Laundry Service
Encyclopedia
Some critics criticized the effectiveness of Shakira's lyrics, claiming that her English skills were too weak for her to write in that language, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery. Most notably, Ernesto Lechner of Rolling Stone
magazine described the album:
Other critics were more positive. Alex Henderson from Allmusic compares Shakira's lead single with Ricky Martin's trademark song and mentioned that "Dónde Están Los Ladrones? remains Shakira's most essential album, but Laundry Service is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist". In 2007, the album was included at number 172 on the list of the "Definitive 200" albums of all time developed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers
.
on November 13, 2001. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
album chart with first week sales of over 202,000, exceeding expectations by a wide margin. The album eventually spent six months in the top twenty on the chart, fueled by the success of its two lead singles. It was eventually certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA in June 2002 making it one of the biggest selling albums of the year. In Australia
, the album was certified gold for shipments exceeding 35,000 units. It has since been certified five times platinum in Australia
with sales of over 350,000. It debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart
and has since been certified double platinum with sales of over 697,000 copies. In Portugal
the album reached number one for two months and was eventually certified 4x Platinum (160,000 copies) and it was on the top 30 over than 70 consecutive weeks. It established the record for the best selling album in Turkey
.
The album debuted high on charts due to the success of the lead single "Whenever, Wherever
" that reached the top ten in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
. In Australia and the UK it reached number one and number two respectively. It remained on the Australian Singles Charts
for six consecutive weeks and became the second best-selling single of the year. In the UK it reached number two, and ended the year as the eighth best-selling single and was certified gold
for sales of over 554,754. Laundry Service was eventually one of the biggest selling albums of 2002, and was certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA in June 2002. The album reached number one in Australia
, Austria
, Canada
, Mexico
, Portugal
, New Zealand
, Netherlands
, Sweden
and Switzerland
. The album's success and its singles helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market.
" was born, a song that documents Shakira's anger at a relationship in which her lover is unfaithful. It was Shakira's first song composed in English. All the songs on album are original, with the exception of "Eyes Like Yours", which is a translation of Shakira's Arabic-tinged 1999 worldwide hit Ojos Así
. Although it is an English album, it did contain four Spanish tracks. In 2002, Sony BMG stated the re-release of the album which was titled Laundry Service: Washed & Dried. It include three additional bonus tracks Whenever, Wherever (Sahara Mix) was remixed by Hani Kamai, and the remix was produced by Tamer Zeltoun Arabic. The acoustic version for Underneath Your Clothes (Acoustic Version) was produced by Tim Mitchell. And Objection (Tango) (Afro-punk version) arranged by Shakira for Light Productions Ltd. and Tim Mitchell for Crescent Moon Inc. The Washed and Dried Edition managed to peak at #112 on the Billboard 200 and a bonus DVD which include the "Objection (Tango)" performance from the MTV Video Music Awards
, Behind-the-Scenes of the MTV
's Making the Video
and the music video.
MuchMusic Video Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
NRJ Music Awards
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine described the album:
"On the Spanish-language albums that elevated her to Latin-rock-goddess status, ShakiraShakiraShakira 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...
Mebarak sounded playful, bohemian and rebellious. On her English-language debut, she sounds downright silly, but the blame is not entirely hers. Surrounded by a battalion of producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s and songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s, the twenty-four-year-old yodeling divaDivaA diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
can't quite overcome the pedestrian nature of most of the material at hand, the bulk of which she co-wrote. Equally misdirected are her efforts to spice things up with obvious touches of Latin American folklore (the opening "ObjectionObjectionObjection may refer to:* Objection , a motion during a trial to disallow a witness's testimony or other evidence* Objection , used in informal logic and argument mapping** Inference objection, a special case of the above...
" sounds like a cross between "Livin' la Vida LocaLivin' la Vida Loca"Livin' la Vida Loca" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin's self-titled debut English album. The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999...
" and an Ástor PiazzollaÁstor PiazzollaÁstor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
tango). Shakira's voice is a wild and beautiful instrument, and she's capable of delivering scorching moments of musical passion, as her live performances have amply demonstrated. But if you take away the Zeppelin-esqueLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
crunch of the Glen BallardGlen BallardGlen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
-penned balladBalladA ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"The OneThe One-Philosophy:The concept of "Τὸ Ἕν" in Hellenistic philosophy:*God*the Monad *the Absolute *The Good*The All*See also Henosis -Books, magazines and comics:...
