I first saw this video after watching Shakira perform at Live Earth 2007 with my dad. No, before you ask, we weren't actually at Live Earth, but they announced Shakira's name and I looked up at the TV. I'd never seen Shakira perform live before. I'd always liked her music, though. Good to dance to. Infectious. And then I saw the performance.
Okay, so it's not one of the best performances. And it's marred somewhat by the fact that the sound balance was a bit off. But it certainly stirred something in me. Something that made me run upstairs and then wrestle YouTube for the official music video. And I do have to say, embarrassing as this may be, the first time I saw it, it made me more aroused than any form of soft porn I've ever seen. Its effect is less so now, but it still manages to impress.
And yes, I masturbated to it. I continued to do so for a while. Sorry, Shakira. If I ever meet her, I'm apologising for that.So, yes. It's a very hot music video. Shakira, apart from having a great voice, is famed for her provocative style of dancing, mostly involving the use of her hips. Hence the name of the song... possibly. Though the dance she does is different in every performance, the video places her in a costume which... well... doesn't leave too much to the imagination. There are even a few shots of her naked sequined back, which oddly enough I don't find as sexy as the bits where you can see her face. But then again, I'm weird like that.
What's funniest about this video is that Wyclef Jean famously sings the backing vocals, and even has a verse or
two on his own. I'm not sure if it's him that does the famous "Shakira! Shakira!" hollering, although it doesn't appear to be, unless they've multitracked him. But while Shakira, in this video, not only does her twisting, jerking, writhing dance with the "come hither" expressions, but also appears to be having the time of her life doing so, Wyclef just continues to look a bit lost throughout. I'm sure he doesn't feel it, but he does look a bit confused at various points, as if he's not entirely sure what he's supposed to do. But then again, it's Shakira's video, not his - so a lot of the focus is on her, even though it will cut to Wyclef doing something random at bits, just to remind you he exists.
But the real star of the show is the lady herself - and why not? The second half of the video is a big Latin parade, with lots of... random... stuff happening, but the first half has perhaps the best belly dance I've ever seen. And you'd be surprised, but I've seen a lot of belly dances. Not sure how. I just have.And it fits with the song too. After all, isn't the song about dancing in order to sexually provoke somebody? Well, she's certainly doing so, especially in conjunction with lyrics which amount to "you know you want it". Musical tease, perhaps?
So here's my challenge. Watch it. Especially if you haven't seen it before. You probably will have heard the song, but you may not have seen the video, and if you can get past the first half of the video without at least shifting uncomfortably once in your seat, I think there may be something slightly amiss.
Oh, and the tune's good, too.
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