“Can’t Remember To Forget You” by Shakira featuring Rihanna

song info

    “Can’t Remember To Forget You#148; by Shakira featuring Rihanna is a reggae rock song.

link to the static song information page for this song:
http://www.thissideofsanity.com/music/songs/ca/cantremembertoforgetyou.php

    Summary quotation from Wikipedia:

    “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira from her fourth English and overall tenth studio album, Shakira, featuring Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Shakira began planning to release new music in 2011; work continued into 2012, at which time she left her previous label Epic Records and joined RCA Records. The song was released as the lead single of the album on January 13, 2014 through RCA Records and Sony Latin Iberia. A solo Spanish-language version of the song, entitled “Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte”, was released on January 21, 2014.

    The song was co-written by Shakira, Rihanna, John Hill, Tom “Kid Harpoon” Hull, Daniel Ledinsky, and Erik Hassle, while production was handled by Shakira, Hill, and Hull. “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is an uptempo new wave and reggae rock track. Lyrically the song revolves around forgetting someone who is bad even though you love the person. Upon its release, “Can’t Remember to Forget You” was met with mixed reviews from critics; while critics praised the ska influences, they felt that the song overall was not memorable. Other critics noted similarities between pop reggae singers The Police and Bruno Mars.

    Commercially, the single fared well, peaking at eleven in the United Kingdom; the song also peaked within the top ten of Spain, France, Germany and Switzerland. In the US the song made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at twenty eight becoming Shakira’s highest-debuting track in the region, the song went on to peak at fifteen on the chart. The music video, which was shot in a Los Angeles mansion, was directed by Joseph Kahn and was premiered and uploaded to YouTube on January 30, 2014. The accompanying video featured both Shakira and Rihanna in revealing outfits and a “naked embrace”. The song was performed live for the first time on iHeartRadio.

Background

    The song features guest vocals from Barbadian recording artist Rihanna.

    In October 2010, Shakira released her ninth studio and Spanish-language album, Sale el Sol. The record marked a return to her musical roots after her experimentation with electronic music and was primarily a Latin pop album with influences of rock and merengue music. It garnered critical acclaim and was a commercial success internationally. A year later in November, Shakira revealed in an interview with Billboard magazine that she had begun writing new material and working with various producers for a new record. Initially in 2012, it was expected that the first single from the singer’s album would be a song titled “Truth or Dare”. In June, Colombian newspaper El Heraldo reported that Shakira had been filming the music video for the song in Lisbon, Portugal, and speculated that it would be released in late-2012. “Truth or Dare”, however, was not released.

    On December 6, 2013, a Twitter page named @ShakiraSpace announced the duet between Shakira and Rihanna. Then, on December 8, 2013, Shakira’s body double Alexita Ortiz wrote on social networking site Twitter that she had been working with her on the set for a music video, and mentioned that Rihanna was also involved. The tweet was subsequently removed. The speculation regarding the collaboration of the two singers increased after Cuban American rapper Pitbull, in a radio interview on Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, commented that Rihanna wasn’t able to appear as the featured artist in his song “Timber” as she had “something she had to do with Shakira.” Later, Sony Music Entertainment announced that the first single would be released in early 2014.

Release and artwork

    On January 6, 2014, the title of the song was revealed to be “Can’t Remember to Forget You” and Rihanna confirmed that she would be contributing her vocals on the track. She also mentioned that it would be released on January 13, 2014, although it was initially going to be released one day later. The next day, Shakira also confirmed the release date of the duet and posted a promotional cover. “Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte”, the Spanish version, was released on January 21, 2014, which does not feature Rihanna. A physical single release in Germany is set to be out on February 14, 2014.

    The actual artwork of the single was released on January 9, 2014, and depicts Shakira wearing a black cut-out body piece with a gold and black medallion. Rihanna is seen lying on her lap, dressed in a strapless body suit and costume jewels. Donna McConell from the Daily Mail described the artwork as “smouldering”, while Jordana Ossad from E! Online called the duo “radiant and sultry” and complimented their pose. Two days before the release of the song, a “grainy” snippet of the recording in which Shakira could be heard singing the title of the song leaked online. On January 13, 2014, “Can’t Remember to Forget You” was premiered on American syndicated radio program On Air with Ryan Seacrest and the audio of the song was also uploaded to Shakira’s Vevo account and has since garnered over 300 million views.

Composition

    “I’m going through a completely different experience right in relation to the song. The song is about that guy that just gets under your skin and you can’t leave alone. I think every woman has been through that. This song is not exactly a reflection of my personal life right now.”
    —Shakira, explaining the lyrical meaning of the song

    “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is an uptempo new wave and reggae rock track that incorporates elements of ska and has a length of three minutes and twenty eight seconds. The Guardian characterised the song as a “new wave pop” track containing a “guitar-tinged” beat. Rap-Up magazine said the song is an “upbeat” track containing a “reggae-tinged” beat. The song opens with a “low-slung, reggae-tinged verse”, which the Guardian compared to the work of The Police, the song moves into a “guitar-heavy” chorus which contains “ska guitars and horns” and a “chunky rock arrangement”. Complex described the song as a pop rock track.

