Illegal (Shakira song)
Encyclopedia
"Illegal" is the third and final single
released from Shakira
's second English language
studio album
, Oral Fixation Vol. 2
(2005). It features celebrated Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana
. The song was released right after the massive worldwide success of "Hips Don't Lie
". The radio release for "Illegal" in the United States
and Canada
was on 14 November 2006. The music video for the song premiered on 16 November 2006 on MTV
's Total Request Live
and debuted the next day at #9. It became a hit in countries like Latvia
, and Ukraine
.
and Carlos Santana
. The song has been well-received by critics and has been highlighted as an example of Shakira's ever-developing strength as an English-language songwriter. Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
has said that she takes her music into unexpected directions.
CD 2
Promotional CD (NOT FOR SALE)
and Rage
; it even peaked at #9 on the American TRL
Countdown. However, as "Hips Don't Lie
" still prevailed on the charts in these non-European countries, the single was cancelled.
on October 17, 2006, during a short break in the schedule of Oral Fixation Tour
, between concerts in Mexico and Guatemala
. The filming took a full day, and some American and Mexican fans were invited over as extras. Jaume de Laiguana
and Shakira were the co-directors of the video.
The video features Shakira as the girlfriend of a boxer. Throughout most of the video, Shakira is shown in the empty boxing venue where her former boyfriend boxes. Through flashback, she remembers the good times in their relationship, with them shown in the ring while no one is there, affectionately messing around, among other things. At the end of the video, it is shown why they are no longer together. Shakira comes to see her boyfriend boxing in the championship match. He wins, and not realizing Shakira is there, another girl steps in the ring, and he kisses her, revealing to Shakira he is cheating on her. Her boyfriend, to his shock, finally sees that Shakira is watching him kiss this other girl. Shakira looks back at him, clearly hurt, before turning away and leaving.
The music video officially premiered on 16 November on MTV
's Total Request Live
. It debuted on the countdown the next day, at # 9 and peaked at #7.
There are existing 2 remix music videos: the Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix and the Johnny Vicious Roxy Mix
" consistently remaining on the charts in the US and Australia, the song was canceled two weeks after the release in those countries. In November 2006, "Illegal" debuted on the Italian Singles Chart at number nine and then rose to number four. The song spent fourteen consecutive weeks in the chart's top twenty.
In Portuguese chart it was #1 and Top 10 for several weeks
Inside the Romanian Top 100
, "Illegal" was Shakira's fourth single to reach the number-one position. It stuck to the top spot for five non-consecutive weeks. In the year-end charts, the song peaked at number thirty-five.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
released from Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
's second English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Oral Fixation Vol. 2 is the fifth studio album by Colombian pop singer-songwriter Shakira, released on November 28, 2005 by Epic Records. According to her biography on her website and Epic Records, the album has sold 8 million copies worldwide....
(2005). It features celebrated Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. The song was released right after the massive worldwide success of "Hips Don't Lie
Hips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
". The radio release for "Illegal" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was on 14 November 2006. The music video for the song premiered on 16 November 2006 on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
and debuted the next day at #9. It became a hit in countries like Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Song information
"Illegal" features a musical collaboration between ShakiraShakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. The song has been well-received by critics and has been highlighted as an example of Shakira's ever-developing strength as an English-language songwriter. Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
has said that she takes her music into unexpected directions.
Track listing and formats
CD 1- "Illegal" [Album Version] (featuring Carlos Santana) – 03:54
- "Illegal" [Ali Dee Remix] (featuring Carlos Santana) – 03:49
- "Obtener Un Sí" [Album Version] – 03:20
CD 2
- "Illegal" [Album Version] (featuring Carlos Santana)
- "Illegal" [Alee Dee Remix] (featuring Carlos Santana)
- "La TorturaLa Tortura"" is a Latin pop-reggaeton song performed by singers Shakira and Alejandro Sanz. It was recorded for Shakira's sixth studio album , released on June 7, 2005...
" [Album Version] - "La Tortura" [CD-Rom Video]
Promotional CD (NOT FOR SALE)
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix] 10:00
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Warehouse Radio Mix] 3:45
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Roxy Mix] 8:00
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Roxy Radio Mix] 4:14
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Ballroom Mix] 7:28
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Ballroom Dub] 5:37
- "Illegal" [Johnny Vicious Roxy Dub] 6:10
Release information
The single was set for a worldwide release, and the single had already been playing on American and Australian stations and music video programs, such as SAFMSAFM
SAFM is a commercial FM radio station in Adelaide, Australia, primarily targeted at those in the 16-35 age group on a frequency of 107.1 MHz, and part of Austereo's Today Network.-Station History:...
and Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
; it even peaked at #9 on the American TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
Countdown. However, as "Hips Don't Lie
Hips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
" still prevailed on the charts in these non-European countries, the single was cancelled.
Music video
The music video for "Illegal" was shot in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
on October 17, 2006, during a short break in the schedule of Oral Fixation Tour
Oral Fixation Tour
Oral Fixation Tour is the concert tour by Colombian singer-songwriter, Shakira, in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
, between concerts in Mexico and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. The filming took a full day, and some American and Mexican fans were invited over as extras. Jaume de Laiguana
Jaume de Laiguana
Jaume de Laiguana is a Spanish music video director from Barcelona, born on June 14, 1966. He is best-known for directing the video for Shakira's "No"...
and Shakira were the co-directors of the video.
The video features Shakira as the girlfriend of a boxer. Throughout most of the video, Shakira is shown in the empty boxing venue where her former boyfriend boxes. Through flashback, she remembers the good times in their relationship, with them shown in the ring while no one is there, affectionately messing around, among other things. At the end of the video, it is shown why they are no longer together. Shakira comes to see her boyfriend boxing in the championship match. He wins, and not realizing Shakira is there, another girl steps in the ring, and he kisses her, revealing to Shakira he is cheating on her. Her boyfriend, to his shock, finally sees that Shakira is watching him kiss this other girl. Shakira looks back at him, clearly hurt, before turning away and leaving.
The music video officially premiered on 16 November on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. It debuted on the countdown the next day, at # 9 and peaked at #7.
There are existing 2 remix music videos: the Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix and the Johnny Vicious Roxy Mix
Chart performance
Because of the massive hit "Hips Don't LieHips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
" consistently remaining on the charts in the US and Australia, the song was canceled two weeks after the release in those countries. In November 2006, "Illegal" debuted on the Italian Singles Chart at number nine and then rose to number four. The song spent fourteen consecutive weeks in the chart's top twenty.
In Portuguese chart it was #1 and Top 10 for several weeks
Inside the Romanian Top 100
Romanian Top 100
The Romanian Top 100 is the national airplay-based singles chart of Romania. It is weekly and it started running in 1996. It is recognized as an official chart by the European division of Billboard, Music & Media....
, "Illegal" was Shakira's fourth single to reach the number-one position. It stuck to the top spot for five non-consecutive weeks. In the year-end charts, the song peaked at number thirty-five.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Romania (UPFR Romanian Top 100 The Romanian Top 100 is the national airplay-based singles chart of Romania. It is weekly and it started running in 1996. It is recognized as an official chart by the European division of Billboard, Music & Media.... ) |
1 |
End of year charts
| Year | Chart | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | German Singles Chart | 76 |
| Romanian Top 100 End-Year Chart 2007 (Romania) This is a list of Romanian Top 100's 2007 year-end chart.... |
35 | |