"Oye" (English: ''Listen!'' or ''Hey!'') is a song by Cuban American singer and songwriter

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 ...

. It was released by

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

in 1998 as the second single from her eighth studio album, ''

gloria! ''Gloria!'' is the eighth studio album released by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, released on June 2, 1998, by Epic Records. Background ''Gloria!'' is a dance and house album which was a departure from Estefan's previous works ...

'' (1998). The song was written by Estefan, her husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Randall Barlow and Angie Chirino and produced by Estefan, Jr., Barlow and Tony Moran. However, the single still reached number one on the US ''

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 ...

Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart and in Spain. It earned the Billboard Latin Music Award in the category for "Best Latin Club-Dance Track of the Year". On June 3, 2022, Estefan released the "Oye" English (EP) and its Spanish (EP) to all digital and streaming outlets.

Critical reception

J.D. Considine from ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' felt that "Oye" is "where

latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

meets

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

most effectively." He added, "Basically a sort of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

- salsa fusion, it combines the thumping regularity of electronics with the soulful release of

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

rhythm, a combination so potent it makes dancing an almost involuntary response." Also Ben Wener from ''

Beaver County Times Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-largest l ...

'' noted the "bouncing Afro-Cuban flourishes" of the song.

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' remarked that the second single from "La Glo's slammin' dance opus", ''

'', "sidesteps the disco demeanor of the previous "

Heaven's What I Feel "Heaven's What I Feel" is a song recorded by the Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan for her eighth studio album '' gloria!'' (1998). The track's lyrics were written by famed Colombian songwriter Kike Santander, who also produced the t ...

" in favor of a percussive salsa flavor." He added, "Once again, the veteran singer manages to surprise and delight, delivering a bilingual performance that is fraught with smoldering sensuality. She is bolstered by an arrangement that teeters between current club sounds and the shoulder-shakin' tone of her

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan, the band was originally known as the Mia ...

breakthrough, "

Conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

". In fact, if you've been pining away for a jam that captures the party vibe of that classic recording, look no further." Joey Guerra from ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' stated that it has one of the album's "strongest punches", describing it as a "sweltering bilingual cut that recalls" 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 international smash " Maria". Victoria Segal from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' said that songs like "Oye" "speak the international language of tedium". Flick for ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' noted that the song has a "ferocious new energy and a vocal spark that Estefan hasn't previously displayed." Flick, Larry. (June–July 1998). "Spins". ''

''.

Music video

The 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 "Oye" was directed by

Argentinian Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

director

Gustavo Garzón Gustavo Garzón (born May 25, 1955, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentina, Argentine film and television actor. He works in the cinema of Argentina.Tony Moran Radio Edit #1 – (3:52) # Tony Moran Radio Edit #2 – (4:17) Remixes #

Pablo Flores Pablo Flores is a Puerto Rican DJ, record producer, remixer and arranger. Remixes for Gloria Estefan * " Abriendo Puertas" * " Bad Boy" * "Bailando!'" (Special edition Megamix) * "Betcha Say That" * "Cherchez La Femme" * " Como Me Duele Perde ...

English Remix Radio Edit (aka Pablo Flores Remix) – (4:17) # Pablo Flores Spanish Remix Radio Edit (aka Pablo Flores Spanish Remix) – (4:17) # Pablo Flores 12" Mix – (8:24) # Pablo Flores Dub Mix – (5:10) # Rosabel's Cubarican Club Mix – (9:55) # Rosabel's Cubarican Club Edit – (7:35) # Rosabel's Cubarican English Radio Edit (aka Rosabel's Cubarican Radio Edit #1) – (3:51) # Rosabel's Cubarican Spanish Radio Edit (aka Rosabel's Cubarican Radio Edit #2) – (3:51) # Rosabel's Data-Flash Dub – (8:13) # Rosabel's Havana Dub – (8:05) # Mijangos Latin Mix w/ English Vocals – (9:41) # Mijangos Latin Mix w/ Spanish Vocals – (9:41) # Mijangos Latin Radio Edit – (4:00) # Mijangos English Radio Edit – (4:00) # Mijangos House Dub – (8:09) # Mijangos Club Mix w/ English Vocals – (8:25) # Mijangos Club Mix w/ Spanish Vocals – (8:25) #

Hex Hector Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz) is an American music producer and remixer. Early life Hector was born Héctor Ortiz in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. Career Hex Hector's interest in music began at an early ...

12" Mix – (7:50) # Hex Hector Radio Mix – (4:00) # Hex Hector Dub – (7:30) # Hex Hector Bonus Beats – (4:00) # DJ Greek's Dark Club Mix – (6:24) # DJ Greek's Caliente Mix – (5:10) # Clamaran & Pautrat's Club Mix – (7:28) # Clamaran & Pautrat's Radio Edit – (3:46) # Clamaran & Pautrat's Ultra Dub + Voices – (7:15) # Clamaran & Pautrat's Ultra Dub – (6:42)

External links

Lyrics with English translation

References

{{Gloria Estefan singles 1998 singles Gloria Estefan songs Number-one singles in Spain Macaronic songs American dance-pop songs Epic Records singles 1998 songs Songs written by Gloria Estefan Songs written by Emilio Estefan American house music songs Songs about dancing

Critical reception

Music video

See also

External links

References