"Mío" ''(English: "Mine")'' is a song recorded by Mexican singer

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successf ...

for her debut solo studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

La Chica Dorada ''La Chica Dorada'' (English: ''The Golden Girl'') is the debut solo studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, released on October 20, 1992, by EMI Capitol de México. The album was produced and directed by Miguel Blasco, and written mostly ...

'' (1992). It was written by José Ramón Flórez and Cesar Valle and produced by

Miguel Blasco Miguel Blasco is a music producer and songwriter. Born in Spain. When he was 16 years old, he joined his first rock band and moved to Ibiza in 1963 through the first years of the musical movement called "beatnic", before the "hippies". On stage, ...

and J.R. Florez. After recording and sending a demo tape, Rubio signed a multi-album deal with EMI Capitol de México in June 1992. "Mío" is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

song that refers to a girl's passionate feelings. "Mío" was released on August 30, 1992, through

EMI Latin Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI. History In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena t ...

. It reached number one in at least 12 countries, including Mexico, where it earned

gold 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 ...

and became the country's best-selling song of 1993. An accompanying music video, directed by Ángel Flores, portrays Rubio as a young ''femme fatale'' which is filmed by her crush, and starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around him, while watching her love interest from afar. It was also nominated for Favorite Video at the 1993 ERES Awards. "Mío" is one of the most emblematic songs of the 90s in Spanish, according to music videos channel

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

. In the

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, the song reached the number 3 on the ''

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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, ...

and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. Thanks to the success of the song, "''Mío''" is considered one of the best songs in the 1990s in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, while it is considered Paulina's biggest hit during the decade. According to the media and fans, "Mío" has been considered Paulina Rubio's

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. To commemorate Rubio's lasting impact on the industry and her 25 years of career, Lucas Villa of

AXS AXS may refer to: Anschutz Entertainment Group * AXS (company), primary ticket platform developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). * AXS TV, a cable channel partially owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). Other * Access (group), a Japa ...

considered "Mío" 10 of her best singles. He said "is quintessential '90s and, most importantly, signature Paulina Rubio"

Background and development

After previous early success with

Timbiriche Timbiriche (also known for a brief time as La Banda Timbiriche) was a Mexican pop music group. The group started as a children's group in 1981 and managed to evolve successfully into adulthood. Timbiriche is considered one of the most iconic Lat ...

, recording ten studio albums, among them ''

Timbiriche 7 Timbiriche (also known for a brief time as La Banda Timbiriche) was a Mexican pop music group. The group started as a children's group in 1981 and managed to evolve successfully into adulthood. Timbiriche is considered one of the most iconic Lat ...

'' (1987), which is considered one of the best-selling albums in Mexico, Rubio initially traveled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to study. However, her plans changed when she repeatedly visited

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. There she began to surround herself with well-known people from the music scene, including

, José Ramón Flórez, César Valle and

Gian Pietro Felisatti Gian Pietro Felisatti (1950 – 18 June 2022),Yuri Yuri may refer to: People Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), feminine Japanese given names, including a list o ...

, Lucero and

Alejandra Guzmán Gabriela Alejandra Guzmán Pinal (born 9 February 1968) is a Mexican pop and rock singer. With more than 30 million records sold throughout her career, winner of a Latin Grammy Award, and nicknamed " La Reina de Corazones" (the Queen of Hearts ...

. Flórez also wrote the song "Hey Güera" by Guzmán, dedicated to Rubio because she had come between Guzmán's relationship and Erik Rubin, who at the time was her boyfriend. The press in Mexico began to talk about the scandal and the third indiscurrence awarded to Rubio; a

love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

that has been part of pop culture in Mexico. For her part, Blasco already knew about the subject and had produced some Guzmán albums. In response to Guzmán, Rubio asked Flórez and Valle to write the response to "Hey Güera." At her request, they wrote "Mío". Rubio recorded the song at the Balu-Balu Studios in Madrid in late 1991 and early 1992 and at the end of the recording session for the album he returned to Mexico to continue working on the

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

telenovela, '' Baila Conmigo''. In June 1992, Rubio signed with EMI Capitol to release her first album and "Mío" was released August 30, 1992.

