Un poco de amor

The story behind

When Shakira was taking her first steps in music, working with Luis Fernando Ochoa, Un poco de amor emerged. This song, part of her international debut album, Pies descalzos, released in 1995, was presented to the public as the fourth single in mid-1996. The lyrics speak of waiting, of longing for a love that has not yet arrived, a feeling that resonated with the artist at that time. Although it did not reach the magnitude of hits like Estoy aquí, its resonance was such that it was included in later compilations such as Grandes Éxitos and Colección de Oro. What makes Un poco de amor particularly interesting is its fusion of styles: it is a Latin pop piece that incorporates elements of reggae. Furthermore, it marks a milestone as it was the first time Shakira included verses in English, performed by Howard Glasford, a reggae singer from the island of Providencia. Curiously, although Glasford appears in the official video, his vocal participation is not credited on the song. The recording of Un poco de amor involved several sound engineers such as Sonido Azulado, Luly Deya, José Martínez, Camillo Montilla, Freddi Niño, and Victor Di Persia, with mixing handled by Juan Antonio Castillo. The production, as in much of the album Pies descalzos, was co-led by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa, who had collaborated previously. The music video, directed by Gustavo Garzón, is a vibrant and multicultural visual display. It shows people of diverse ethnicities sharing music and dance, interspersed with scenes of Shakira and Howard Glasford performing the melody. This musical piece, with its duration of 4:03, managed to position itself at number 11 on the Billboard Latin Pop Songs and Latin Songs charts. There is also a Portuguese version of this song, titled "Um Pouco de Amor".