La Pared

"La Pared" (English: The Wall) is a song written, produced and performed by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released as the fourth single following "Día de Enero" from her sixth studio album Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005) in Latin America and Spain in October 2006. "La Pared" is a pop rock song composed by Shakira and co-produced by Shakira and Lester Mendez. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics, who praised its impactful lyrics and highlighted Shakira's vocal prowess.

"La Pared"
Single by Shakira
from the album Fijación Oral, Vol. 1
Language	Spanish
English title	"The Wall"
Released	October 17, 2006 (2006-10-17)
Genre	Pop rock alternative
Length	3:20 (album version) 2:41 (acoustic version)
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Shakira
Producer(s)	Shakira Lester Mendez
Shakira singles chronology
"Hips Don't Lie" (2006) "La Pared" (2006) "Illegal" (2006)
Music video
"La Pared" on YouTube

Background and release

After the Tour of the Mongoose ended in 2003, Shakira started to work on her next album. She rented an estate in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain, where she wrote many of the songs on Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, including "La Pared", "La Tortura", and "Las de la Intuición".^[1][2] Shakira commented on the writing process as following: "I used to write on airplanes or after getting out of the shower, but now I need privacy to express my feelings."^[3] "La Pared" was initially released on the European CD maxi-single release of "La Tortura" where the acoustic version of the song is featured, and which was released the month before the album in May 2005.^[4][5]

"La Pared" is a mid-tempo pop rock love song. Written and composed entirely by Shakira, the song lyrically explores themes of a fractured relationship, depth of emotions, and moving on from heartbreak.^[6] The song also has an acoustic version, in which the only instrument featured is a piano.^[7] Shakira performed the acoustic version at the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards, with the performance dubbed by ¡Hola! magazine one of the highlights of the night, on the Oral Fixation Tour in 2006-2007, and at Rock in Rio Lisboa IV and Rock in Rio Madrid II in 2010.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} An instrumental clip of the song featuring cello as the only instrument was used on Shakira's Elixir perfume commercial.^[13] The song is dedicated to Shakira's then-boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa.^[14]

"La Pared" was released as the fourth single off Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 in October 2006 in Latin America and Spain.^[15][16] The music video for the song was released in November 2006.^[17] After being released, the single received substantial airplay at the Spanish-speaking countries' Los 40 radio network, becoming their most played song at the turn of the year 2006-2007, and Shakira's seventh top song on the network.^[18] The single also reached the top spot on the Spanish Cadena 100 [es] AC radio station.^[19]

Reception

Overall, "La Pared" was positively rated by critics, receiving praise for its powerful lyrics, and for showcasing Shakira's vocals. Mariana Enriquez from Página 12 commented that the song sounds like Coldplay but better and that both the main and the acoustic versions of the song are "irresistible" and the song is worth being released as a single.^[20] Mariana Enriquez from La Nación delineates the song as a "gem with a catchy and desperate chorus", noting the production's similarity to Coldplay's "Clocks", but emphasizing that Shakira's song is "less solemn and simpler", and praises the acoustic version.^[21] A review by Batanga Magazine also noted the song's similarity to "Clocks" and discussed Shakira's "detached coolness" while singing about "love's painful addiction".^[22] Matt Cibula from PopMatters reflected that the song has sonic elements reminiscent of those of 1980's music, in particular that of Eurythmics'.^[23] In a concert review, Billboard staff described "La Pared" as "slightly jazzy" and commented that she really showcases her vocals while performing the song, while their album review found the song "evocative and powerful".^[24][25] Spence D. from IGN described that Shakira's delivery on the song has "over-the-top theatricality".^[26] Hugo Fernández from La Higuera called the song "one of the stars" of the album.^[27]

Music video

The music video for "La Pared" is a live video of Shakira performing the song, accompanied by a piano. It was filmed during two concerts on October 7 and 8 at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico.^[28] The video was co-directed by Shakira and Catalan visual artist Jaume de Laiguana.^[29][30] The video features Shakira sitting on a stool beside the piano performing the song as the Mexican crowd waves their hands back and forth and holds up lit lighters. The video is also featured on the live album Oral Fixation Tour, alongside another performance of the song filmed in late 2006 for the tour video in Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[31]

The music video saw success on the Mexican RitmoSon music video channel, reaching the fourth spot.^[32]

References

1. LOS40 (2005-05-19). "Shakira: "'Fijación oral' es un término de origen psicoanalítico" | Música". LOS40 (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. Torreón, El Siglo de (2005-05-21). "Shakira dice que la fama es una vieja amiga". www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
3. Castilla, Amelia (2005-05-20). "Shakira muestra su lado más salvaje en 'Fijación oral'". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
4. La Tortura (European CD maxi-single liner notes). Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz. Epic Records. 2005. 675933 2, EPC 675933 2, 6759332000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. "spanishcharts.com - Shakira - La pared". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
6. "La pared, nuevo single en radios de Shakira". LaHiguera.net (in Spanish). 2006-03-02. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
7. "Página/12 :: las12". www.pagina12.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-28.
8. "Shakira Wins Big At Latin Grammys - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2006-11-02. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
9. "Shakira arrasa en los Grammy Latinos". hola.com (in Spanish). 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
10. "Shakira pone a Lisboa a bailar al golpe de sus caderas | Gentes | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
11. "Los mejores momentos de los Grammy Latinos 2006". hola.com (in Spanish). 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
12. LOS40 (2010-06-08). "Es Shakira reina en Rock In Rio | Actualidad | LOS40 México". LOS40 (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
13. "Todos los singles en español de Shakira, ordenados de peor a mejor". Vanity Fair (in European Spanish). 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
14. Montes, Carlos (2017-04-07). "Shakira le dedica canción a Gerard Piqué pero algunos fans la delatan con este detalle". El Ciudadano (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-28.
15. "La pared, nuevo single en radios de Shakira". LaHiguera.net (in Spanish). 2006-03-02. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
16. MÉXICO, Juan Carlos García Agencia Reforma (2006-11-08). "Busca Shakira dónde poner tanto premio". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
17. "Shakira estrena video próximo mes a nivel mundial". Diario Libre (in Spanish). 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
18. . 2007-01-04. Archived from the original on 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
19. . 2007-02-25. Archived from the original on 2007-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
20. "Página/12 :: las12". www.pagina12.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-28.
21. "Fijación oral". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
22. Batanga. Batanga Magazine. 2005. p. 66.
23. "Shakira: Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2005-08-02. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
24. Billboard Staff (2006-09-05). "Shakira / Aug. 27, 2006 / Toronto (Air Canada Centre)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
25. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2005-06-11). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
26. D, Spence (2005-06-08). "Shakira - Fijacion Oral". IGN. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
27. "Shakira: Fijación Oral 1". LaHiguera.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
28. Tota (2007-05-24). "Shakira ofrece concierto gratuito en Zócalo mexicano". Tropicana Colombia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
29. "Estas fueron las presentaciones anteriores de Shakira en México". Hoy LA (in Spanish). 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
30. LOS40 (2006-10-09). "Shakira rueda en México el video de 'La pared', su próximo single | Música". LOS40 (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
31. "SHAKIRA: ORAL FIXATION TOUR". White Light International Media. 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
32. . 2016-03-11. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2024-02-21.