"Te Amo" (English: "I Love You") is a song by Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

from her fourth studio album, ''

Rated R Rated R refers to movies (and also to TV shows and video games in certain systems) that have been given a "restricted" rating by one of the following film rating systems: * Motion Picture Association of America film rating system * Canadian Home Vid ...

'' (2009). The song was written by Rihanna, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen,

James Fauntleroy II James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...

, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production name

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

. "Te Amo" impacted radio in Italy on May 28, 2010, and was released via digital download on June 8, 2010, in Australia, Italy and New Zealand, as the album's sixth and final single. "Te Amo" incorporates elements of music of Latin America and conveys Rihanna's struggles as the object of another woman's desires.

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 ...

praised the song for its lyrics and for a less futuristic sound than other songs on ''Rated R''. "Te Amo" peaked inside the top ten of national charts, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The song also attained top forty positions in Australia, The Netherlands and Slovakia. "Te Amo" was certified gold in four countries. The song's accompanying music video was directed by longtime collaborator

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...

and features French supermodel

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

, who tries to seduce Rihanna and eventually succeeds. Rihanna performed the song live at

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by the BBC's radio station. It is held once a year, in a ...

on May 23, 2010 in Bangor,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. "Te Amo" was also 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 ...

of Rihanna's

Last Girl on Earth Last Girl on Earth was the third concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. The tour visited Europe, Asia, North America and Australia to support her fourth studio album, ''Rated R'' (2009). The tour was announced through MTV News in ...

tour.

Background and composition

"Te Amo" was released as the fourth international and fifth overall single from Rihanna's fourth studio album, ''

''. The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen,

and Rihanna, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production name,

. The song was sent to Italian radio on May 28, 2010, and released via digital download in Australia, Italy and New Zealand on June 8, 2010. In Germany, "Te Amo" was released as a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

on June 11, 2010. Musically, the song is written 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 ...

G-sharp minor G-sharp minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative major is B major. Its parallel major, G-sharp major, is usually replaced by its enharmonic equi ...

with Rihanna's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

spanning from the low note of F♯₃ to the high note of C♯₅. Lyrically, "Te Amo" tells of a relationship between two women, with one realizing that she is falling in love with Rihanna, proclaiming "Te amo" throughout the song (the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

phrase for "I Love You"). As Rihanna realizes that the other woman is falling in love with her, Rihanna sings, "I feel the love, but I don't feel that way", meaning that she knows her suitor loves her, but does not want to become romantically involved with her.

Critical reception

"Te Amo" received positive reception from music critics. As part of his review for ''Rated R'', Jude Rogers of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

noted that "Te Amo" and "

Rockstar 101 "Rockstar 101" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fourth studio album, ''Rated R'' (2009). The song features the British-American guitarist Slash of the rock group Guns N' Roses. It was released on May 18, 2010, as the fifth single ...

" were the less futuristic tracks on the album as they do not feature the heavy electronic influences, which are present on songs such as "

Hard Hard may refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series * Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock supe ...

" and "G4L". Robert Copsey of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

awarded the song a rating of four out of five stars and noted that Rihanna had progressed from singing about a male interest in one of her previous singles, "

Rude Boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...

", to fantasizing about women, writing "After the rather explicit 'Rude Boy' campaign, Rihanna's taking a well-deserved break from titillating the blokes here – only to find herself the object of another lady's affections. One of her Rated R LPs less menacing moments, 'Te Amo' finds La Fenty grappling with her sexuality over some irresistible, Latin-infused Stargate beats." Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music awarded the song four out of five stars and commented on the theme of lesbianism, writing "It's that old, old story: Girl meets girl. Girl speaks different language to girl. Girl loves girl. Girl doesn't love girl. Girl sad. We’ve all been there, right? And Rihanna’s captured that feeling beautifully."

Chart performance

Upon the release of the album, "Te Amo" made its first chart appearance on the

Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...

, where it debuted at number 52 on December 4, 2009, and initially charted for a single week. After being released as a promotional CD in Sweden on May 5, 2010, the song re-entered the chart at number 53 on July 7, 2010. "Te Amo" peaked at number 48 two weeks later on July 30, and spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks on the chart. The song debuted on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 30 on April 24, 2010, and peaked at number 14 two weeks later on May 29. The song also entered the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart at number 29 on April 24, 2010, and peaked at number five in the week of May 29. On May 23, 2010, the song entered the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and the

Swiss Hitparade The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top ...

