FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
Ricky Martin - Livin' la Vida Loca
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I am sticking with…
a similar themes and time period to recent outings of this feature. I am going to cover another genre and time period next week. I always say that there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure song - though some feel that there is. I have seen Ricky Martin’s smash, Livin' la Vida Loca, appear on some lists of guilty pleasure songs (including this one). Released on 23rd March, 1999, the track was the first single from Ricky Martin’s eponymous album. Written and produced by Robi Rosa and Desmond Child, it is a song that was a big part of my school life. In 1999, I was taking my GCSEs and there were songs from that time that soundtracked the process and eventual results. Martin’s chart-topping mega-hit is one you cannot knock or be embarrassed for liking – such is its catchiness, infectiousness and power! Livin' la Vida Loca is a track that opened doors for Latin artists. He was one of the (if not the first) crossover star who could combine Latin elements with something more mainstream. For me, Livin' la Vida Loca is one of the catchiest and most compelling Latin-Pop songs ever. Music Tales looked at the song this year and asked why it is so catchy:
“Livin' la Vida Loca is likely one of the best-known tracks in the entire repertoire of the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin. The song not only sparked his career but also predetermined the success of other Spanish-speaking Latin pop artists in their transition to the English-speaking market.
The song title can be translated from Spanish as living "the crazy life," while the unpretentious English lyrics briefly—and not without humor—describe a stormy romance against the backdrop of a vibrant nightlife. Neither a standard music video nor a completely ordinary arrangement can be the sole reason behind the overwhelming success of the track in the 2000s and its ubiquitous presence at dance parties around the globe. So what was exactly the reason behind such widespread popularity that elevated Livin 'la Vida Loca to its iconic status in the history of pop music.
A sufficient explanation for the high popularity of Livin' la Vida Loca can be found in its harmonic structure as well as its developed musical form, both of which sustain this signature pulsation so necessary for dance hits. The song was written by the leading Latin music producer Draco Rosa in collaboration with Desmond Child, a prolific songwriter who has penned a number of hits for artists like Kiss, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Cher, and Alice Cooper.
Structurally, Livin' la Vida Loca is composed of three sections, and its harmonic progressions follow the mold of classical theory, namely the C♯m natural minor mode. In the harmonic analysis of the song's chord chains, the scale degrees (denoted with Roman numerals) show the following progressions:
C♯m–G♯–C♯m–B–C♯m or i–V–i–VII–i for verses
C♯m–F♯m–G♯m–A–B–G♯ or i–iv–v–VI–VII–V for bridges
C♯m–B–C♯m or i–VII–i for choruses
The bridges highlight a very energetic movement of the chords showing a stepwise progression from the fourth to the seventh scale degrees and ending with the G♯ major dominant chord. This creates a powerful transition to the chorus which consists of just two triads, making it that much catchier. It is noteworthy that the G♯ major chord, appearing in the verses and bridges, does not belong to the natural minor mode but here it is a manifestation of the harmonic minor scale. This technique is often used in classical cadences to heighten the anticipation of a tonic chord”.
It is a pity that some people distance themselves from Ricky Martin or feel that Livin' la Vida Loca is a song that is not one to shout about. It is brilliant performed and insatiable! In terms of what it achieved in the 1990, it did create this Latin wave. Artists like Jennifer Lopez were following in Martin’s footsteps. Wikipedia collated the critical reaction to one of the biggest songs of the ‘90s:
“Livin' la Vida Loca" has been met with widely positive reviews from music critics. Chuck Taylor from Billboard applauded the song, saying it is "so electrifying, so terrifically filled with life, that even folks at the retirement home down the street could get their groove on with couple spins", and described the song as a "frantically-paced, dance-ready track." Also from Billboard, Leila Cobo ranked it as the best track of Ricky Martin (1999), calling it "Awesome". She questions, "Was there a person alive in 1999 whose jaw literally did not drop when they saw Ricky Martin strut and swivel in the video to the song whose title would come to exemplify an era and a lifestyle?" In another article, she labeled it "an irresistible invitation to dance". Also from the same magazine, Harley Brown wrote, "No matter what language it was in, 'La Vida Loca' was a bona fide hit." In addition, Billboard staff praised the single, saying: "The big horns, the seductive bass, the debauchery in the lyrics, and Ricky Martin shaking his bon-bon: how could anyone resist this late '90s anthem penned by Robi Draco Rosa and Desmond Child?" Multiple sources have named "Livin' la Vida Loca" a "mega-hit", including The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Entertainment Tonight. Liz Calvario from Entertainment Tonight complimented the track, saying it is "part of pop culture history".
Martin was featured on the cover of Interview magazine in June 1999 because of the popularity of the song. In the featured article, he was interviewed by his friend Gloria Estefan about the rising wave of Latin music. Agustin Gurza from Los Angeles Times celebrated the song, labeling it "a sensual smash hit that came to symbolize the frenzied cultural breakthrough of a long-marginalized minority". Writing for LiveAbout, Bill Lamb gave the song a positive review, saying: "It's irresistibly sexy and nearly impossible to listen to without moving the body." In her review for O, The Oprah Magazine, Amanda Mitchell ranked the track as Martin's second-best song on her 2019 list, and Aishwarya Rai from Republic TV named it Martin's greatest hit. Brittany Berkowitz and Elisa Tang from Good Morning America described "Livin' la Vida Loca" as an "epic dance song", and Katrina Rees from CelebMix described it as infinitely infectious. Metro Weekly's Randy Shulman complimented the track, labeling it "a song with an infectious hook and a sexy, growling delivery". Alejandra Torres from ¡Hola! named its chorus "the greatest chorus of all time". Rafly G. from TheThings called the song "an iconic piece of art". Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune described it as "the year's most ubiquitous hit single" and wrote: "It's the kind of tune that defines the word 'pop': a jolt of instant caffeine, with its fizzy combination of surf guitar, Latin percussion and strutting horns." He also acclaimed its "canny, genre-leaping arrangement, eye-popping production, and Latin-lover lyrics".
I wanted to highlight a song that is certainly not a guilty pleasure! One can play the song and feel lifted and hooked. It was like nothing I had heard. Coming into the world like an explosion in 1999, it certainly ended the decade with a real kick! One of the key releases from the history of Latin Pop, Livin' la Vida Loca is a track that helped create opportunities for a lot of other artists. For that reason alone (and many others) Livin' la Vida Loca deserves…
A lot of respect.