El Último Adiós

"El Último Adiós" (transl. "The Last Goodbye") is a song recorded by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio for her fifth studio album Paulina (2000). It was released as the second single from the album on July 17, 2000 by Universal Latino. Rubio co-wrote and co-produced the track with Estéfano, and was originally conceived it as a ranchera-hip-hop-styled song. Lyrically, its a break-up mood.

"El Último Adiós"
Single by Paulina Rubio
from the album Paulina
Released	July 17, 2000 (2000-07-17)
Recorded	1999
Genre	Latin pop ranchera hip-hop
Length	4:44
Label	Universal Latino Muxxic
Songwriter(s)	Estéfano Paulina Rubio
Producer(s)	Chris Rodriguez
Paulina Rubio singles chronology
"Lo Haré Por Ti" (2000) "El Último Adiós" (2000) "Y Yo Sigo Aquí" (2000)
Alternative cover
Mexican 1-track Promo CD
Music video
"El Último Adiós" on YouTube

The song received positive reviews from music critics, who cited the song as one of the album's standouts and praised Rubio's vocals. In his album review from Amazon, Joey Guerra said "['El Último Adiós' is] the album's shining moment."^[1] Digital media About en Español included it in the list of the best "heartbreak songs".^[2] It attained commercial success, reaching the top of the record charts in Mexico, as well as the top five in several Latin America regions.

An English version of the song was released on Paulina's sixth studio album Border Girl in 2002.

Composition

Paulina Rubio co-wrote and co-produced "El Último Adiós" with Estéfano, who is credited as an only songwriter. Chris Rodriguez produced the song. It is a pop with Mexican ranchera and hip-hop style song. Then Universal Music Mexico president, Marco Bissi, described it as "a fusion that breaks the rules of the game."^[3]

Music video

Like many of Paulina's music videos, the music video for "El Último Adiós" was met with heavy criticism from the Latino community and Latin American critics (specifically in Mexico). The controversial video contained racy love scenes, as well as men and women appearing barely clothed. MTV Latin-America only aired the video after 9 pm due to its sexual content. An uncensored version of the video was also released. It contains some slight differences compared to the original version of the video, the major difference being that Rubio appears completely topless in parts of the video, and the racy love scenes are shown for a bit longer and are more explicit. In the video appears the Mariachi Gallos de México.^[4]

Billboard staff wrote in a retrospective review that "even in heartbreak, Paulina looks fabulous in tiny shorts and halter-tops."^[5]

Impact

Since its release, "El Último Adiós" has been covered on numerous occasions. In 2001, regional Mexican singer Jenni Rivera recorded a banda-style version of the song for their album Déjate Amar. Mexican singer and actress Eiza González took Rubio's ranchera-pop musical style as "reference" in her single "Invisible". She also said that she would "reference" the video of her in her own music video, but it never came out.^[6]

Track listing and formats

• Mexican CD Single"^[7]

1. "El Último Adiós" – 4:45

• Spanish CD Single"^[8]

1. "El Último Adiós" (Radio Edit) – 3:58

• Argentine CD Single"^[9]

1. "El Último Adiós" – 4:45
2. "El Último Adiós" (enhanced video) – 4:52

Charts

Chart (2000–2002)	Peak position
Costa Rica (El Siglo de Torreón)^[10]	1
El Salvador (El Siglo de Torreón)^[11]	1
Honduras (El Siglo de Torreón)^[10]	1
Nicaragua (El Siglo de Torreón)^[12]	3
Panama (El Siglo de Torreón)^[13]	1
Spain Airplay (Music & Media)^[14]	20
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)^[15]	18
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)^[16]	13
US Regional Mexican Airplay (Billboard)^[17]	40
US Tropical Songs (Billboard)^[18]	24

References

1. "Paulina - Amazon review". Amazon. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
2. Mesa, Juan. . About.com (in Spanish). About en Español. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
3. Cobo, Leila (25 November 2000). "Latin Notas (Billboard)". Billboard. p. 62. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
4. "Gallos de México (Official Page)". Retrieved 9 April 2021.
5. "Paulina Rubio Turns 44: Which of Her Music Video Looks is Your Favorite?". billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
6. "Eiza González toma a Paulina Rubio como ejemplo a seguir". Quien. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
7. El Último Adiós (Mexican CD Single) (Mexican CD Single liner notes). Paulina Rubio. Universal Music Mexico. 2000. CDP 2-00582.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. El Último Adiós (Spanish CD Single) (Spanish CD Single liner notes). Paulina Rubio. Universal Music Mexico and MuXXic. 2001. 0159.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. El Último Adiós (Argentine CD Single) (Argentine CD Single liner notes). Paulina Rubio. Universal Music Argentina. 2001. PRO 1336.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Los más vendidos en Iberoamerica y EU". El Siglo de Torreón. December 11, 2000. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
11. "Los más vendidos en Iberoamérica y EU". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). October 30, 2000. p. 42. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
12. "Los más vendidos en Iberoamérica y EU". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). December 25, 2000. p. 48. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
13. "Backstreet Boys acaparan listas de popularidad". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). November 1, 2000. p. 39. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
14. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 23. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved October 24, 2018 – via World Radio History.
15. "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
16. "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
17. "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Regional Mexican Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
18. "PAULINA RUBIO - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2019.