" and the sinuous chants of the Lebanese-flavored "Eyes Like Yours," you'll see that, for now, at least, Shakira's magic is lost in translation".
Other critics were more positive. Alex Henderson from Allmusic compares Shakira's lead single with Ricky Martin's trademark song and mentioned that "Dónde Están Los Ladrones? remains Shakira's most essential album, but Laundry Service is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist". In 2007, the album was included at number 172 on the list of the "Definitive 200" albums of all time developed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers
National Association of Recording Merchandisers
The National Association of Recording Merchandisers is a United States not-for-profit trade association based in Marlton, New Jersey that serves music retailing businesses in lobbying and trade promotion...
.
Commercial performance
Laundry Service was released in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 13, 2001. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart with first week sales of over 202,000, exceeding expectations by a wide margin. The album eventually spent six months in the top twenty on the chart, fueled by the success of its two lead singles. It was eventually certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA in June 2002 making it one of the biggest selling albums of the year. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the album was certified gold for shipments exceeding 35,000 units. It has since been certified five times platinum in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with sales of over 350,000. It debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and has since been certified double platinum with sales of over 697,000 copies. In Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
the album reached number one for two months and was eventually certified 4x Platinum (160,000 copies) and it was on the top 30 over than 70 consecutive weeks. It established the record for the best selling album in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The album debuted high on charts due to the success of the lead single "Whenever, Wherever
Whenever, Wherever
"Whenever, Wherever" is a Latin pop song written by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, Gloria Estefan, and Tim Mitchell for Shakira's first English language album, Laundry Service. The track was produced by Shakira, and recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami as well as Compass Point Studios in...
" that reached the top ten in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. In Australia and the UK it reached number one and number two respectively. It remained on the Australian Singles Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
for six consecutive weeks and became the second best-selling single of the year. In the UK it reached number two, and ended the year as the eighth best-selling single and was certified gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
for sales of over 554,754. Laundry Service was eventually one of the biggest selling albums of 2002, and was certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA in June 2002. The album reached number one in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, 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...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The album's success and its singles helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market.
Other versions
The album was released in Latin America as Servicio de Lavandería (the Spanish translation of the title), with the same tracks, but in a different order. Thus, "Objection (Tango)Objection (Tango)
"Objection " and "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio " are Latin pop-rock/tango songs written and composed by the Colombian pop star Shakira for her 2001 breakthrough English language album, Laundry Service.-Background and structure:...
" was born, a song that documents Shakira's anger at a relationship in which her lover is unfaithful. It was Shakira's first song composed in English. All the songs on album are original, with the exception of "Eyes Like Yours", which is a translation of Shakira's Arabic-tinged 1999 worldwide hit Ojos Así
Ojos Así
"Ojos Así" is a song in Spanish by Colombian singer Shakira, and was released as the fourth single from her album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? on July 23, 1999. Today, "Ojos Así" is one of Shakira's most successful songs of her career...
. Although it is an English album, it did contain four Spanish tracks. In 2002, Sony BMG stated the re-release of the album which was titled Laundry Service: Washed & Dried. It include three additional bonus tracks Whenever, Wherever (Sahara Mix) was remixed by Hani Kamai, and the remix was produced by Tamer Zeltoun Arabic. The acoustic version for Underneath Your Clothes (Acoustic Version) was produced by Tim Mitchell. And Objection (Tango) (Afro-punk version) arranged by Shakira for Light Productions Ltd. and Tim Mitchell for Crescent Moon Inc. The Washed and Dried Edition managed to peak at #112 on the Billboard 200 and a bonus DVD which include the "Objection (Tango)" performance from the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, Behind-the-Scenes of the 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 Making the Video
Making the Video
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the...
and the music video.
Track listing
(*) denotes co-producerSingles
- "Whenever, WhereverWhenever, Wherever"Whenever, Wherever" is a Latin pop song written by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, Gloria Estefan, and Tim Mitchell for Shakira's first English language album, Laundry Service. The track was produced by Shakira, and recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami as well as Compass Point Studios in...