Composition

"Mío" is a

song with elements of

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

and new wave, that lasts for three minutes and forty five seconds. The song's instrumentation features

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

s and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

s. Has a

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

-influenced chorus and includes a

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

insert on the bridge. The song is composed in the key of

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 120

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. As for the lyrics, according to several entertainment journalists, "Mío" contains concrete, direct and elegant phrases. In some lines Rubio interprets herself as a feline.

Reception

Critical response

"Mío" is one of Rubio's most famous singles and had a predominantly positive critical reception. Contemporary journalists assert that the song "reflected the anxiety of owning everything." The Chilean academic Ricardo Martínez wrote for

ADN Radio Chile ADN (In English: DNA) (acronym: ''Actualidad, Deportes, Noticias'', in English: ''News,'' ''Sports, News'') is a Chilean radio station that broadcasts on 91.7 MHz FM in Santiago, Chile. ADN transmits across the entire country on channel 669 ...

that "Mío" is "one of those unobjectionable karaoke songs, well flamboyant". As the first single from La Chica Dorada, it received many comparisons to the same dance-pop beat of the American singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. Following its debut on the Billboard Latin charts, critics called "Mío" a "dancefloor thumper" song.

Commercial performance

With "Mío", Rubio became first ex vocalist

to entered hits on the ''

'' US

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

chart, where it debuted at number 19 on the issue dated November 28, 1992. The song reached number three on the chart the week of February 13, 1993 and remained there for three weeks and was on the chart for 17 weeks. Upon its release in Latin America, the single quickly climbed up the top ten charts, simultaneously peaking at number one in El Salvador, Panama and Peru. In Mexico, it was a success, became Rubio's first number-one hit and was certified gold.

Music video

The music video for "Mío" was filmed in a recording studio in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and was directed by writer and director Ángel Flores, and produced by Ariel Montes, who worked with the singer for the first time. The video features Paulina Rubio's first look as "la chica doarada", wearing different outfits, mainly in gold, as well as elements alluding to gold, teased blonde hair and eyebrows marked. Music video's aesthetics is generally a

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

ode to contrast singer's

melodramatic A melodrama is a dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on dialo ...

interpretation. It begins with Paulina Rubio posing for the cameraman, who is her love interest; the role of the subject is played by former model José Cabalán Macari. It continues with close-up shots of the singer dancing in different scenarios. In the first one, she steps out of a curtain that has a huge red heart print, wearing a gold jumpsuit. In the next one, videos of purple flowers and iconic locations of Mexico City such as the

Angel of Independence The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name ''El Ángel'' and officially known as ''Monumento a la Independencia'' ("Monument to Independence"), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de l ...

are projected on a curtain. Other elements used in the music video are a blue sky background with white clouds and golden angel wings, a cardboard cherub suspended by threads, a red heart with white wings also suspended, and a huge pop art style

vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

. In one of the scenes the shadows of Paulina Rubio and her love interest are shown in front of a background of purple and violet flowers. The video premiered in the Mexico in September 1993. It was also nominated for Favorite Video at the ERES Awards in January 1993.

Covers, samples, and media usage

"Mío" has been covered on numerous occasions. One of the earliest covers of the song was by the Puerto Rican merengue singer Jailene, recorded in 1994, and was later included in the release of their debut studio album. Mexican singer

Paty Cantú Patricia Giovanna Cantú Velasco (born 25 November 1983), known professionally as Paty Cantú, is a Mexican singer who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the pop duo Lu (duo), Lu. Early life Cantú was born in Houston, Texas on No ...

used a fragment of the song in her homonymous song from her album ''

Corazón Bipolar ''Corazón Bipolar'' is the third album by the Mexican singer Paty Cantú, released in 2012. Track listing # Corazón Bipolar # Quiero X 2 # Aparador (feat. María Barracuda y Niña Dioz) # Manual # Hechos No Palabras! # Mío – Samples Paul ...

