Top Hot Shakira Songs: Check Out Colombian Hitmaker's Top 10 Countdown! [WATCH]
She's got an incredible voice and hypnotic moves -- Shakira is undoubtedly one of the most talented female artists out there today. With her unique choice of music and lyrical brilliance, the Colombian beauty continues to create top-charting songs. Check out Shakira's 10 biggest hits!
#10 "Objection (Tango)" from Laundry Service (2001)
"Objection (Tango)" was the first song Shakira ever wrote in English, after being encouraged by Gloria Estefan to record in the language. A Spanish version of the song is entitled, "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)." The track was released as the third single from Laundry Service, which is also her English-language debut album. The dramatic and humorous song musically combines elements of pop rock and tango, a style of fast-ballroom dance music originated in Argentina and Uruguay, and contains the sounds of bandoneón and guitar. It is about angered Shakira aiming to end a love triangle she is inevitably a part of by ordering her unfaithful lover to choose between her and his mistress. "Tango is not for three, was never meant to be," she sings during the bridge.
#9 "La Tortura" featuring Alejandro Sanz from Oral Fijación, Vol. 1 (2005)
"La Tortura," which translates to "the torture" in English, is the lead single from the Colombian singer's sixth studio album. The duet between Shakira and Spanish balladeer Alejandro Sanz is a Latin pop song with prominent influences of reggaeton. Written and produced by the singer herself, the track's beautiful melody underneath the undeniable beat compliments the melancholy feel of the story, which is about a woman who has been emotionally "tortured" due to her boyfriend cheating and eventually leaving her for another woman. Although he has now returned begging for her forgiveness and apologizes extravagantly, it is ultimately of the thinking that infidelity is natural for men, and for the woman not to forgive him would be exhausting and unreasonable. However, at the end of the song, the woman's character humiliates him and says that she is not going to shed a single tear over him.
#8 "Underneath Your Clothes" from Laundry Service (2001)
What a powerful ballad. "Underneath Your Clothes" simply tells the story of the unconditional love that a woman has for her boyfriend. The music video opens with a black-and-white scene of a reporter asking Shakira how she feels about crossing over into the English-speaking music market, and she ironically responds to him in Spanish. The Colombian singer previously said that the "crossover" had been her daily bread that she really wanted for it to be included in the visual. The footage also displays Shakira's loneliness being a music artist when she goes on tour, and finally ends with the scenes of the singer performing the song live with her band and passionately hugging her boyfriend, which is played by her real-life then boyfriend, Antonio de la Rúa.
#7 "Loca" from Sale el Sol (2010)
The track incorporates elements of unpredictable genre combination from Latin pop and merengue, which is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic. Co-written by Pitbull, Dominican rapper El Cata and Shakira herself, an English-language version of the song features British rapper Dizzee Rascal, while El Cata stars in a Spanish version. "Loca" is about the Colombian hitmaker expressing her eccentric infatuation and erratic behavior towards a man, more so than his other woman, prominently heard in the lines, "She'd die for your love / But your love's only mine, boy," as well as "I'm crazy but you like it." The visual was filmed in Barcelona, Spain, and features Shakira interacting with a beach crowd and dancing in front of the ocean wearing a golden bikini. Shooting the footage in guerrilla style, which requires a technique of holding cameras by hand, the spontaneity of the music video was well captured.
#6 "Whenever, Wherever" from Laundry Service (2001)
"Wherever, Whenever" is considered as one of Shakira's signature songs. Heavily influenced by Andean music, the track is a mixture of pop, rock and worldbeat with distinctive Latin instruments, such as Charanga, Quena flute and panipipes. Its Spanish-language counterpart "Suerte," which translates to "luck," lyrically discusses how fortunate Shakira is to have found her lover. Also, it is about fate and how it has played a major role in the singer's romance. Shakira sings in explosive melody that she would follow her lover to the top of the highest mountain, risking life and limb to be intimate with him.
#5 "Beautiful Liar," a collaboration track with Beyoncé from B'Day (2006)
"Beautiful Liar" is a collaborative work, a mixture of Shakira's Latin and Middle Eastern influences with Beyoncé's contemporary hip-hop and R&B styles, for the "Drunk in Love" singer's second solo album. A Spanish and English mixed version of the song was produced and titled, "Bello Embustero." The sultry, hip-thrusting mid-tempo track is accented with rapid, flamenco-like handclaps and guitar strums. Arabic instruments are also featured in the song, such as oud and ney. The track tells a story about two female protagonists being charmed by the same cheating man, however instead of fighting over him, they bond in their mutual betrayal by agreeing that he is not worth their time and choosing not to end a friendship because of a man: "Let's not kill the karma, let's not start a fight."
#4 "She Wolf" from She Wolf (2009)
The translation of the track in Spanish is titled, "Loba." The disco and hi-NRG/Italo-inspired track details Shakira's boredom due to her uncaring partner, and how she is in search of others to please her. It features the singer's unusual choice of words: "I'm starting to feel just a little abused, like a coffee machine in an office." In the sexy visual, Shakira shows off her dance moves in various scenes, including a red cave and a golden cage.
#3 "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" from Sale el Sol (2010)
"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" featuring South African band Freshlyground was released as the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The track samples the chorus of the traditional African soldiers song entitled "Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)," a 1986 makossa hit for Cameroonian group. The song of celebration and dancing also features Afro-Colombian instrumentation, Soca beat, as well as South African guitars and rhythmical sounds, which all certainly represent the energy and vitality of the host continent.
#2 "Can't Remember to Forget You" featuring Rihanna from Shakira
The radiant and sultry up-tempo track featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna is off Shakira's upcoming self-titled album. A solo Spanish-language version of the song is entitled, "Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte." The new wave pop and reggae rock song is all about forgetting someone who has done wrong in a romantic relationship, even though he or she still might be in love with the person. Furthermore, it concerns a man that Shakira cannot possibly get off her mind, saying how easy it is to forget what he has done wrong to her when she still loves him. Similarly, describing a woman who will always follow her man, the concept of the song is evident in lyrics, such as "Keeps forgetting I should let you go / But when you look at me / The only memory is us kissing in the moonlight."
#1 "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Wyclef Jean from Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2006)
"Hips Don't Lie" must be one of America's favorite anthems -- you just can't resist getting up and dancing to whenever it is played. The salsa and reggaeton track heavily incorporates samples from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's earlier single, "Dance Like This," as well as "Amores Como el Nuestro," which is written by Omar Alfanno, for the trumpet sound. The majority of the costumes and outfits featured in the colorful visual for the exciting tune belong to the Carnaval de Barranquilla.