El universo sobre mí
| "El universo sobre mí" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Amaral | ||||
| from the album Pájaros en la cabeza | ||||
| B-side | "No soy como tú (versión acústica)" | |||
| Released | 25 February 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:07 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Cameron Jenkins | |||
| Amaral singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "El universo sobre mí" on YouTube | ||||
"El universo sobre mí" (lit. transl. "The universe above me") is a song performed by the Spanish rock duo Amaral, consisting of vocalist Eva Amaral and guitarist Juan Aguirre. They wrote the song and Cameron Jenkins produced it. Virgin Records released it as the first single from the album Pájaros en la cabeza on 25 February 2005.[1][2] The song debuted at number 1 in Spain, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. Additionally, it peaked at number 43 in the American Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks.
Composition and release
[edit]
After concluding Amaral's tour to promote the album Estrella de mar (2002), Eva Amaral and Juan Aguirre wrote "El universo sobre mí". The tour had been stressful, with extensive travel and a lack of rest exacerbated by the newfound fame brought by the album. The lyrics of the song reflect "a chant to move forward, to feel free and to do whatever they wanted to do",[a] as Eva explained, as they felt their band was drifting from its origins. During this period, Aguirre, the group's lead guitarist, injured his hand, leading him to play the introduction with a keyboard instead of a guitar. In live performances, he used a Mellotron instead.[3] Regarding the lyric "Quiero encontrar mi sitio" ("I want to find my place"), Eva explained that it is about finding balance and peace of mind in the world. The song's initial working title was "Solo queda una vela".[4]
Cameron Jenkins produced it along with the album, Pájaros en la cabeza.[5] Virgin Records released it as the first single from the album on 25 February 2005.[6][7] Aguirre mentioned that the album cover of Pájaros en la cabeza is a doll-like metaphor for how they were feeling at the time, and that they faced problems getting the cover to remain the final one.[8]: 1:31–2:14
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Lucía Noguerales from Onda Cero compared the introduction of "El universo sobre mí" to the song "Strawberry Fields Forever" by the Beatles, as it uses a Mellotron.[3] El Crítico de IA[b] wrote for the Spanish magazine Popes80 that the song is a pop rock tune that "has the incredible ability to connect with our deepest emotions, transporting us to dreamy places and awakening feelings we thought we had forgotten."[10] The European Space Agency added the song to its playlist for the launch of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) interstellar spacecraft in 2023.[11]
Commercial performance
[edit]In Spain, "El universo sobre mí" debuted at the top of the Spanish chart on 6 March 2005, where it stayed for three weeks. As of December 2024, the song remains their only number-one single in the country.[5] The Productores de Música de España certified the song platinum in 2024, denoting sales of 60,000 copies.[12] In the United States, it peaked at number 43 on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart on 2 July 2005.[13]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[5] | 1 |
| US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[13] | 43 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[12] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Original text in Spanish: "Esta canción es un canto a salir adelante, a sentirnos libres y a seguir haciendo lo que nos viniera en gana".
- ^ "El Crítico de la IA" (The AI Critic) is a blend of Popes80 reviewers and insights generated by the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Top 20 Singles y Maxisingles" [Top 20 Singles and Maxisingles]. Productores de Música de España (in Spanish). 19 February 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "El Universo Sobre Mi - Single". iTunes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b Noguerales, Lucía (11 August 2023). "'El universo sobre mí', un grito de Amaral a la libertad con sonido a los Beatles" ['El universo sobre mí', Amaral's Beatles-sounding cry for freedom]. Onda Cero (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Sánchez, Alicia (6 April 2020). "'El universo sobre mi', la historia del número 1 más festivo de Amaral" ['El universo sobre mi', the story of Amaral's most festive number 1]. Los 40 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Amaral – El Universo Sobre Mí" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Top 20 Singles y Maxisingles" [Top 20 Singles and Maxisingles]. Productores de Música de España (in Spanish). 19 February 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "El Universo Sobre Mi - Single". iTunes (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Baroja, Eva (29 April 2021). "Amaral y 'El universo sobre mí': 'Era un canto a hacer lo que nos diese la gana en la industria musical'" [Amaral and 'El universo sobre mí': 'It was a song to do whatever we wanted in the music industry']. InfoLibre (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Popes80 estrena el primer crítico de pop español por IA: descubre sus recomendaciones" [Popes80 launches the first Spanish pop reviewer by AI: discover its recommendations] (in Spanish). 13 December 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ Crítico de IA, El (26 May 2023). "El crítico de IA recomienda el himno de libertad de Amaral" [El crítico de IA recommends Amaral's anthem of freedom]. Popes80 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ De la Morena, Ana (14 April 2023). "La canción de Amaral que sonará en Júpiter" [The Amaral song that will be played in Jupiter]. Los 40 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Histórico de certificados - Amaral". El portal de Música (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Amaral Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2024.