'' in 2012. It included the epic chorus with Rubio's voice ''("Mío, ese hombre es mío... A medias pero mío, mío, mío")'' on the bridge of it. Cantú assured that "loved the idea and I ended up putting it in, played

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

for me when I was very little and I loved it." She also used the samples "Mío" to perform it at her concerts during her musical tour in 2013 and made a mashup. Litzy,

OV7 OV7, formerly known as La Onda Vaselina, was a Mexicans, Mexican Latin pop Vocal group, group formed in 1989. With a career spanning more than 30 years and several hits in the Latin American markets, OV7 remains as one of the most successful acts ...

and

Erik Rubín Erik Rubín Milanszenko (born 30 January 1971) is a Mexican singer and actor. He was a member of the Mexican teen pop group Timbiriche. Early career At the age of 12, Rubín joined the group Timbiriche, one of the most important and influent ...

himself also performed a "Mío" mashup with the songs "Hey Güera" (

Alejandra Guzman Alejandra is the Spanish form of the Greek female given name Alexandra. It is the female version of the male name Alejandro.''Behind the Name''"Given Name Alejandra" Retrieved on 10 January 2016. Alejandra means "defender of womankind", and notab ...

) and "Es Por Amor" (Litzy) on the first stage of the iconic 90's Pop Tour concert tour. The song has been used in countless television programs in Latin America and is part of Hispanic pop culture due to the great media impact it had at the time. The Mexican

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

production ''

La Casa de las Flores ''The House of Flowers'' () is a Mexican black comedy drama television series created by Manolo Caro for Netflix. It depicts a dysfunctional upper-class Mexican family that owns a prestigious floristry shop and a struggling cabaret, both call ...

'' made a cameo by Rubio throughout its broadcast with a drag queen performing her personality and songs, including "Mío", which appeared in the first season. Also featured in the 2020 LGBT film '' The Strong Ones'', directed by Chilean cineast Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo.

Impact and legacy

After its release, "Mío" achieved unprecedented commercial success, many critics and journalists pointed out that part of that impact was thanks to the scandal between Rubio, Guzmán and Rubín and praised it as an "advertising strategy." Mexican journalist Cucho Gallegos assured that the

between Alejandra Guzmán, Erick Rubín and Paulina Rubio was "a very rich and historical musical dispute within pop music." However, the legacy of the song that launched Rubio to stardom went beyond gossip. According to

, "Mío" is considered one of the songs of the 90's that marked the music industry in Latin America. "Mío" has also gained wide acceptance in the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

by becoming an anthem and

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scient ...

listed the song among the "35 gay songs in music history." Mexican writer Miguel Capistán and U.S. scholar Michael K. Schuessler, in their book ''México se escribe con J: Una historia de la cultura gay'', noted that "Mío" has "a spontaneous male chorus" that "awakens a non-heterosexual desire" in the gay audience, even if it is a song aimed at a heterosexual relationship.

Track listing and formats

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Mío". * Mexico Vinyl, 7", Single, Promo # "Mío" – 3:33 # "Mío (Instrumental)" – 3:33 * Mexico 7" Single, 45 RPM Single # "Mío" – 3:33 # "Sabor A Miel" – 3:53 *Mexico 12" single, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 *Mexico CD, Single, Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 # "Amor De Mujer (Remix)" – 7:53 *Ecuador Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single # "Mío (Extended Pop Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Underground Mix)" – 5:22 # "Mío (Radio Edit)" – 4:22 # "Amor De Mujer (Remix)" – 7:53 # "Sabor A Miel" – 3:53

Live performances

Rubio performed the song on the following concert tours: * Mío Tour * La Chica Dorada Tour * 24 Kilates Tour * El Tiempo Es Oro Tour * Planeta Paulina Tour * Paulina World Tour * Border Girl Tour * Pau-Latina Tour * Amor, Luz y Sonido Tour * Gran City Pop Tour * Brava! World Tour * Deseo Tour The song was also performed on: * ''Paulina Rubio & Friends'' a 2011 TV special

Credits and personnel

* Paulina Rubio - lead

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

* José Ramón Flórez -

Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

* César Valle -

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

Executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* Luis Méndez - Art Direction

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mio 1992 debut singles 1992 songs Songs in Spanish Paulina Rubio songs EMI Latin singles Songs written by José Ramón Florez Song recordings produced by Miguel Blasco LGBTQ-related songs