Pero Qué Necesidad Explained

Pero Qué Necesidad
Cover:Pero que necesidad.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Juan Gabriel
Album:Gracias por Esperar
Studio:Soundabout, Los Angeles, California
Genre:Latin pop
Label:Bertelsmann Music Group
Producer:Gustavo Farias
Prev Title:Fue un Placer Conocerte
Prev Year:1992
Next Title:Lentamente
Next Year:1994

"Pero Qué Necesidad" is a song performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel for his 21st studio album, Gracias por Esperar (1994). The song was produced by Gustavo Farias and written by Juan Gabriel. It is a Latin and pop song about loving people from around the world. The song was released as the album's lead single on 3 June 1994 by Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). Upon its release, music critics were divided with some praising the tune while others were unimpressed. Retrospective reviews of the song have been more favorable with few critics listing it as among his best songs.

Juan Gabriel has re-recorded the song twice, the first for his compilation album, Por Los Siglos (2001), and as a duet with fellow Mexican singer Emmanuel on his 28th studio album, Los Dúo (2015). The accompanying music video features the artist with children and people of different races. "Pero Qué Necesidad" won the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Song of the Year in 1995 and in the same category at the 1995 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Latin Awards. Commercially, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs in the United States. The song was covered by Puerto Rican singer Manny Manuel, whose version peaked at number four on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart in the US.

Background and composition

In 1986, Juan Gabriel released his 20th studio album, Pensamientos, and was succeeded by his compilation album, Debo Hacerlo (1988).[1] [2] Following the release of both albums, the artist went through a hiatus after legal disputes with his record label Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG).[3] The dispute involved Juan Gabriel demanding rights of over 439 songs he published under the label to be ceded to the artist.[4] Juan Gabriel would not record any new material for nearly eight years until BMG yielded to his demands.[4] [5]

On 21 October 1993, Ramiro Burr reported for the Austin American-Statesman that Juan Gabriel had finished wrapping up his next studio album, but it would not be released until the dispute between the artist and BMG had finished.[6] Both parties came to an agreement on 27 May 1994 and Juan Gabriel renewed his contract with the label.[7] Further details about the record were not revealed until a week later when the artist confirmed both the album's title of Gracias por Esperar and its release date.[8] Recording took place at the Soundabout Studio in Los Angeles, California.[9]

Juan Gabriel penned all the songs in the album with Gustavo Farias handling its production including "Pero Qué Necesidad".[9] [10] It is an up-tempo number with a Latin and pop beat in which the lyrics describes "loving people all over the world".[11] It features a gospel-like choir in the background.[10] Juan Gabriel re-recorded the track on his 2001 compilation album Por Los Siglos and again in 2015 with fellow Mexican singer Emmanuel on Juan Gabriel's vocal duet album Los Dúo as a soft rock cumbia.[12] [13]

Promotion and reception

"Pero Qué Necesidad" was released as the album's lead single on 3 June 1994 by BMG.[14] The song, which translates to "But What is the Need?", had played on Spanish-language radio stations for more than a month.[15] An accompanying music video was directed by Pedro Torres and filmed in Miami and is a "brotherhood", featuring children and people of various races with the singer.[16] The song was met with mixed reactions from music critics. The Newsday editor Ira Robbins called it an "engagingly ABBA-esque" song.[17] Ramiro Burr, writing for the San Antonio Express-News, unfavorably compared the song to ABBA although he stated it has a "nice, melodic tune".[18] Billboards Paul Verna noted that the "gospel-accented backing vocals buttress" the "peppy" song.[10] Mario Tarradell of the Miami Herald felt both the song and "Vienes o Voy" "fail miserably" as "dance-oriented, drum machine-happy numbers".[19] In the review of Juan Gabriel's performance at the Special Events Center, Maria Cortés Gonzalez of El Paso Times found it to be an "interesting, but ineffective opening".[20] The duet version of the song was lauded by AllMusic's Thom Jurek as "another golden moment here".[13]

Retrospective reviews of the song have been positive. Darren Jamison of the SingersRoom ranked it number ten on Juan Gabriel's best-songs of all-time and noted despite the "serious theme", he found the song "catchy and upbeat, with a lively rhythm and a joyful melody".[21] In a similar list, a Classic Rock reviewer ranked it number seven and stated that it "has a 90s pop sound, but the catchy beat can still be appreciated today".[11] At the 7th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 1995, "Pero Qué Necesidad" won Pop Song of the Year.[22] In the same year, Juan Gabriel earned the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers award for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year.[23] Commercially, the track topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States, becoming his third number one single on the chart. It ended 1994 as the fourth best-performing Latin song of the year.[24]

Puerto Rican singer Manny Manuel covered "Pero Qué Necesidad" on his debut studio album, El Rey de Corazónes (1994), as a merengue track.[25] [26] It was released as the album's lead single in 1994 by RMM Records.[26] Manuel's version peaked at number five on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart.[27]

