"Simplemente Amigos" (English: ''Just Friends'') is a

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 ...

written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter

Ana Gabriel María Guadalupe Araujo Yong (born December 10, 1955), better known as Ana Gabriel, is a Mexican singer and songwriter from Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. ...

and was produced by Mariano Pérez Bautista. It was released by CBS Discos (now Sony Music Latin) on March 20, 1989, as the second single from her fourth studio album '' Tierra de Nadie'' (1988). The song became Gabriel's second number-one single in the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart after " Ay Amor" in late 1987. The success of the song led its parent album to its peak at number one in the ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Albums and approximate sales of six million units in Latin America. "Simplemente Amigos" is one of Gabriel's signature songs and one of the most covered songs, aside from being named her first smash hit. The song title was later used in a compilation album featuring songs by Gabriel and fellow Mexican singer-songwriter

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...

Chart performance

The song debuted in the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart at number 36 in the week of May 20, 1989, climbing to the top ten two weeks later. "Simplemente Amigos" peaked at number-one on September 2, 1989, on its sixteenth week, holding this position for two consecutive weeks, replacing " Baila Mi Rumba" by Venezuelan performer José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma" and being replaced by Gloria Estefan with " Si Voy a Perderte". It ranked seventh in the

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 ...

Year-End Chart of 1989 and spent 29 weeks within the Top 40 in the United States. It also reached number one the Guatemalan Spanish Charts in the country.

Cover versions

"Simplemente Amigos" is one of the most covered songs on Gabriel's repertoire. Banda Preciosa de Durango, BXS Bryndis X Siempre, Keyla Caballero, Calor del Norte, David Cedeno, Cumbia Na Na Na, Los Grey's, Grupo Secreto, Grupo Super T, Gary Hobbs, Iris, JC y Su Banda Duranguense, Junior Klan, Mónica,

Nadia Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: ...

Emilio Navaira Emilio H. Navaira III (August 23, 1962 – May 16, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter of Tejano and country music. He is the winner of one Grammy Award and one Latin Grammy Award. Known to most by the mononym Emilio, he charted more than ...

, Quadra, Bienvenido Rodríguez, Oscar Rubio y su Banda Canela, Son de Azúcar, and Violento have recorded versions of the song. Mexican singer Myriam also did her version of the track and included it on her album '' Simplemente Amigos'' — a

Tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

to Ana Gabriel. This album peaked at number 1 in the

Mexican Albums Chart Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A. ...

and received a gold certification in México for sales over 300,000 copies.

References

{{Ana Gabriel 1989 singles 1988 songs Ana Gabriel songs Songs written by Ana Gabriel Spanish-language songs CBS Discos singles 1980s ballads Pop ballads