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Inevitable (Shakira song)

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"Inevitable"
Single by Shakira
from the album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
ReleasedDecember 15, 1998 (1998-12-15)
Recorded1997; Crescent Moon Studios
(Miami, Florida)
GenreRock en español
Length3:16
LabelSony Latin
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Shakira
Producer(s)
  • Shakira
  • Luis Fernando Ochoa
Shakira singles chronology
"Tú"
(1998) 		"Inevitable"
(1998) 		"No Creo"
(1999)
Music video
"Inevitable" on YouTube

“Inevitable” is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released on September 29, 1998 by Sony Music, and is included as the fifth track in her album, Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). The sentimental ballad is about a woman’s honesty to her former lover and how she feels her life to be subsequently monotonous. In the accompanying music video, Shakira is depicted as singing in an arena full of admirers screaming for her. Along with Luis Fernando Ochoa, Shakira wrote the lyrics and managed the production.

“Inevitable” was well-received by critics, and won a Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Latin Award in 2000. In the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, it appeared for twelve weeks and peaked at the third position. The song is included in the set list for Tour Anfibio (2000), Tour of the Mongoose (2002), Oral Fixation Tour (2006-2007), The Sun Comes Out World Tour (2010-2011), and El Dorado World Tour (2018). An acoustic performance of the song is included in Shakira’s first live album, MTV Unplugged (2000). Retrospectively, “Inevitable” has been noted by critics as one of Shakira’s best works in her entire career.

Background and composition[edit]

After rising to prominence with her successful debut album Pies Descalzos (1995), a longtime friend of Shakira introduced her to well-known producer Emilio Estefan.[1] He decided to work with her, whom he found having potential to break into the United States Latin music market. At the beginning, Shakira was concerned of his creative control over her music, so before signing their contract, the roles and duties were finalized: Estefan would be her manager and executive producer, but she would be in charge of all material and arrangements and have final approval over her records.[1] Since then, they started working on Estefan's Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, Florida.[2][1] Equipment for recording Dónde Están los Ladrones? included old amplifiers to achieve a better sound, a 40-year-old German microphone, and several innovations in the instrumental mixes.[3] The album took nine months to produce.[1] Shakira was involved with the compositions for all the tracks in the album, including "Inevitable".[4]

Written and produced by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa,[5] “Inevitable” revolves around a woman's honesty to her former lover that she cannot accept that their relationship has ended, and the monotony of life that she has to face afterwards.[6][7] It is the fifth track of the album, following “No Creo” and preceding “Octavo Día”.[8] While performing at the Oral Fixation Tour in 2006, she recounted having written the song during a midnight, between 11 and 12, at a Colombian beach.[9] The genre has been variously described as Latin rock,[10] rock en español,[11] and sentimental ballad.[6] Described by Billboard as a “heartbreak song”, musical instrumentals used in “Inevitable” include guitars, which in the beginning play calmly before becoming explosive.[6] The song has an accompanying music video, featuring the singer “with her tiny black braids” in an arena full of her admirers and enwreathed by bubbles and glitters; she is seen doing headbanging and high-kicking as well, while the audience is cheering at her.[12][13]

Release and reception[edit]

Sony Music released “Inevitable” on September 29, 1998.[5] Franz Reynold of Latin Beat Magazine wrote that “Shakira’s naturally sad tones are employed to fine effect” in “Inevitable” and “Tú”.[14] Commercially, “Inevitable” appeared in the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for twelve weeks, peaking at the third position.[6] In 1999, Shakira sang its English-language version in The Rosie O’Donnell Show, becoming her first performance in the language.[15] Singer Gloria Estefan, a guest on the show, said that Shakira had reminded her of Janis Joplin.[16] The year also saw her performing it alongside Melissa Etheridge on the ALMA Award; according to Joey Guerra of Houston Chronicle her English was imperfect but regardless it was pleasant to hear.[17] The English version has never been officially released, but been included on an unofficial and fan made extended play, The Pepsi EP (2003).[18] In 2000, “Inevitable” was recognized as an award-winning song at the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Latin Award.[19]

Legacy[edit]

In later years, “Inevitable” would garner warm responses from music critics, some of whom would consider it among her career’s bests.[6] In 2005, Mariana Enriquez of Página 12 compared it to English rock band Radiohead’s “High and Dry” (1995).[20] In 2020, Elle’s Natalia Chávez included “Inevitable” in her list of “Shakira’s 10 Old Songs that Still—Always—Make Us Cry”.[21] During the commemoration of the 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month, Billboard published a list of 25 “timeless masterpieces” of the rock en español genre, in which “Inevitable” is included.[11] In 2023, the song was described by Rolling Stone as one of her “best post-love songs”.[12] The next year, a Billboard “Critic’s Picks” article analyzing her albums discography pointed out the lyrics “Siempre supe que es mejor cuando hay que hablar de dos empezar por uno mismo” (“I have always known that it is better to begin one by one when we need to talk”) as “demonstrating her wisdom beyond her years”.[10]

Retrospective critics have also equally positive of the music video. Rolling Stone[12] and Time included it in their lists of Shakira’s best music videos, the latter of which wrote, “Her presence in the video shows how comfortable she is in her musical element, early evidence that her rise to international stardom was, to borrow from the song, inevitable.”[13] According to Gil Camargo of Time Out, Shakira “has delved into our feelings and capture them” in what he called “one of the most emblematic videos”.[7]

