"She's All I Ever Had" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer
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 ...
for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''
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 ...
'' (1999). The song was written by
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 ...
,
Robi Rosa
Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur.
Rosa originally garnered fame ...
, and
George Noriega
George Noriega (born October 24, 1966) is an American Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter and record producer. He is the owner of Cutting Cane Productions and Cutting Cane Publishing, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Noriega came to prom ...
, while the production was handled by Secada,
Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...
, and Noriega, with co-production from Rosa. It was released by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
as the second
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from the album on June 15, 1999. A
slow-tempo pop and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
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 ...
, it is a romantic
love song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
, narrating the story of a man who misses his woman, while continuing to live and breathe for her. The song received widely positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who complimented the production and Martin's vocals. It was ranked as the third-best song from the Latin explosion of 1999 by ''
Latina
Latina or Latinas most often refers to:
* Latinas, a demographic group in the United States
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America.
*Latin Americans
Latina and Latinas may also refer ...
''.
"She's All I Ever Had" was commercially successful, peaking at numbers two and three on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Canada Top Singles charts, respectively. A Spanish-language version of the song, entitled "Bella" (), which features additional lyrical contributions by Luis Gómez Escolar, was recorded by Martin and reached the summit of both 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
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, ra ...
and
Latin Pop Songs
Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...
charts in the United States. It also peaked at number one in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama. The version was nominated for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
at the
1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. To promote the original version of the song, Martin performed it at the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards (stylized as 9999 MTV Video Music Awards) aired live on September 9, 1999, honoring the best music videos from June 13, 1998, to June 11, 1999. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Metropolitan Opera House in N ...
. The accompanying
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 directed by
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...
and filmed in Los Angeles, California. It shows Martin as the ghost of a dead man visiting his lover.
Background and release
In 1998,
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 ...
released his fourth studio album ''
Vuelve''. The album experienced commercial success, spending 26 weeks atop the US
''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart. "
La Copa de la Vida
"The Cup of Life" (Spanish: "La Copa de la Vida") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fourth studio album, '' Vuelve'' (1998). Martin created the song after FIFA requested of him an anthem. The song was written by Lui ...
" was released as the second
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from the album, and became the official song of the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
in France. The song topped the charts in more than 30 countries, and Martin performed it at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards
The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill received the most nominations with 10, setting a record for the most no ...
, which was greeted with a massive standing ovation and met with acclaim from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
.
On October 22, 1998,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
confirmed that Martin had started working on his first English language album, following the huge success of ''Vuelve''. On March 6, 1999, almost two weeks after his Grammy performance, it was announced that the album, which was still untitled, had been set for release in May. "
Livin' la Vida Loca
"Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...
" was released on March 23, 1999, as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from the album. The song topped the charts in more than 20 countries and is considered to be Martin's biggest hit,
and one of the
best-selling singles of all time.
On April 24, 1999, ''
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 ...
'' revealed the album's title as ''
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 ...
'' in an article, mentioning that it was initially set for retail on May 25, 1999. However, the huge interest in the disc encouraged
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
to decide to rush the album to release two weeks ahead of schedule, on May 11.
In the same issue, the magazine revealed that one of the tracks would be titled "She's All I Ever Had" and it would have a Spanish language version. ''Ricky Martin'' was released on the specified date and "She's All I Ever Had" was included as the third track on the album, while the Spanish version of the song, entitled "Bella" (), was included as the 13th track.
Martin dedicated the latter to his grandmother who died a year earlier. "She's All I Ever Had" was released by Columbia Records as the second single from the album on June 15, 1999.
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song.
The first maxi singles
Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...
s were released in Australia, Japan, and Europe, on August 30, September 15, and October 11, 1999, respectively. The singles contain different versions of the song, including remixes by Puerto Rican DJ
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 Perde ...
.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "She's All I Ever Had" is a
slow-tempo pop and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
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 ...
,
that "begins slowly with guitar accompaniment then soars in the chorus".
The song was written by
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 ...
,
Robi Rosa
Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur.
Rosa originally garnered fame ...
