"Rhythm Divine" ("Ritmo Total" in Spanish countries) is a song by Spanish recording artist

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

, taken from his fourth

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 ...

and debut English-language record ''

Enrique Enrique () is the Spanish language, Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich (given name), Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (given name), Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, D ...

'' (1999). It was released on 26 October 1999 by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

as the second single from the project. The song was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor, while production was handled by Taylor and Brian Rawling. An accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence. The single topped the Spanish Singles Chart for eight weeks and reached the top 10 in Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Romania.

Critical reception

According to

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 ...

in the single review, Enrique Iglesias delivers this "savvy follow-up bid for top 40 longevity", this single is "precisely the kind of song that should ensure this crossover artist's chance to dance up the ladder of success". Also makes a comparison with fellow Latin performer Ricky Martin: "Unlike peer Ricky Martin, Iglesias is far from overexposed, leaving plenty of room for listeners to be surprised by his potential as a singer, performer, and presence to grow comfortable with on the top 40 airwaves". About the song structure: "Masterfully produced, passionately sung, and ready for the kind of video exploration that will further reveal this gorgeous young artist as one of the blossoming solo sex symbols of the new millennium, this song-written by " Bailamos" scribes Mark Taylor and Paul Barry-is a solid sell for fans of the new sound of the Latin nation, replete with Spanish guitars, a gutsy vocal, and rhythms that will move the masses in a single spin. Oh, so solid, "Rhythm Divine" will propel another new hero to the upper reaches of the charts in just a few short weeks. A sure sell-through from his upcoming English-language debut, the songs deserves a big bravo for sheer pop merit". The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith called it a "bold" anthem, noting that it perhaps is one of "the most memorable cuts" of the album.

Chart performance

The track was not as successful as "Bailamos"; however, it reached number one in Spain for eight weeks and peaked within the top 10 in Finland, New Zealand and Norway, as well as the top 50 in many other European countries, North America and Australia. The Spanish version of the single, "Ritmo Total", hit the number-one spot on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart for four weeks. The single went platinum in Russia with 200,000 copies sold.

Music video

The video starts in a hotel, when a girl (

Claudia Mason Claudia Mason (born March 9, 1973) is an American model and actress. Mason has been featured on the covers of many fashion magazines including Vogue, Elle, W and Cosmopolitan. Mason has appeared in fashion campaigns for the likes of Louis Vuitt ...

) gets out of a room and Enrique starts to follow her. He follows her across the whole city of Kuala Lumpur, until she gets to the beach and disappears in the sea with the shoes in her hand.

Track listings

European CD1 # "Rhythm Divine" – 3:29 # "Rhythm Divine" ( Fernando G club mix) – 5:34 European CD2 # "Rhythm Divine" – 3:29 # "Rhythm Divine" (

Morales Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer * Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people * Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower * Bartolomé Mo ...

radio mix) – 3:13 # "Rhythm Divine" – 3:29 (stereo dub mix) – 7:20 # "Rhythm Divine" (Lord G's Divine dub) – 6:46 UK CD1 # "Rhythm Divine" – 3:29 # "Bailamos" (

Eric Morillo Erick Morillo (March 26, 1971 – September 1, 2020) was a Colombian-American disc jockey, music producer, and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers de la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, D ...

main vocal mix) – 6:30 # "Rhythm Divine" (CD-ROM video) UK CD2 # "Rhythm Divine" (Morales radio mix) – 3:13 # "Rhythm Divine" (Fernando G club mix) – 5:34 # "Rhythm Divine" (Mijango's extended mix) – 6:57 UK cassette single # "Rhythm Divine" – 3:29 # "Bailamos" (Eric Morillo main vocal mix) – 6:30 Australasian CD single # "Rhythm Divine" (album version) # "Rhythm Divine" (Fernando's English radio edit) # "Rhythm Divine" (Morales club mix) # "Rhythm Divine" (Fernando's English club mix) # "Rhythm Divine" (Lord G's Divine dub) # "Rhythm Divine" (Mijangos English extended mix)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1999 singles 1999 songs Enrique Iglesias songs Interscope Records singles Macaronic songs Music videos directed by Francis Lawrence Number-one singles in the Czech Republic Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Brian Rawling Song recordings produced by Mark Taylor (record producer) Songs written by Mark Taylor (record producer) Songs written by Paul Barry (songwriter) Spanish-language songs