"Soy Así" ("I Am Like This") is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

written and produced by

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

composer Rafael Pérez-Botija and performed by

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

singer

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer. Also known as ''El Príncipe de la Canción'' (The Prince of Song), his performance and vocal style have influenced ma ...

. It was released as the first single from his twenty fourth

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 ...

of the same title (1987). This song became the second number-one single by the artist in the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart, after the single " ¿Y Quién Puede Ser?" two years before. In 2005, Mexican singer

Valentín Elizalde Valentín Elizalde Valencia (; 1 February 1979 – 25 November 2006) was a regional Mexican singer. Nicknamed "El Gallo de Oro" (The Golden Rooster), he was known for his off-key style. His biggest hits included: "Vete Ya," "Ebrio de Amor", an ...

recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the single and included it on his album of the same name.

Background

"Soy Así" was written and produced by Rafael Pérez-Botija, who worked previously with José José on the albums '' Volcán'' (1978), ''

Si Me Dejas Ahora ''Si Me Dejas Ahora'' (If you leave me now) is the title of the studio album released by Mexican singer José José in 1979. José José produces an album for the first time in collaboration with Spanish singer, composer and producer Camilo Sest ...

'' (1979), '' Amor, Amor'' (1980), ''

Gracias Gracias () is a small Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and is the capital of Lempira Department. The municipality has a population of 61,421 and the town a population of 18,550 (2023 calculation). It is located in the moun ...

'' (1981), ''Mi Vida'' (1982), '' Reflexiones'' (1984), and ''

Promesas ''Promesas'' (''Promises'') is 21st studio album recorded by Mexican performer José José, It was released by RCA Ariola in 1985. It was written, produced and arranged by Spanish producer Rafael Pérez-Botija. This album became the second numb ...

'' (1985). José José told magazine '' Selecciones'' that during 1985 to 1987, he had a personal crisis because "my life was going on airplanes, trucks, locked in a hotel room." His daughter was born in 1982 and that more or less balanced his marriage, but after a while he divorced his then wife. In the same year, he also finished his work relation with his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

, who also was his brother in law. During this events, and his on-going battle with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, José José recorded his album ''Soy Así''.

Chart performance and cover versions

The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart at number 22 on November 28, 1987 and climbed to the top ten two weeks later. It reached the top position of the chart on January 16, 1988, replacing " Y Tú También Llorarás" by

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

singer José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma" and being replaced one week later by

Ana Gabriel María Guadalupe Araujo Yong (born December 10, 1955), known professionally as Ana Gabriel, is a Mexican singer and songwriter. With over 40 million records sold worldwide, Gabriel is the best-selling Mexican female artist, and one of the best- ...

's " Ay Amor". "Soy Así" ranked at number seven in the Hot Latin Tracks Year-End Chart of 1988. "Soy Así" has been recorded by several performers, including

who released it as a single from his album of the same title in 2005, peaking at number 28 in the ''Billboard'' Latin Regional Mexican Airplay. Elefante, Juan Garza, Banda Horoscopos and Alamenos de la Sierra also recorded their own version of the track.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soy Asi (song) 1987 singles 1987 songs José José songs Songs written by Rafael Pérez-Botija Songs in Spanish RCA Records singles 1980s ballads Pop ballads