Charts

Year-end charts

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Juan Gabriel - Pensamientos Album Reviews, Songs & More . . 24 April 2023 . 7 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107184449/https://www.allmusic.com/album/pensamientos-mw0000190090 . live .
  2. Web site: Juan Gabriel - Debo Hacerlo Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic . 24 April 2023 . en . 7 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107184449/https://www.allmusic.com/album/debo-hacerlo-mw0000111333 . live .
  3. Web site: Las 10 cosas que no sabías de Juan Gabriel . . 24 April 2023 . es . 10 April 2015 . 6 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230206063431/https://monitorlatino.com/top/las-10-cosas-que-no-sabias-de-juan-gabriel/ . live .
  4. Web site: La Espera de Juan Gabriel . . 24 April 2023 . spanish . 25 June 1994 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231529/https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-158508 . live .
  5. Web site: Juan Gabriel firma con Universal Music . . 24 April 2023 . es . 1 May 2008 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231539/https://www.latercera.com/noticia/juan-gabriel-firma-con-universal-music/ . live .
  6. News: Burr . Ramiro . New Albums Top the Latin Scene . 24 April 2023 . . 21 October 1993 . 18 . subscription . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231525/https://www.proquest.com/docview/256295405/715EBE8556B94BF1PQ/166?accountid=196403&forcedol=true . . live .
  7. Web site: Juan Gabriel: Los escándalos que rodearon su vida . . 24 April 2023 . es . 4 September 2016 . 14 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161114104558/http://eldiariony.com/2016/09/04/juan-gabriel-los-escandalos-que-rodearon-su-vida/ . live .
  8. News: Musica . 24 April 2023 . . 6 June 1994 . 3D . es . subscription . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231554/https://www.proquest.com/docview/368248210/715EBE8556B94BF1PQ/318?accountid=196403&forcedol=true . . live .
  9. Web site: Juan Gabriel - Gracias Por Esperar Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic . 24 April 2023 . 7 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107184450/https://www.allmusic.com/album/gracias-por-esperar-mw0000122292 . live .
  10. Verna . Paul . Album Reviews . Billboard . 2 July 1994 . 106 . 27 . 85 . 24 April 2023 . 0006-2510 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231539/https://books.google.com/books?id=XQgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA85#v=onepage&q&f=false . live .
  11. Johnson . Michele . Top 10 Juan Gabriel Songs . . 24 April 2023 . 11 November 2021 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125172157/https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-juan-gabriel-songs/ . live .
  12. News: Castillo . Alberto . Pone mas sabor a sus exitos . 7 November 2022 . . 10 October 2001 . 5 . . es . subscription . ProQuest . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231557/https://www.proquest.com/docview/315738006 . live .
  13. Web site: Jurek . Thom . Juan Gabriel – Los Dúo Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic . 16 November 2022 . 16 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221116020329/https://www.allmusic.com/album/los-d%C3%BAo-mw0002784937 . live .
  14. Lannert . John . BMG Artist Juan Gabriel Returns, With 'Thanks' . Billboard . 18 June 1994 . 106 . 25 . 10, 101 . 24 April 2023 . 0006-2510 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231523/https://books.google.com/books?id=UQgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA10#v=onepage&q&f=false . live .
  15. News: Romney . Lee . Pond Showcases Latino Icon : Event . 24 April 2023 . . 26 June 1994 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231528/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-26-me-8737-story.html . live .
  16. News: Ponce . Robero . Juan Gabriel: La génesis de sus canciones . 5 May 2023 . . 6 September 2016 . spanish. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019130219/https://www.proceso.com.mx/reportajes/2016/9/6/juan-gabriel-la-genesis-de-sus-canciones-170146.html. 19 October 2021.
  17. News: Robbins . Ira . Juan Gabriel's Lasting Love . 24 April 2023 . B09 . 13 September 1994 . B09 . subscription . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231528/https://www.proquest.com/docview/278778267/8CCADAE9A6604F8EPQ/10?accountid=196403&forcedol=true . . live .
  18. News: Burr . Ramiro . If Singer's a Star, Why Is Album Dull? . 24 April 2023 . . 30 October 1994 . 5H . subscription . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231532/https://www.proquest.com/docview/261621622/8CCADAE9A6604F8EPQ/23?accountid=196403&forcedol=true . . live .
  19. News: Tarradell . Mario . Album Reviews . 24 April 2023 . . 6 July 1994 . 7E . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231525/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/123472822/ . live. .
  20. News: Gonzalez . Maria Cortés . Singer Reaches into Past . 24 April 2023 . . 21 November 1994 . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231525/https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-times/123473479/ . live. Newspapers.com .
  21. Web site: Jamison . Darren . 10 Best Juan Gabriel Songs of All Time . SingersRoom . 24 April 2023 . 29 March 2023 . 29 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329022358/https://singersroom.com/10-best-juan-gabriel-songs-of-all-time/ . live .
  22. Web site: Lo Nuestro – Historia . es . Univision. 8 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626102925/http://i.univision.com/contentuvn/rinconlatino/plnuestro/images/index_historia.swf. 26 June 2015.
  23. The Third Annual El Premio ASCAP. Billboard. 23 September 1995. 27 January 2013. 38. 16. 107.
  24. 28 November 1998 . Topping The Charts Year By Year . Billboard . 110 . 48 . LMQ3. 3 March 2010.
  25. Web site: Manny Manuel - El Rey de Corazones Album Reviews, Songs & More. AllMusic. 24 April 2023. 3 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220203211923/https://www.allmusic.com/album/el-rey-de-corazones-mw0000120870. live.
  26. News: Cordero . Diana . Aqui y Alla . 24 April 2023 . . 26 January 1995 . 7 . es . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424231534/https://www.proquest.com/docview/368635035/34396C81660D4222PQ/1?accountid=196403&forcedol=true . . live .
  27. Manny Manuel: Chart History - Tropical Airplay . Billboard . 24 April 2023 . 18 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211118012551/https://www.billboard.com/artist/manny-manuel/chart-history/htl/ . live .

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