, and
George Noriega
George Noriega (born October 24, 1966) is an American Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter and record producer. He is the owner of Cutting Cane Productions and Cutting Cane Publishing, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Noriega came to prom ...
, while the production was handled by Secada,
Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...
, and Noriega, with co-production from Rosa.
Also, Spanish songwriter Luis Gómez Escolar joined the English version's lyricists to write "Bella". According to both versions'
sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...
s on Musicnotes.com, "She's All I Ever Had" and "Bella" are 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 ...
of
B major
B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its ...
with a
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
...
of 82 beats per minute. In the former, Martin's vocals span from the low note of
B3 to the high note of
E5. In the latter, his vocals span from the low note of
F3 to the high note of F
5. The English version runs for a total of 4 minutes and 55 seconds, while the Spanish version runs for a total of 4 minutes and 54 seconds.
Lyrically, "She's All I Ever Had" is a romantic
love song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
, narrating the story of a man who misses his woman, while he continues to live and breathe for her.
The lyrics include, "It's the way she makes me feel / It's the only thing that's real / It's the way she understands / She's my lover, she's my friend / When I look into her eyes / It's the way I feel inside / Like the man I want to be / She's all I'll ever need."
Critical reception
"She's All I Ever Had" has been met with widely positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
.
Chuck Taylor from ''Billboard'' labeled the song "
delectable anthemic ballad" and said "there was no doubt that" it was the track "to go with as the second single" from the album. He added that the song "will do nothing but advance Martin's place not only as the leading pop male vocalist of the day but as a valid phenomenon", mentioning that it "absolutely succeeds on all levels". He complimented Martin's vocal for being "tender and heartfelt", and "boasting a versatility that contrasts nicely" with his previous single, "Livin' la Vida Loca", as well as the song's production, which he described as "lush", "savvy" and "creatively executed".
Also from ''Billboard'',
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 ...
ranked the song as the second-best track from ''Ricky Martin'', saying it "showcases the soulful, romantic Ricky and bears the melancholy stamp of Robi Rosa's writing".
Celia San Miguel of
''Tidal Magazine'' gave "She's All I Ever Had" a positive review, saying it "left fans swooning over the charismatic heartthrob and his passionate and emotive vocals".
''
Bustle
A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...
''s Maggie Malach stated that "this ballad hit every in the feels",
while ''
The Indianapolis Star
''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...
'' reviewer Diana Penner celebrated the song for being "suitable for slow-dancing and fantasizing".
Another author of the newspaper noted the song's "dreamy pop guitar". Writing for
Hollywood.com
Hollywood.com is an entertainment news website covering popular culture topics including movies, television, music and celebrities. Hollywood.com is principally owned by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie S. Silvers, who previously founded Sci-Fi Ch ...
, Natalie Daniels named it a "major hit". Joey Guerra from the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' acknowledged "Bella" to be "superior" to "She's All I Ever Had".
''
The News Journal
''The News Journal'' is the main newspaper for Wilmington, Delaware, and the surrounding area. It is headquartered in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, and is owned by Gannett.
History
The ancestry of the News Journ ...
'' critic Jena Montgomery described "Bella" as "somber" and "seductive".
In his review for TV Overmind in 2018, Tom Foster ranked "She's All I Ever Had" as Martin's second-best song and stated that "despite the slight 80's feel of this song, you can still get into it since it's the perfect song for an anniversary, wedding, or just to show that you appreciate your significant other". Lamis Mohammad of ''
Youm7
''Youm7'' ( ar, اليوم السابع, , meaning ''The Seventh Day'') is an Egyptian privately owned daily newspaper. It was first published as a weekly paper in October 2008 and has been published daily since May 2011. It is published in Arab ...
'' listed it as Martin's fourth-best song in 2019. In 2021, Claudia González Alvarado from ''
Chilango
''Chilango'' () is a Mexican slang demonym for natives and residents of Mexico City. The Royal Spanish Academy and the Mexican Academy of Language give the definition of the word as referring to something "belonging to Mexico City", in particular ...
'' ranked it as his ninth-best ballad.
Accolades
''
Latina
Latina or Latinas most often refers to:
* Latinas, a demographic group in the United States
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America.