"/"Suerte"
- "Underneath Your ClothesUnderneath Your Clothes"Underneath Your Clothes" is a power ballad by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira - the second English language single released from Laundry Service . It is a love song with lyrics by Shakira and music by her and Lester Mendez and tells the story of the unconditional love that a woman has for her...
"
- "Objection (Tango)Objection (Tango)"Objection " and "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio " are Latin pop-rock/tango songs written and composed by the Colombian pop star Shakira for her 2001 breakthrough English language album, Laundry Service.-Background and structure:...
"/"Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)"
- "The OneThe One (Shakira song)"The One" is a song recorded, written, and produced by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her first English-language studio album, Laundry Service. The track was released as the album's fourth single in 2003 in many European countries, but not in the United States...
"
- "Te Dejo MadridTe Dejo Madrid"Te Dejo Madrid" is a song written by Colombian singer Shakira about the city of Madrid, the capital of Spain. The music video for it featured the singer as a bullfighter. It was featured on her English breakthrough album Laundry Service. Although it was released as the fifth single in a lot of...
"
- "Que Me Quedes TúQue Me Quedes Tú"Que Me Quedes Tú" is a soft-rock song written and performed by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her 2001 breakthrough English album Laundry Service. She released it as the only promotional single from the album...
"
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Album Chart | 1 |
| Austria Album Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Wallonie Albums Chart | 5 |
| Canada Albums Chart | 1 |
| Denmark Album Chart | 3 |
| Finland album Chart | 1 |
| France Album Chart | 5 |
| Germany Album Chart | 2 |
| Italy Album Chart | 2 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Album Chart | 4 |
| Norway Album Chart | 1 |
| Portugal Album Chart | 11 |
| Sweden Album Chart | 1 |
| Switzerland Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 3 |
Certifications
MuchMusic Video AwardsMuchMusic Video AwardsThe MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
- People's Choice: Favourite International Artist - "Whenever, Wherever" (2002)
- Best International Artist Video- "Whenever, Wherever" (2002)
MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music AwardsAn MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
- International Viewer's Choice Award—MTV Latin America (North)-"Suerte" (2002)
NRJ Music AwardsNRJ Music AwardsThe NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...
- Song International OF The Year "Whenever, Wherever" (2002)
- Album of the year (2002)
Personnel
- ShakiraShakiraShakira 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...
- Producer, songwriter, arranger, vocals, harmonica, logo design - Emilio EstefanEmilio EstefanEmilio Estefan, Jr. is a Cuban-American of Lebanese ancestry who is a musician and producer. Estefan's first taste of celebrity came as a member of the Miami Sound Machine, but he is also recognized as the producer of many famous singers. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan...
Jr. - Executive producer, percussion - Terry ManningTerry ManningTerry Manning is a music producer, songwriter, photographer and recording engineer known for work in rock, rhythm and blues, and pop music genres....
- Engineer - Javier Garza - Producer, engineer, mixer, arranger
- Tim Mitchell - Producer, arranger, guitar, mandolin, programmer
- Lester Mendez - Producer, arranger, horn arranger, keyboards
- Pablo Flores - Producer, arranger, programmer
- Luis Fernando Ochoa - Arranger, guitar, keyboards
- Jorge CalandrelliJorge CalandrelliJorge Calandrelli is an Argentine composer, arranger and orchestrator.His truly ingenious arranging and composing techniques, especially his beautiful string writing, makes him very well recognized on many records of today's pop - jazz/ Jazz commercial record publications.Big record stars hired him...
- Arranger, piano arranger - David Campbell - Conductor, string arranger
- Alfred Figueroa - Engineer
- Kevin Dillon - Production coordinator
- Adam Zimmon - Guitar
- Tim Pierce - Guitar
- Brian RayBrian RayBrian Thomas Ray is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Brian Ray grew up...
- Guitar - Paul Bushnell - Bass guitar
- Julio Hernandez - Bass guitar
- Pablo Aslan - Acoustic bass
- Brendan Buckley - Drums, percussion
- Joseph Quevedo - Drums
- Edwin Bonilla - Percussion
- Miriam Elli - Percussion
- Richard Bravo - Percussion
- Archie Pena - Percussion