Here We Are (Gloria Estefan song)

Last updated
"Here We Are"
Here We Are US Cassette.jpg
US retail cassette single cover
Single by Gloria Estefan
from the album Cuts Both Ways
B-side
ReleasedDecember 5, 1989 (1989-12-05) [1]
Genre Pop
Length4:49
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Gloria Estefan
Producer(s)
Gloria Estefan singles chronology
"Get on Your Feet"
(1989)		"Here We Are"
(1989)		"Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice)"
(1990)
Music video
"Here We Are" on YouTube

"Here We Are" is a song by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released on December 5, 1989, as the third single taken from her debut solo studio album Cuts Both Ways (1989) by Epic Records. It was solely written by Estefan while production was provided by husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Jorge Casas, and Clay Ostwald.

Contents

Receiving a positive reception among critics, "Here We Are" became another success for the singer. It reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, and the United States, while becoming her biggest hit on the Adult Contemporary chart. Estefan recorded a Portuguese version of the track, "Toda Pra Você," which is included in her compilation Exitos De Gloria Estefan (1990).

As a duet for her special television concert All The Way Concert, Canadian singer Celine Dion performed this song, while Estefan sang Dion's song, "Because You Loved Me". A new Spanish version called "Tu y yo" was released in July 2019 on Estefan's official YouTube channel, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the song. This version was also included on her 2020 album Brazil305 .

Chart performance

"Here We Are" continued Estefan's success, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Cash Box Top 100 charts. [2] [3] It also topped the Hot Adult Contemporary chart for five weeks. [4] Overseas, the song reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart, number seven in Ireland and number 13 in the Netherlands.

Critical reception

Upon the release, Bill Coleman from Billboard remarked that the song's "beautifully etched acoustic guitar strumming frames Estefan's warm and inviting vocals". [5] A reviewer from Entertainment Weekly felt it "croon along smoothly". [6] British Lennox Herald described it as a "ballad of heartbreaking lament", where Estefan demonstrates her "glorious feel for a ballad." The reviewer concluded that the Carpenters "would have been proud of you". [7] Ian McCann from NME felt that Estefan "does her best Carpenters impression." [8]

Retrospective response

In a 2019 retrospective review, Matthew Hocter from Albumism said "Here We Are" is the "epitome of what ‘80s ballads executed with pure perfection were all about". He named it a "highlight" of the Cuts Both Ways album. [9] AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier declared it as a "super" song. [10] Maryann Scheufele from AXS featured it in her ranking of 10 Best Gloria Estefan Songs in 2014, calling it a "beautiful love song". She added that it "suggests how quickly time passes and love happens. Gloria Estefan has a powerful voice in this love song as she sings that there is "nothing I can do to keep from loving you" believably. Be reassured by love as you listen." [11] In a 2016 review, Pop Rescue noted that acoustic guitars "gently strum in the background, and a scattering of piano help this song step back and let Gloria’s vocals shine." [12]

Usage in media

"Here We Are" was used for the Cruz and Eden characters on the American soap opera Santa Barbara . [13] The song also appeared in an episode of the NBC daytime soap opera Another World in early 1990 as well as a 1990 episode of One Life to Live on ABC.

Track listings and formats

Original release

7-inch, cassette, and CD single

  1. "Here We Are" – 4:49
  2. "1-2-3" (Live from the Homecoming Concert) – 3:52

12-inch single

  1. "Here We Are" – 4:49
  2. "1-2-3" (Live) – 3:53
  3. "Surrender" (from Anything for You) – 4:02

UK and European release

7-inch and UK cassette single

  1. "Here We Are" – 4:19
  2. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – 5:24

12-inch and CD single

  1. "Here We Are" – 4:50
  2. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – 6:11
  3. "Dr. Beat" (Live) – 5:20

Charts

Official versions

  1. Album Version — (4:49)
  2. Portuguese Version ("Toda Prá Você") — (4:49)
  3. English Version on Brazil305— (4:40)
  4. Spanish Version on Brazil305 ("Tú Y Yo") — (4:40)

Release history

RegionDate
USNovember 1989
EuropeNovember 1989
JapanJanuary 1990
UKFebruary 1990

References

  1. 1 2 "Gloria Estefan – Here We Are". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 87.
  5. ↑ Coleman, Bill (December 9, 1989). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 73. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Cuts Both Ways". Entertainment Weekly . August 21, 1989. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ Lennox Herald. February 23, 1990. p.24.
  8. ↑ McCann, Ian (February 24, 1990). "Singles". NME . Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Hocter, Matthew (July 9, 2019). "Gloria Estefan's Debut Solo Album 'Cuts Both Ways' Turns 30: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Gloria Estefan - Cuts Both Ways". AllMusic . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ Scheufele, Maryann (November 29, 2014). "10 of Gloria Estefan's best songs". AXS . Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Review: "Cuts Both Ways" by Gloria Estefan (CD, 1989)". Pop Rescue. February 15, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Santa Barbara".
  14. ↑ "Gloria Estefan – Here We Are" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5433." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8311." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN   1-896594-13-1.
  18. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . March 24, 1990. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  19. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Here We Are". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  20. ↑ "J-Wave: Tokio Hot 100 Chart". Tokio Hot 100 . 11 February 1990. Retrieved June 17, 2025.(To access the chart date, visit the Tokio Hot 100 Chart and select year 1990, month 2 and week 2)
  21. ↑ Radio Luxembourg Singles. March 11, 1990.
  22. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Gloria Estefan – Here We Are" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Gloria Estefan – Here We Are". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Gloria Estefan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Gloria Estefan Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  28. ↑ "R&R The Back Page – National Airplay Overview: January 19, 1990 – Adult Contemporary". Radio & Records . No. 823. Los Angeles, CA. January 19, 1990. p. 114. ISSN   0277-4860.
  29. ↑ "R&R The Back Page – National Airplay Overview: February 23, 1990 – CHR". Radio & Records . No. 828. Los Angeles, CA. February 23, 1990. p. 92. ISSN   0277-4860.
  30. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gloria Estefan – Here We Are" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM . Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  32. ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 22, 1990). "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard . Vol. 102, no. 51. p. YE-14.{{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  33. 1 2 "Top 90 of '90". Radio & Records. No. 870. Los Angeles, CA. December 14, 1990. pp. 56, 72. ISSN   0277-4860.
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