*Latin Americans
Latina and Latinas may also refer ...
'' ranked "She's All I Ever Had" as the third-best song from the Latin explosion of 1999. In 2015, ''Bustle'' placed the song at number 19 on a list titled "You Need To Listen To These '90s Songs Again".
"Bella" was nominated for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
at the
1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards, but lost to "Tu Mirada" by
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...
. It was also nominated for
Latin Pop Track of the Year at the
2000 Latin ''Billboard'' Music Awards. The song was recognized as one of the most performed songs in the Pop/Ballad category at the 2000
ASCAP Latin Awards, as well as an award-winning song at the 2001
BMI Latin Awards. "She's All I Ever Had" was recognized as an award-winning song at the 2001 BMI Pop Awards.
Commercial performance
"She's All I Ever Had" is one of Martin's most commercially successful songs in his career.
In the United States, the single debuted at number 63 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on August 7, 1999, becoming Martin's fourth entry.
In its seventh week, the song became Martin's second top-five hit in the country, following his chart-topper "Livin' la Vida Loca".
"She's All I Ever Had" subsequently peaked at number two on the chart on September 25, 1999, being held off the top spot by "
Unpretty
"Unpretty" is a song by American group TLC, released on May 17, 1999, through LaFace and Arista Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, ''FanMail''. It was written by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and the producer Dallas Austi ...
" (1999) by
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
. The song also peaked at numbers seven and four on ''Billboard''s
Hot 100 Airplay
The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout ...
and
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
charts, respectively. It spent 38 weeks on the latter chart, becoming Martin's first top-10 and his longest-charting hit to date.
In October 1999, the track was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over 500,000 copies in the United States.
"Bella" debuted at number 20 on ''Billboard''
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, ra ...
on the chart issue dated July 10, 1999. It subsequently reached number one on September 4, 1999, and stayed there for three consecutive weeks,
giving Martin his fourth number-one hit on the chart.
The track also peaked at numbers one and seven on ''Billboard''
Latin Pop Songs
Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...
and
Tropical/Salsa listings, respectively.
"She's All I Ever Had" peaked at number three on the Canada Top Singles chart, becoming Martin's second top-five hit in Canada, following his chart-topper "Livin' la Vida Loca".
In Australia, "She's All I Ever Had" peaked at number 28 and was certified gold by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 copies.
In New Zealand, it peaked at number eight on the
Official New Zealand Music Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Musi ...
.
The song reached number one in Croatia,
as well as the top 10 in Finland and Iceland,
and the top 20 in Germany and the Netherlands.
"Bella" experienced commercial success in Latin American countries, reaching number one in Costa Rica,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Mexico,
and Panama.
It also peaked at number two in Honduras,
Nicaragua,
and Puerto Rico,
and number seven in Chile.
Music videos
The accompanying
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 filmed at Boyle Ranch Chatsworth,
Lovell House
The Lovell House or Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927 and 1929. The home, located at 4616 Dundee Drive in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, ...
, and Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles, California, in June 1999 and was directed by British director
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...
.
The visual was aired on August 6, 1999, on
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 ...
's ''
Total Request Live
''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...
''.
Inspired by the American
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
''
What Dreams May Come'' (1998),
the video depicts Martin as the ghost of a deceased man returning to the mortal world and visiting his still-living lover, portrayed by Puerto Rican actress
Charlotte Ayanna
Charlotte Ayanna (born Charlotte Lopez; September 25, 1976) is a Puerto Rican-American actress and former Miss Teen USA.
Early life
Ayanna was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but moved to Vermont at an early age. She had a troubled childhood, spen ...
. The man is seen romping on a beach, gliding through the forest, and singing the song on a cliff, while his lover feels his presence and occasionally encounters him as she reminisces memories of her together with him, the latter of which are shown through intersped flashbacks.
The music video for the song's Spanish version is technically the same, except Martin mouths the Spanish lyrics.
Ayanna talked about the filming during a phone interview: "He picked me from a photo my agent submitted. Ricky told me he was looking for something spiritual. He wanted someone sweet and pure who has a loving quality, not a raunchy
sex symbol
A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...
."
