"Un Poco de Amor" ( en, "A Little Bit of Love") is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

, taken from her third

studio 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 co ...

Pies Descalzos ''Pies Descalzos'' ( en, Bare Feet, italic=yes) is the third studio album and international debut by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, released on 6 October 1995, by Sony Music and Columbia Records. Its music incorporates Latin pop styles ...

''. It was released on May 16, 1996, by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

and Columbia Records as the fourth single from the album. The song was written and produced by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa. "Un Poco de Amor" is a

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) 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. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Lati ...

song that incorporates reggae elements. Lyrically, it states that Shakira is waiting to find someone who loves her. Upon its release, "Un Poco de Amor" received generally favorable 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 recognized it as a stand-out track from ''Pies Descalzos''. The song peaked at number 11 on the ''

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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 b ...

and Latin Songs component charts. While less successful than its preceding singles, its performance continued to aid its parent album in becoming her breakthrough record, which eventually attained platinum certifications in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and the United States. A Portuguese-language translation of the track titled "Um Pouco de Amor" appeared on Shakira's first

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

'' The Remixes'' in 1997. The song has additionally been performed during two of her

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific t ...

s to date.

Background and composition

Shakira released her first official studio album ''

'' in 1995 by Sony Music and Columbia Records. Assuming a prominent position in its production, she co-wrote and co-produced each of the eleven tracks included on the record. Serviced as the fourth single from the project, "Un Poco de Amor" saw additional songwriting and production from Luis Fernando Ochoa. The track is heavily influenced by

elements, and additionally incorporates reggae styles. Lyrically, it states that Shakira is waiting to find someone who loves her. It became her first track to include phrases in English, performed by the uncredited Colombian reggae singer Howard Glasford. The accompanying music video for "Un Poco de Amor" was directed by Gustavo Garzón. The clip depicts a black-haired and red-haired Shakira dancing with Glasford, in addition to members of various ethnic groups. The music video received a ''Billboard'' Latin Music Award for Pop Video of the Year. A Portuguese version of the song, entitled "Um Pouco de Amor", was included in Shakira's 1997

'' The Remixes''.

Reception

Upon its release, "Un Poco de Amor" received generally favorable reviews from

, who recognized it as a stand-out track from ''

''. Carlos Quintana of

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complimented the track for its reggae influences, and placed it among his personal favorites from the record. Similarly, Jose F. Promis from Allmusic praised it for being a "dancehall-lite" track, going on to select the song as an "Allmusic Pick". The song peaked at number 11 on the ''

and Latin Songs component charts. While less successful than its preceding singles, its performance continued to aid its parent album in becoming her breakthrough record, which eventually attained platinum certifications in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. ''Pies Descalzos'' was also awarded the "Diamond Prism" award in Colombia. In 1996, "Un Poco de Amor" was included in the

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of ''Pies Descalzos'', titled ''Colección de Oro''. In 2002, it was featured as the third track for Shakira's first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' Grandes Éxitos''. Its appearance in both records was complimented as being reminiscent of her rise to prominence.

Live performances

Shakira has performed "Un Poco de Amor" during two of her

s thus far. She first performed the track in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of M ...

during her Tour Pies Descalzos, which ran from 1996 through 1997. It was also included during the

Tour of the Mongoose Tour of the Mongoose (also known as El Tour de la Mangosta in hispanophone countries) is the third concert tour by Colombian singer and songwriter, Shakira, in support of her fifth studio album and first English album, ''Laundry Service'' (2001) ...

, held in support of her third studio album ''

Laundry Service ''Laundry Service'' ( es, Servicio de Lavandería) is the fifth studio album and first English-language album by Colombian singer Shakira, globally released on 13 November 2001 by Epic Records. It is her first album to be primarily recorded in E ...

''. The song was notably absent from her Tour Anfibio,

Oral Fixation Tour Oral Fixation Tour (known as Tour Fijación Oral in hispanophone countries) was the fourth concert tour by Colombian singer and songwriter, Shakira. It was launched in support of her sixth and seventh studio albums '' Fijación Oral, Vol. 1'' (20 ...

The Sun Comes Out World Tour The Sun Comes Out World Tour (also known as the Sale el Sol World Tour) was the fifth concert tour by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, launched in support of her eighth and ninth studio albums, '' She Wolf'' (2009) and ''Sale El Sol'' ( ...

, and

El Dorado World Tour The El Dorado World Tour was the sixth world tour by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, in support of her diamond certified eleventh studio album, ''El Dorado''. Comprising a total of 54 shows, the tour visited Europe, Asia, North America ...

Track listing

;Remix EP #"Un Poco De Amor" #"Un Poco De Amor" (Memes Dancehall Posse Mix) #"Un Poco De Amor" (The Extended Dancehall 12) #"Un Poco De Amor" (Memes Jazz Experience) #"Un Poco De Amor" (Instrumental)

Charts

References

External links

Shakira official web page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poco de Amor, Un Shakira songs Songs written by Shakira 1995 songs Songs written by Luis Fernando Ochoa 1996 singles Sony Music singles