"Inevitable" was included on the set list for the following tours: Tour Anfibio (2000),[22] Tour of the Mongoose (2002–2003),[23] Oral Fixation Tour (2006-2007),[24] The Sun Comes Out World Tour (2010-2011)[25] and El Dorado World Tour (2018).[26] In August 1999, Shakira sang an acoustic version of "Inevitable" during an episode of MTV Unplugged in New York City.[27] The performance has been included on her first live album, MTV Unplugged (2000).[28] Spanish footballer and Shakira’s former boyfriend Gerard Piqué has considered “Inevitable” to be one of his favorite songs.[29]

Formats and track listings[edit]

Mexican CD single[30]

  1. "Inevitable" (Soft Final Ballad) – 3:06
  2. "Inevitable" (Space Vocal Soft Final Ballad) – 3:07
  3. "Inevitable" (Final Heavy Mix) – 3:08
  4. "Inevitable" (Final Extended Heavy Mix) – 6:53
  5. "Inevitable" (Final Smokin Dub Mix) – 7:49
  6. "Inevitable" (Final Ambient Mix) – 7:15

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications and sales for "Inevitable"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Platinum 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Diego, Ximena (2001). Shakira: Woman Full of Grace. Simon & Schuster. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-0743216234.
  2. ^ "Driven: Shakira". VH1. Archived from the original on 15 January 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Shakira contraataca". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 25 September 1998. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  4. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Dónde Están los Ladrones? - Shakira". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Inevitable". iTunes. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Flores, Griselda; Ratner-Arias, Sigal; Raygoza, Isabela; Calle, Luisa; Roiz, Jessica (September 28, 2023). "Shakira's 'Dónde Están Los Ladrones?' Turns 25: All the Songs on the Album, Ranked (Staff Picks)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Camargo, Gill (September 27, 2018). "10 canciones viejitas de Shakira que sí queremos escuchar en su concierto". Time Out. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  8. ^ "Dónde Están Los Ladrones". iTunes. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Mebarak, Shakira (November 15, 2006). "Inevitable". Oral Fixation Tour (in Spanish).
  10. ^ a b Flores, Griselda; Ratner-Arias, Sigal; Raygoza, Isabel (April 2, 2024). "Every Shakira Album, Ranked: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Roiz, Jessica (September 25, 2021). "Hispanic Heritage Month: Listen to Rock En Español's Evolution in 25 Timeless Masterpieces". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Lopez, Julyssa; Georgi, Maya; Mier, Tomas; Villa, Lucas; Dadoo, Vita (September 11, 2023). "The 25 Best Shakira Videos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Mendez II, Moises (September 12, 2023). "Shakira's 15 Best Music Videos, Ranked". Time. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Reynold, Franz (1 November 1998). "Ritmo: la música de hoy". Latin Beat Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 May 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  15. ^ Lopez, Julyssa (June 13, 2024). "Shakira Went Through Hell. Now She's Living Her Best Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "Latina". Latina. 1999. p. 78.
  17. ^ Guerra, Joey (August 16, 2018). "Remember when Shakira was a brunette rocker? We do". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Aleman, Francis (May 22, 2024). "Así se escucha "Inevitable" de Shakira en una versión oficial desconocida en inglés". El País. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "BMI Honors Top Latin Writers and Publishers". Broadcast Music, Inc. 1 May 2000. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  20. ^ Enriquez, Mariana (July 29, 2005). "Justicia para Shakira". Página 12. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Chávez, Natalia (October 6, 2020). "Las 10 canciones viejitas de Shakira que todavía —siempre— nos hacen llorar". Elle. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  22. ^ Toombs, Mikel (21 April 2000). "Shakira's Voice Put Shaky Concert on Solid Ground". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E-7. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022 – via ProQuest.
  23. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Shakira Live & Off the Record". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Shakira / Aug. 27, 2006 / Toronto (Air Canada Centre)". Billboard. September 5, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Stingley, Mick (October 14, 2010). "Shakira — Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Shakira - Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Shakira - MTV Unplugged". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  28. ^ Henderson, Alex. "MTV Unplugged - Shakira". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  29. ^ Montalván, Karla (October 21, 2022). "¡Ciega, Sordomuda! Shakira's Top 7 Heartbreak Songs". People en español. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Inevitable (Media notes). Shakira. Mexico: Columbia. 1998. PRCD 97701.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ^ "Shakira y Ricky Martin disputan popularidad en Costa Rica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). June 6, 1999.
  32. ^ "Shakira y Ricky Martin disputan popularidad en Costa Rica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). June 6, 1999.
  33. ^ "Shakira y Ricky Martin disputan popularidad en Costa Rica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). June 6, 1999.
  34. ^ "Shakira y Ricky Martin disputan popularidad en Costa Rica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). June 6, 1999.
  35. ^ "Maná, entre los más escuchados en Centroamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). July 11, 1999.
  36. ^ "Shakira Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  37. ^ "Shakira Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  38. ^ "Hot Latin Top Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 23. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 25, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510.
  39. ^ "Hot Latin Pop Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 23. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 25, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510.
  40. ^ "Promusicae: Canciones de Shakira". Archived from the original on 2024-01-11. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
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