Cristal Mesa from
mitú
Mitú () is the capital town of the department of Vaupés in Colombia. It is a small town located in South eastern Colombia in the Amazon Basin. Founded in 1936, Mitú lies next to the Vaupés River at 180 meters above sea level. It is where th ...
named the visual Martin's 17th best music video on her 2018 list, comparing it to the American
romantic fantasy
Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre.
One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
''
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
'' (1990). "Bella" won the award for
Video of the Year at the
2000 Premio Lo Nuestro.
"She's All I Ever Had" was nominated for Best New Artist Clip — Jazz/AC at the 1999 ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards and won the award for the Best Music Video at the 2000
Imagen Foundation Awards
The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...
.
Live performances and appearances in media
Martin performed "She's All I Ever Had" and "Livin' la Vida Loca" on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' on July 9, 1999. He then performed both songs accompanied by a group of women dressed in glitter at the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards (stylized as 9999 MTV Video Music Awards) aired live on September 9, 1999, honoring the best music videos from June 13, 1998, to June 11, 1999. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Metropolitan Opera House in N ...
on September 9, 1999. Maria G. Valdez from ''
Latin Times
IBT Media is an American global digital news organization with over 90 million monthly readers, owned by followers of religious leader David Jang.
It publishes the ''International Business Times'' and ''Medical Daily'', among others. IBT Media i ...
'' ranked his rendition as the sixth best performance by a Latin artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, saying: "At the beginning we thought it was going to be a mystic performance, slow and focused on the vocals, but eventually it became a party and you definitely gotta see some of Ricky's best moves on full display during that performance." Wonderwall.com editors picked his performance as one of their favorite moments from MTV VMAs until 2020, and Daneesha Davis of the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' described his performance of the song as soulful.
"She's All I Ever Had" was included on the
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
s for Martin's the
Livin' la Vida Loca Tour
The Livin' La Vida Loco World Tour was the first major world concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin to support his first English-language album ''Ricky Martin''. The tour started in October 1999 and continued until October 2000.
The to ...
, the
Black and White Tour, the
Ricky Martin Live
Ricky Martin Live was the ninth concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It supported his compilation album, '' Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition''. The tour started in Newcastle on October 3, 2013 and continued across Australia for three ...
tour, and the
All In residency. He also performed the song along with his other hits during the 13th
Mawazine
Mawazine ( ar, موازين, mawāzīn, meaning "rhythms of the world") is a Moroccan International music festival held annually in Rabat, Morocco, featuring many international and local music artists. The festival is presided over by Mounir Maj ...
in 2014, while changing the pronoun from "she" to "he" in its lyrics as a protest against
Morroco's anti-LGBT laws.
Obie Bermúdez
Obie Bermúdez (born January 10, 1981) is a Puerto Rican Latin pop, salsa singer and composer.
Early years
Bermúdez was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico into a family who loved music. His father and grandfather were both musicians. He received ...
and
Fonseca performed a live rendition of "Bella" at the
Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year
The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend musicians of Ibero-American heritage for their "artistic ach ...
gala in 2006, where Martin was honored with the accolade. Ivana Mutskova covered "Bella" on the
sixth season of ''
The Voice of Bulgaria
''The Voice of Bulgaria'' (Bulgarian: ''Гласът на България'', transcribed as ''Glasat na Bulgaria'') is a Bulgarian reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice of Holland''. Its first season was held in the summer ...
'' in 2019. The following year, Boris Soltariyski performed "She's All I Ever Had" as the snake on season two of the Bulgarian singing
competition television series ''
The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.
Formats and track listings
* Argentine promotional CD single
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Versión En Español) – 4:13
* Asian / European CD maxi-single
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Radio Edit) – 4:12
#"She's All I Ever Had" (
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 Perde ...
Radio Edit) – 4:22
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Pablo Flores Club Mix) – 10:14
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Pablo Flores Club Dub) – 7:00
* Australian CD maxi-single
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Radio Edit) – 4:12
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Pablo Flores Radio Edit - English) – 4:22
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Pablo Flores Club Mix - English) – 10:14
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Pablo Flores Club Dub - Spanish) – 7:00
#"
Livin' la Vida Loca
"Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...