    Lyrically, the song concerns a man that Shakira cannot get off her mind, discussing how easy it is to forget how bad someone is for you when you still love them. The lyrics were noted by E! Online as describing a woman who will follow her man, the concept of the song is introduced in lyrics such as “keep(s) forgetting I should let you go/ But when you look at me/ The only memory is us kissing in the moonlight.” Lewis Corner of Digital Spy commented on the lyric; “I keep forgetting I should let you go” as the singers telling their “no-good lothario, who seems to still have a hefty grip on their hearts,” continuing to say the songs lyrics are “romantic pitfall.” Musically, the song is written in the key of B minor, and set in common time signature with a moderately fast tempo of 138 beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of Bm-Em-A-D. Shakira and Rihanna’s vocals span from the low note of B₃ to the high note of D₅.

Critical reception

    The song received mixed reviews from critics. MTV praised the song and complimented its “Latin and Island flourishes”, continuing to compare the song to “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars and Shakira’s and Beyoncé’s previous collaboration “Beautiful Liar.” The Guardian found its melodies catchy, and praised the song for keeping away from electronic dance music, noting Shakira’s return to “guitar-tinged new wave pop”. VIBE magazine praised the duet calling it a “powerhouse collaboration”, concluding, “The she-wolf and Bajan bombshell’s chemistry seeps through the bass line and their accented vocals, sure to make both stanbases happy.” Jason Lipshutz of Billboard noted the song as being “enjoyably grandiose”, praising the “ska-punk guitar riff” and its “chunky rock arrangement.” Popjustice gave the song a positive review saying, “You cannot go wrong with a bit of Shakira. You cannot go wrong with a bit of Rihanna. Two facts for you there ladies and gents.”

    Bradley Stern of MuuMuse felt the song was not consequential, despite praising the song as something different from contemporary radio. Despite saying that “elements” of the song “feel worldly and memorable”, Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush gave the song two and a half stars out of five, stating, “it’s a bit underwhelming considering that it’s two powerhouse female divas under one roof.” Similarly, Lindsey Weber of Vulture called the song “ironically forgettable” due to Shakira’s and Rihanna’s vocal similarity and the “low-tempo reggae-rock beat.” Additionally, Gerrick D. Kennedy of The Los Angeles Times said the single “could use more steam”, summarising with, “Here’s one thing about hype: It’s almost impossible to live up to.” Claire Lobenfield of Complex wrote, “As evidenced by the title, it’s a song about lingering heartache. But instead of making it a melancholic affair, the duet is full pop-rock a la Bruno Mars.”

Commercial performance

    On its first day of release the song had 1,172 spins on 143 stations, equating to 11 million audience impressions. “Can’t Remember To Forget You” debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 25 on Latin Pop Songs chart. The Spanish version debuted at No. 11 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. With the song debuting at number twenty eight in on the US Billboard Hot 100 it became Shakira’s highest-debuting track in the United States. Its highest Billboard Hot 100 chart position so far is at number fifteen. As of March 2014, the song has sold 376,000 digital copies in the US.

    The song made its chart debut in Ireland where it debuted at number seventeen on the Irish Singles Chart. In the UK the single debuted at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, giving Shakira her eleventh UK top forty and Rihanna her thirty-ninth top forty. In France, the song entered the singles chart at number six. The single debuted at number 20 in Germany, and climbed to number nine a few weeks later then peaked at number eight. Elsewhere, in Europe, the song was commercially successful, reaching the Top 10 in more than 20 countries. In Latin American,the single fared pretty well reaching the top 10 in many territories. The song went number one in Greece, Croatia, Poland, Lebanon and Mexico, and it also peaked at number one on US Dance Club Songs Chart. Shakira’s “Can’t Remember To Forget You” was a huge success in Lebanon where it peaked the Lebanese chart for 3 weeks.

Music video

    The accompanying music video for “Can’t Remember to Forget You” was filmed by American director Joseph Kahn. On December 8, 2013, Shakira tweeted that she had finished shooting the video with Kahn. The premiere of the video took place on January 30, 2014, and debuted during “Shakira: Off the Charts” a 30-min special 8:pm ET/PT on E! Online. The video was made available for streaming on Shakira’s VEVO profile on YouTube where it received more than 17.1 million views during its first 24 hours of availability. On February 9, 2014, the video reached 100 million views, becoming Shakira’s eighth Vevo Certified music video.

Remixes

    On February 12, 2014, Dutch DJ Fedde Le Grand released an EDM remix to the song, the remix revived praise with critics saying “his electro-house makeover turns the song into perfect club fodder.”

Live performances

    On March 25, 2014, Shakira held an iHeartRadio album release party which was presented by Target, live from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles, During the release party Shakira performed “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” along with other songs from the album. On March 28, 2014 Shakira performed the song at the German music award show Echo. She also performed the song recently on The Today Show in the US and on Le Grand Journal in France. Also, she performed the song on Wango Tango. Also, she performed the song for a mini-concert in a Brazilian TV Show called Fantástico, that will be aired this sunday, July 13, 2014.

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