Gafas Oscuras

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"Gafas Oscuras"
Song by Shakira
from the album Magia
Written1985–1987
Released24 June 1991
Recorded1991
Studio Aga Studios (Bogotá, Colombia)
Genre Latin pop
Length3:13
Label Sony Colombia
Songwriter(s) Shakira

"Gafas Oscuras" (English: Dark Glasses), or "Tus Gafas Oscuras", is the first song written by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. Written between 1985 and 1987, it was released as the seventh track on Shakira's debut album Magia in 1991. Lyrically, the song speaks about her father's grief after the death of her older brother in 1979.

Contents

Background and composition

Shakira started writing poems at the age of four, when she wrote her first one titled "La Rosa de Cristal". When she was seven years old, she received a typewriter for Christmas, and wrote poems with it, that would become song lyrics. [1]

When Shakira was two years old, her older brother William passed away at the age of 19 in a motorcycle accident. [2] [3] His death had their father William Mebarak in deep sorrow, a grief Shakira endured throughout several years of her childhood. [4] [5] This inspired her to write the song "Gafas Oscuras" which talks about how overwhelmed she feels about her father keeping his pain hidden: "Tus gafas oscuras intrigantes, misteriosas a cualquier uno impacta. Y cuando me miras, me quitas la vista y me robas el alma" (English: "Your dark glasses, intriguing, mysterious, shock everyone. And when you look at me, you take away my sight and steal my soul.") [2] The song is the only one on the album that is not a love song. [6]

It was revealed by William in the documentary of Shakira's live album Live & off the Record that he would always wear dark sunglasses "to hide the pain behind a pair of glasses, and [Shakira] made a connection with that." [7] [8] [9] The song was written by Shakira when she was eight or nine years old, and recorded and released in 1991 as the seventh track on Shakira's debut album Magia when she was 14. [10] [11] [12] The song is not for sale or officially on streaming anywhere outside of old physical copies of the album due to Shakira blocking the re-release of her first two albums citing their "immaturity". [13]

Reception

Noelia Bertol from Cadena Dial described how "Gafas Oscuras" is "a song in which we can appreciate the maturity with which the artist, even as a child, was able to compose about what love does to us. [14] The editorial team of Vanguardia called the song "one of the most moving songs in her repertoire." [15]

Live performances

Shakira performed "Gafas Oscuras" along with other original compositions at many events and singing contests. During one such occasion, she attracted the interest of theater producer Mónica Ariza, who then arranged for her to audition in front of executives from Sony Music Colombia. The audition was successful, leading to Shakira securing a recording contract to produce her first three albums. [14]

References

  1. ↑ "A los 8 años, Shakira escribió su primera canción, "Tus gafas oscuras" (VIDEO)". Telemundo. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  2. 1 2 Tumbaco, José (2022-06-26). "Shakira escribió esta canción a su padre cuando niña: Tus gafas oscuras". Qué Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  3. ↑ Meganoticias (2021-07-31). "La triste canción que dedicó Shakira a su padre por la muerte de su hermano". meganoticias.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  4. ↑ Alvarez, Mariana Guerrero (2021-07-29). "La trágica historia del fallecimiento de un hermano de Shakira". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  5. ↑ Semana (2024-06-09). "En medio de la situación de salud del papá de Shakira, fans recuerdan emotiva canción que compuso tras una tragedia familiar". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-09-25. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  6. ↑ Ximena, Diego (2001). Shakira: Woman Full of Grace. New York: Fireside. ISBN   0-7432-1623-7.
  7. ↑ Urrea, Ángela (2024-06-06). "La enfermedad de William Mebarak, papá de Shakira, que lo tiene internado en una UCI". Noticias Caracol (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  8. ↑ "Diez cosas que probablemente no sabías de Shakira". www.lavoz.com.ar (in Spanish). 2013-12-02. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  9. ↑ Digital, Milenio (2022-11-07). "Shakira: La canción que le escribió a su hermano tras su muerte". Grupo Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  10. ↑ Angeles, Gabriel (2023-03-29). "Shakira: ¿Cuántos hermanos tiene y por qué conmovedora razón le dedicó una canción a uno de ellos?". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  11. ↑ "A los 8 años, Shakira escribió su primera canción, "Tus gafas oscuras" (VIDEO)". Telemundo. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  12. ↑ "The sad song Shakira dedicated to her deceased brother on her first album". MARCA. 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  13. ↑ Burr, Ramiro (2003-01-16). "Shakira on record". Archived from the original on 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  14. 1 2 Bertol, Noelia (2023-10-26). "Así suena Gafas oscuras, la primera canción que compuso Shakira con apenas 8 años". Cadena Dial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  15. ↑ "La emotiva canción que Shakira compuso por la muerte de su hermano de 19 años". www.vanguardia.com (in Spanish). 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
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