"Objection (Tango)" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

for her fifth studio album and first English-language album '' Laundry Service'' (2001). It was the first song Shakira wrote in English after being encouraged by American singer

Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (; ; born September 1, 1957) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of t ...

to record material in the language. "Objection (Tango)" musically combines elements of

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

, and contains instrumentation from the ''

bandoneón The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and playe ...

'' and guitar. Through the lyrics of the song, Shakira aims to end a love triangle she is a part of. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on 24 May 2002. A Spanish version of the song, entitled "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)" ("I'm Warning You, I'm Telling You"), was also recorded. Upon its release, "Objection (Tango)" received generally favourable 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 ...

, some of whom found it similar to the work of American new wave band

the B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...

. Commercially, "Objection (Tango)" was a success and peaked inside the top ten of

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

s of various countries such as Australia, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands and France. The song became the last single from the album to chart in the United Kingdom and on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the United States, reaching numbers 17 and 55, respectively. "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)" charted inside the top ten of the US ''Billboard''

Latin Pop Airplay Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion of ...

and

Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay The ''Billboard'' tropical charts began in 1985 when an album chart were introduced as Tropical Albums in the June 29 issue of the magazine. In October 1994, ''Billboard'' then established Tropical Airplay, which initially rank the most-played song ...

charts. "Objection (Tango)" was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in Australia and France 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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA) and

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

(SNEP), respectively. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Objection (Tango)" was directed by

Dave Meyers David Meyers may refer to: *Dave Meyers (director) (born 1972), American music video director *Dave Meyers (basketball) David William Meyers (April 21, 1953 – October 9, 2015) was an American basketball player who played for the Milwaukee Buck ...

and features Shakira fighting her unfaithful lover and his mistress in a club. A segment of the video is rendered in an animated

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

-form. For additional promotion, Shakira performed an

Afro-punk Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-punk, Afropunk, or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of black people in punk music and subculture. Participation in punk music has existed since the genre's origins in the 1969 with the ska movement of Boss ...

and

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

inspired version of the song at the

2002 MTV Video Music Awards The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2002, honoring the best music videos from June 9, 2001, to May 31, 2002. The show was hosted by Jimmy Fallon at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. During the show, Michael Jackson a ...

. It was also included in the setlist of the

Tour of the Mongoose The Tour of the Mongoose (also known as El Tour de la Mangosta in Spanish-speaking regions) was the third concert tour by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, launched in support of her fifth studio album—and debut English-language record— ...

(2002-2003), which was launched to promote ''Laundry Service'', and

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour The Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour is the seventh ongoing concert tour by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, in support of her twelfth studio album, ''Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran'' (2024). The stadium tour commenced on 11 February 2025 at t ...

(2025). "Objection (Tango)" was also used in a

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

commercial featuring Shakira.

Background

In 1998, Shakira released her second

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

studio album ''

Dónde Están los Ladrones? ''Dónde Están los Ladrones?'' (, ) is the fourth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, released on 29 September 1998 by Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Colombia. After attaining success in Latin America with her major-label ...

'' (''Where Are the Thieves?''), which became an immense success in Latin America and received multi-

record certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

s in various countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Spain. The

rock en Español 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 ...

-influenced

latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...

album drew comparisons to the work of

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

singer songwriter

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

and "cracked the lucrative US market wide open", spending a total of 11 weeks atop 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 advertis ...

Top Latin Albums Top Latin Albums (formerly Latin 50) is a record chart published by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the United States, American music market. ...

chart. It became Shakira's first album to receive a platinum certification from 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). ''Dónde Están los Ladrones?'' spawned the

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

-styled single "

Ojos Así "Ojos Así" is a song by Colombian singer Shakira from her fourth studio album, ''Dónde Están los Ladrones?'' (1998). Infused with nuances of Arabic pop, the lyrics tell of the singer traveling the world but not having seen eyes like her love ...

