10 years of being "Crazy In Love" with THAT song!

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I'm thinking every pop connoisseur like myself remember exactly where we were when we first heard this GLORIOUS song. Me, I was at an Internet café, which were very popular at that time (10 years from now! I'm getting so old). Looking up on the web, I encountered the announcement that Beyoncé song was available for download, so I proceeded to did the obvious, and oh, boy, I've never looked back since.

 

 

 

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I have to be honest: I didn't immediately dig it. A song so atypical of that time, with horns, trumpets, and the like, and a very 70's vibe so unlikely for that era. I mean, not the current sound on the charts (mostly filled with hip hop collaborations and R&B contemporary sounds). But then, this song and the magnetic sample courtesy of the Chi-Lites changed the face of the pop, R&B and hip hop music, for sure.

 

 

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The song gradually grown on me and everyone else, and it was a matter of time for it to reach number 1 on the Billboard charts for eight straight weeks. That's an accomplishment itself, but being the first single as a soloist, Beyoncé really knew how to made an impact on the public. Of course, Jay Z's rap was also responsible for its success (I'm very proud of the fact that, still to this day, I'm able to sing the Jay Z's part in its entirety).

 

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Rich Harrison was the producer of this gem, and of course his popularity went through the roof with this one. Many artists worked with him, and he produced several hits trying to revive the success of this sound, but none of them took him to the levels that this song reached. And that's fine, so many great songs and artists came out of this effort. Just to name a few:

 

 ...and so many others.

 

The legacy of this song, besides the fact that established Beyoncé as a global superstar, is that brought a breath of fresh air to the sound of the 2000's, so plagued with disposable rappers, hip hop collaborations and a declining on pop music. So basically, this song, using a sample of a 70's song, established a model to be followed by many artists and a sound so fierce, as her moniker Sasha Fierce would tell us years later.

 

Of course, this song has been covered many times, but my favorite is the current version of Emeli Sande and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra, in a 20's spirit and it showed this song is indeed timeless.

 

Oh, Beyoncé, this song of yours is already unforgettable. Here's to another 10 years of being 'Crazy in Love' about it! 

Who is Paulina Rubio and why is she a new judge on The X-Factor USA?

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Recently the line-up of new judges on that disaster called The X-Factor US has been known, and among past judges Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato, two new stars has been announced as a regular on the series: Kelly Rowland, former Destiny's Child member and judge on the UK version of Factor, and Paulina Rubio.

 

Many american people -and possibly around the world - were like: who the heck is Paulina Rubio? Me, being Mexican, I'm very familiar with her and I think is my duty to explain why an otherwise obscure artist to most English-speaking world has been granted such a role on this program, supposedly replacing the likes of Britney Spears, nonetheless.

 

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At least in Mexico, Paulina has been a star since she was a child. Member of the 80's group Timbiriche, she has always been a household name but not always on a good way. Being regarded as obnoxious and diva-ish, Paulina is either loved or hated; no middle ground about her.

 

After Timbiriche she became a soloist and release several mediocre albums, with two or three good songs and starred on several telenovelas, all forgettable (maybe you should check Baila Conmigo on You Tube, to see a mexican take of the 50's and 60's era. Be warned). After that, she decided to expand her horizons and contracted several composers and producers to record a great album called Paulina, circa 2000.

  

Of course it was a hit. The best album she has come up with. For 2000's standards, this was such a breath of fresh air, on Mexico and all Latin America. Always syrupy ballads, midtempo numbers and then some girl defy the chances and made an album into dance-meets-latin pop and we all go nuts. even a ranchera-hip hop hybrid was on point.

Then, the crossover was inevitable. And indeed, with the latin boom on the US, this was a no brainer. Then Border Girl came, and although it wasn't a real success on America, at least established her as a real power on latin music and a force to be reckoned with. And if you check the video of "Don't Say Goodbye", you will realize it served as an inspiration of various pop divas on their own videos (looking at you, Shania Twain and Britney Spears, of all people).





After nothing happened on the US, she continued to amaze us with incredible music and videos. Pau-latina, her next effort, was a consistent album well ahead of the Latin Pop market at that time, and rightly so. Excellenet music and videos, like the ones above, made her a well-established name in Mexico and Spain, where she had made a good career pretending to have an Spanish accent and marrying washed up wannabes from that country.





An aside: Do you find something oddly familiar in the Algo Tienes video?

Yep, Lady Gaga took inspiration from her for the "Telephone" video. Now, people would say: "Lady Gaga doesnt even know who Paulina is" and I will say for Gaga, that is a great advantage. Taking fashion and inspiration for obscure artists is something Gaga knows what to do very well, right? Besides, who look better on that outfit? End of aside.

So, it's safe to say that even if Paulina is certainly not that talented and great singer as many other latin artists, she has a certain je ne sais quois to her advantage. It doesn't hurt that she always chooses songs very infectious and fun, and made them her own.







Besides, she has an experience being a coach on musical talent shows. Before the X-Factor gig, she was a coach during the second season of The Voice Mexico version, and on "The Voice Kids" on the US. So she had a minimal experience in these kind of shows, something that can work on her advantage (not that she was the best coach, either, but definitley one of her alumni is right now the most happy person in the world. Just saying).

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So, I'm gonna say: Simon Cowell could be as egotistical and maniac as he is, but sure he knows what he's doing. Bringing something as big as Britney, but equally lifeless and boring didn't work on the long term, so maybe it's better to bring some sort of D-listers (as much as he was back on the day on American Idol), and turn the show into something tolerable and fun. Hopefully, he will get it.

 

 

So, for the record: Yay for Paulina for getting this big opportunity on the US. As a mexican, I'm proud of that. But she better does a great job, or else I'm going to deny everything I said in this post!

 

 

And finally, a photo so you can get to know all of Paulina Rubio (including her camel toe):

 

 

You're welcome.