at numbers 35 and 58, respectively. The song peaked at number 22 in its sixth charting week in Australia, and at number nine in its seventh charting week Switzerland. "Te Amo" debuted at number 11 in Austria on June 25, 2010, and descended to number the following week, but re-peaked at number 11 the next week. The song spent eighteen weeks on the chart. In the Flanders and Wallonia regions of Belgium, "Te Amo" debuted on the singles charts at numbers 29 and 28, respectively, on June 19, 2010, and spent 14 weeks charting. In the Flanders region, the song peaked at number 14, while the song was more successful in the Wallonia region, peaking at number 10. Elsewhere in Europe, the song debuted on the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

on July 15, 2010 at number nine and peaked at number seven for two weeks. "Te Amo" was less successful in Denmark, Finland and Norway, peaking at numbers 22, 14, and 12, respectively. In Germany, "Te Amo" became Rihanna's first song as a lead artist since " Hate That I Love You" in 2007 not to reach the top 10, and debuted on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

at number 13 on July 26, 2010. It fluctuated in the top 20 before reaching its peak at number 11 on July 24, 2010. On the

European Hot 100 Singles 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 ...

chart, "Te Amo" debuted at number 48 on May 29, 2010 and peaked at number 18 on July 17, 2010. Although "Te Amo" was not released as a single in Canada, the song debuted on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

chart issue dated July 3, 2010 at number 98 and peaked at number 66 on July 17, 2010.

Promotion

Music video

The music video for "Te Amo" was shot over two days on April 29 and 30, 2010, in Vigny, France, and was directed by longtime collaborator

, who had previously directed the music videos for "

Wait Your Turn "Wait Your Turn" is a song recorded by Barbadian people, Barbadian singer Rihanna for her fourth studio album, ''Rated R (Rihanna album), Rated R'' (2009). It was written by Stargate (production team), Mikkel S. Eriksen, Stargate (production team ...

" and " Russian Roulette". Whilst on set for the video, photographs were released; they featured Rihanna wearing a vibrant Mara Hoffman maxi dress, which cost over $1,000. French supermodel

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

played the role of a

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

and the apparent love interest of Rihanna. In the video, Rihanna plays Casta's lesbian love interest. Casta arrives at the castle in a car, and steps out with a very provocative dominatrix-looking outfit, and meets Rihanna who is waiting inside. Throughout all of the video, Casta tries to seduce Rihanna whilst Rihanna initially resists, but eventually gives in to Casta's charm. First, she meets Rihanna in the living room and catches her eye. In the next scene, the couple are shown on top of a table with

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

lighting and Casta rubs her head on Rihanna's legs. They are then shown outside the castle and Rihanna falls to the ground in despair while Casta looks on, letting her long hair fall loose and standing seductively. Soon, they are shown in a room full of male dancers and Rihanna begins to feel more comfortable around her admirer. The last two scenes are Rihanna and Casta in PVC bondage outfits kissing and caressing on a bed in a darkened room, and then at a burning table, looking away from each other. ''

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 ...

''s music video reviewer, Monica Herrera commented, "Rihanna saved a far sexier clip than '

' for fans abroad." She described the video's various scenes as "Rihanna getting frisky in a bedroom and setting a fire with a sultry female companion."

Live performances

Rihanna performed "Te Amo" for the first time at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010 on May 23, 2010 in Bangor,

, where she performed the song as part of a

, along with "Madhouse", "

", " Disturbia", "

", "Russian Roulette", " Don't Stop the Music", " SOS" and "

Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

". The song was also included on the set list of the

tour. Rihanna performed the song during the

Rock in Rio ''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...

2011 in Rio de Janeiro.Rihanna live at the ''

'' festival. * *

Track listing

*CD and digital download (2-track) # "Te Amo" – 3:28 # "Rude Boy" (

Wideboys The Wideboys are an English electronic music duo known for club remixes and for their own song "Sambuca", featuring Dennis G on vocals, which reached number 15 in the UK in October 2001. Another top 40 single, "Daddy-O" featuring Shaznay Lewis, ...

stadium radio mix) – 3:16

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the inlay cover of ''Rated R''. Recording * Recorded at Metropolis Studios, London * Mixed at Chung King Studios, New York Personnel * Songwriting – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, James Fauntleroy II, Robyn Fenty * Production – Stargate * Vocal production – Mikkel S. Eriksen * Vocal recording – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Marcus Tovar * Vocal recording assistant – Ross Parkin, Neil Tucker * Mixing – Kevin "KD" Davis * Assistant mixing – Anthony Patozzole * Guitar – Bert Rune Stray, Miguel "Che" * All other instruments – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Good article 2009 songs 2010 singles Latin pop songs Contemporary R&B songs LGBT-related songs Macaronic songs Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler Music videos shot in France Rihanna songs Songs written by James Fauntleroy Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Rihanna Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Torch songs Bisexuality-related songs