" ("Eyes Like Yours"), which became a hit and was deemed the "signature track" of the album. American singer

, whose husband

Emilio Estefan Emilio Estefan Gómez (born March 4, 1953) is a Cuban-American musician and producer. Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards. He first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan, father of s ...

was managing Shakira at that time, felt that Shakira had the potential to

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

into the mainstream

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

industry. However, Shakira was initially hesitant to record songs in English as it was not her first language, so Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English in order to show her that "it could translate well." Shakira then began translating the song herself and showed it to Estefan, who responded "Quite honestly, I can't do this better!." As Shakira wanted to have full control over her recordings, she decided to learn English better to enable her to write her own songs. Wanting to "find a way to express my ideas and my feelings, my day-to-day stories in English", Shakira bought rhyming dictionaries, started analysing the lyrics of songs by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, reading poetry and the work of authors like

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

and

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

and took English lessons from a private tutor. "Objection (Tango)" became the first song Shakira wrote in English and in an interview with ''

Faze Faze means to frighten or cause hesitation to someone. Faze may also refer to: * Faze Action * Faze (band) 1990s * FaZe Clan, a professional eSports organization * Faze FM * ''Faze'' (magazine), a Canadian magazine * Faze (musician), Nigerian ...

'', she talked about the writing process of the song, saying "I prayed and asked God to send me a good song today, and I remember I started writing the song Objection (Tango)'a couple of hours after. I wrote the music and lyrics at the same time, and when that happens it's really magical to me." Shakira also wrote and recorded a Spanish-version of the song entitled "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)". "Objection (Tango)" was released as the third single from '' Laundry Service'' in a promotional CD single format on 6 July 2002. It was later released on 27 August as a CD single featuring the previous single from the album "

Underneath Your Clothes "Underneath Your Clothes" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her third studio album and English-language debut, ''Laundry Service (album), Laundry Service'' (2001). The power ballad was the second English-language single releas ...

" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

Composition

"Objection (Tango)" was written and produced by Shakira, with additional production by

Lester Mendez Lester Mendez is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning record producer, songwriter and composer. His production/writing credits include a multitude of successful hits with Shakira, Jewel, Nelly Furtado, Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias, and ...

. It is a combination of

and

, a style of fast-paced ballroom dance music that originated in Argentina and Uruguay. According to the sheet music of "Objection (Tango)" published at MusicNotes.com by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...

, it is written in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

and has a half note

metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...

of 66 beats per minute. Shakira's vocal range spans from E₃ to B₄. The song contains instrumentation from the ''

'', which is played at a "breakneck speed," and also features a "twanging" guitar solo. Lyrically, "Objection (Tango)" is dramatic and humorous in approach and focuses on an angered Shakira ordering her love interest to choose between her and his other leading lady; it was said to be a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

and a "hell-hath-no-fury it's-her-or-me steam train". It contains a line in which Shakira asserts to her lover that "Next to her cheap silicone I look minimal/ That's why in front of your eyes I'm invisible/ But you gotta know small things also count," which a critic commented was a "brave statement in these days of suspiciously ripe teenybop flesh peddlers." During the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

of the song, Shakira delivers

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

-like vocals and instructs her lover to end the love triangle, declaring that "Tango is not for three, was never meant to be."

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

selected the song as one of the highlights from ''Laundry Service'' and commented that " hakirasuccessfully combines pop/rock with ..tango on 'Objection (Tango)'." Chuck Taylor from ''Billboard'' gave it a very positive review, praising Shakira's vocal delivery, the spoken bridge, and its radio-friendly sound, saying that it is "perfectly timed for the singalong days of summer and adds fuel to the bonfire that this amiable talent hakirahas ignited." The critic compared "Objection (Tango)" to Puerto Rican singer

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...

's song " Livin' la Vida Loca", and the work of American new wave band

. Alexis Petridis from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' picked "Objection (Tango)" as an example of Shakira's unusual style of production and opined that it "sounds like the B-52's jamming with a wedding reception combo 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''" Matt Cibula from ''PopMatters">sic">'sic<_a>''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''" Matt Cibula from ''PopMatters'' complimented Shakira's songwriting and termed the song a "fine rockcraft with drama and a sense of humor." The critic too enjoyed the bridge of the song, saying "the little growly semi-rap break at the end is fun as hell." Lisa Oliver from Yahoo Music">Yahoo! Music Yahoo Music was a brand under which Yahoo provided music services including Internet radio, a digital music store, music streaming service, media player software, and original programming. Yahoo Music was sold to Rhapsody in early 2008. Pro ...

Background

Composition

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Music video

Live performances and usage in media

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References