Latin. The album was a success, reaching the fifth place in the Billboar ...

''.

Background and release

"Reach" was seen by many as the most progressive project of her career until then. The single became available for radio and club airplay on March 26, 1996. It can be described as an anthemic and inspirational

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

with an Olympic tie-in featuring both drums and a gospel choir, and was one of two official songs of the

which began in

, US on July 19. Estefan performed the song on the closing ceremony on August 4. It was written by Estefan and famed tunesmith

, and co-produced by Estefan's husband, Emilio Estefan Jr. and

Lawrence Dermer Lawrence Dermer is a Grammy nominated and BMI award winning record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the ...

. After Warren came up with its title, she and Estefan wrote the lyrics of the song in 20 minutes. The lyrics are about overcoming troubled times and coming back stronger than ever. Radio reactions to the song were strong and the videoclip got active play on various music TV channels, like VH1. It also received remixes from

David Morales David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer. David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Ma ...

Pablo Flores Pablo Flores is a Puerto Rican DJ, record producer, remixer and arranger. Remixes for Gloria Estefan * " Abriendo Puertas" * " Bad Boy" * "Bailando!'" (Special edition Megamix) * " Betcha Say That" * "Cherchez La Femme" * "Como Me Duele Perder ...

and Love To Infinity. The song appears on her compilation albums '' Greatest Hits Vol. II'' (2001), ''

The Very Best of Gloria Estefan ''The Very Best of Gloria Estefan'' is the sixth compilation album released by American singer Gloria Estefan, but is the twenty-seventh album overall, released in 2006. Track listing Chart positions This compilation received a limited release ...

'' (2006) and ''

The Essential Gloria Estefan ''The Essential Gloria Estefan'' is the seventh compilation album released by American singer Gloria Estefan, but is the twenty-eighth album overall, released in 2006. It is part of Sony BMG's ''The Essential'' series. The album included a spe ...

'' (2006).

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from most music critics. Scottish newspaper ''

Aberdeen Press and Journal ''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspap ...

'' complimented Estefan, who "still has an admirable voice". Editor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated in his review of ''

'', that "Reach" "rank with her finest work", with the other album tracks "

I'm Not Giving You Up "I'm Not Giving You Up" is a 1996 song by Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, released as the third single from her seventh studio album, ''Destiny'' (1996). It was popular more by its single remix by Tony Moran, which later was ...

" and "

Higher Higher may refer to: Music * The Higher, a 2002–2012 American pop rock band Albums * ''Higher'' (Ala Boratyn album) or the title song, 2007 * ''Higher'' (Ezio album) or the title song, 2000 * ''Higher'' (Harem Scarem album) or the title song ...

". Another editor, Jon O'Brien wrote that the song perhaps is "her finest moment, a motivational

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

complete with

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

choir and tribal drums."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' described it as a "stately power ballad" and an "outstanding recording". He noted that Estefan "has rarely sounded so vocally flexible and confident, broadening her range to wonderfully appealing heights within a softly building pool of percussion and gospel-spiked choir chants." He also added that "by the dramatic close, the song has risen to inspirational anthemic proportions." The magazine's Paul Verna declared it as "uplifting". The Daily Vault's Mark Millan picked it as the best track on the album and added that 'musically it's very "international" and lyrically it's very uplifting.' Chris Hicks from ''

The Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' viewed it as "gorgeous." Josef Woodard from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' called it a "feel-goody" song. Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' felt that "the remarkable performer really shines when she has new material that showcases her signature style." He added that the collaboration with pop songwriting genius

"results in a production which is quintessential Gloria Estefan." Roger Catlin from ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'' said that the singer 'is savvy enough to save her trump card for last—her Olympic anthem "Reach".' Jeremy Griffin from ''

The Ithacan Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and g ...

'' deemed the song as a "triumphant anthem." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' called it a "sweeping ballad dominated by slow, impressive drums which swell to a climax towards the end." They complimented Estefan's voice as "warm and strong, amplified by a gospel choir, but she wisely eschews any vocal acrobatics." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated it five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. The reviewer added, "It's a top-notch curtain-raiser to her first English-language album in five years, and it's a smash." Ian Fortnam from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' stated in his review of the album, that "it is 'Reach' that is truly destined to break the global bank this summer as the official anthem of the Olympic Games." David W. Bothner from ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' deemed it a "surprisingly folksy tune." Bob Waliszewski of ''

Plugged In Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations t ...

'' noted that it expresses a "willingness to 'go the distance' to fulfill a promise."

Music video

A black-and-white

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 ...

was produced to promote the single. It was directed by German film director and producer

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 premiered in April 1996. The video was shot at Key Biscayne Beach in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and features Estefan standing on a high colossus by the sea, like a monumental goddess. She holds a long black transparent veil that blows in the wind. Birds fly in the air and the sun shining on the sea reflects back on Estefan as she sings. There are at least two different edits of the video. The most common version shows Estefan performing mixed with different TV images of the olympic flag and various Olympic athletes performing in their genres. The other version is called the Vogue version.

Track listing

* Original Versions # Album Version — (3:50) # Single Version (w/o Chorus Ending) — (3:50) # Spanish Version ("Puedes Llegar") — (3:50) *

Javier Garza Javier Garza is an American sound engineer and mixer from Florida. Garza has done production work on a large number of successful major-label albums since 1990, and has won two Grammy Awards and nine Latin Grammy Awards. Among the artists whose musi ...

Remixes # Gold Medal Mix — (6:46) # Gold Medal Single Edit — (4:43) * Love To Infinity Remixes # Love To Infinity's Master Mix — (5:00) # Love To Infinity's Pure & Free Mix — (6:27) # Love To Infinity's Radio Master Mix — (4:18) # Love To Infinity's Walk In The Park Radio Mix — (4:12) # Love To Infinity's Walk In The Park Mix — (6:27) # Love To Infinity's Aphrodisiac Mix — (6:58) *

Remixes # Higher Radio Mix — (3:50) # Higher Club Mix (Vox Up) — (10:42) # Higher Club Mix — (10:42) # Reachin' Dub — (8:10) # Dubstrumental — (7:30)

Charts

Puedes Llegar

A Spanish version called "Puedes Llegar" was recorded in 1996 which featured vocals from

, Jose Luis Rodríguez,

and

. "Puedes Llegar" was included as the opening track for

EMI 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 ...

's ''Voces Unidas'', the official Spanish-speaking album for 1996 Olympic Games. "Puedes Llegar" was released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

and reached the position 2 on ''

Hot Latin Tracks 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 ...

and

Latin Airplay Latin Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It was established on October 20, 2012. This chart lists the 50 most-played songs on Spanish-language radio stations across the country as monitored by Niel ...

charts in June 1996.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1990s ballads 1996 singles Gloria Estefan songs 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic theme songs Summer Olympic official songs and anthems Songs written by Diane Warren Songs written by Gloria Estefan Pop ballads 1995 songs Epic Records singles