" (
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...
Remix) – 3:46
* Brazilian promotional CD single
#"She's All I Ever Had" – 4:55
* European CD
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Radio Edit) – 4:22
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Pablo Flores Radio Edit
nglish – 4:22
* Japanese CD maxi-single
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Radio Edit) – 4:12
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Album Version) – 4:55
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:13
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Spanish Radio Edit) – 4:13
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Pablo Flores Club Mix - Spanglish) – 10:14
* Mexican promotional CD single
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" – 4:55
#"She's All I Ever Had" – 4:55
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Club Mix English) – 10:14
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Club Mix Spanish) – 10:14
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Club Mix Spanglish) – 10:14
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Radio Edit English) – 4:22
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Radio Edit Spanish) – 4:22
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Radio Edit Spanglish) – 4:22
#"She's All I Ever Had" (Club Dub English) – 7:00
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Club Dub Spanish) – 7:00
* Spanish promotional CD single
#"Bella" – 4:56
* US CD
#"She's All I Ever Had" – 4:55
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:12
* US CD 12-inch single
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Club Mix) – 10:14
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Club Dub) – 7:00
#"Bella (She's All I Ever Had)" (Spanglish Club Mix) – 10:14
#"She's All I Ever Had" (English Radio Edit) – 4:12
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal and the European maxi-CD single liner notes.
Studio locations
* Recorded at Crescent Moon Studios (
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
),
Westlake Studios
Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California.
History
Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experi ...
(
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
), and Sound Chamber Recorders (
Modesto, California
Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...
)
* Mixed at
The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano.
History
On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...
(
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) and Barking Doctor Recording (
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous municipality, coterminous with the vil ...
)
Personnel
*
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 ...
vocal, associated performer
*
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 ...
composer, lyricist, producer, background vocal
*
Robi Rosa
Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur.
Rosa originally garnered fame ...
composer, lyricist, co-producer
*
George Noriega
George Noriega (born October 24, 1966) is an American Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter and record producer. He is the owner of Cutting Cane Productions and Cutting Cane Publishing, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Noriega came to prom ...
composer, lyricist, producer, keyboards, sitar
*
Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...
producer
*
Tommy Anthony acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*
Eric Bazilian
Eric M. Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote " One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 19 ...
acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*
David Campbell arranger, conductor
* Gustavo Bonnet assistant engineer
* Tony Mardini assistant engineer
* Ed Williams assistant engineer
* Jorge Casas bass
* Rudy Stein cello
* Larry Corbett cello
* Suzie Katayama cello
* Steve Richards cello
* Dan Smith cello
* Stefanie Fife cello
* Randall Barlow drum programming, recording engineer
* Kenny Aronoff drums
* Joe Chiccarelli engineer
* Emilio Estefan, Jr. executive producer
* Mick Guzauski mixing engineer
* Daniel López percussion
* Elliot Scheiner recording engineer
* Freddy Piñero, Jr. recording engineer
* Javier Garza recording engineer
* Charles Dye recording engineer
* Scott Canto recording engineer
* Sebastián Krys recording engineer
* Marcelo Añez Fontana recording engineer
* Olbin Burgos shaker
* John Scanlon viola
* Matt Funes viola
* David Stenske viola
* Denyse Buffum viola
* Michele Richards violin
* Susan Chatman violin
* Virginia Frazier violin
* Harris Goldman violin
* Gerry Hilera violin
* Eve Butler violin
* Bob Sanov violin
* Anatoly Rosinsky violin
* Miwako Watanabe violin
* Joel Derouin violin
* Endre Granat violin
* Ken Yerke violin
* John Wittenberg violin
* Murray Adler violin
* Clayton Haslop violin
* Bob Peterson violin
* Bruce Dukov violin
* Ruth Bruegger violin
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks of 1999
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Airplay songs of 1999
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1999
References
{{Authority control
1990s ballads
1999 singles
1999 songs
Columbia Records singles
Music videos directed by Nigel Dick
Pop ballads
Ricky Martin songs
Rock ballads
Songs written by Draco Rosa
Songs written by George Noriega
Songs written by Jon Secada