Suave (song)

1993 song by Luis Miguel

For other uses, see Suave (disambiguation).

"Suave"

Single by Luis Miguel
from the album  Aries
Released| 1993
Studio|

* Ocean Way (Hollywood)
* Record One (Los Angeles)
* Larrabee Sound (Hollywood)
* Ground Control (Los Angeles)

Genre| Dance
Length| 4:47
Label| WEA Latina
Songwriter(s)|

* Kiko Cibrian
* Orlando Castro

Producer(s)|

* Luis Miguel
* Cibrian

Luis Miguel singles chronology
| "Hasta Que Me Olvides"
(1993)  | "Suave"
(1993)  | "El Día Que Me Quieras"
(1994)

|
|

Music video
"Suave" on YouTube

"Suave" (transl. "Smooth")[1] is a song by Mexican singer Luis Miguel from his ninth studio album, Aries (1993). The song was composed by Kiko Cibrian and Orlando Castro with the former handling its production along with the artist. It is a dance number in which the singer describes a woman who bewitches him and becomes the woman of his dreams. The song received positive reactions from two music critics. It was acknowledged as an award-winning song at the 1995 Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) Latin Awards. Commercially, the song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States. Its music video was directed by Kiko Guerrero and filmed in Acapulco, Mexico, and features Miguel dancing in a beach with several women.

"Suave" has been covered by Puerto Rican singer Jerry Rivera in 1995 as a salsa track and Mexican entertainer Diego Boneta in 2021 as part of the soundtrack for the second season of Luis Miguel: The Series (2018). Rivera's version peaked at numbers 16 and one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Airplay charts in the US, respectively. The cover was nominated in the category of Tropical Song of the Year at the 8th Lo Nuestro Award in 1996.

## Background and composition

[edit]

"Suave"

A 27-second sample of "Suave", an "upbeat, brass-heavy, attitudinal" number.[2]

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

In 1991 Miguel released his eighth studio album Romance, a collection of classic boleros. The album, which was produced by Armando Manzanero and arranged by Bebu Silvetti,[3] was a commercial success in Latin America and sold over seven million copies worldwide.[4][5] It revived interest in the bolero genre and was the first record by a Spanish-speaking artist to be certified gold in Brazil, Taiwan and the United States.[5] In spite of the album's success, Miguel did not want to release a follow-up record that was similar to Romance.[6] When asked why he chose not to record more boleros, he replied, "I wanted to try my music, just forgetting a little bit about those boleros that everyone knows."[7] The singer began working with the composers for the album a year before recording in a studio in 1992; in Miguel's words, he wanted to "discuss the works, the themes, and melodies; ... The creation of an album has to be part of me or else I would not be able to interpret it, or sing in it."[8]

On 24 August 1992, El Siglo de Torreón reported that Miguel had begun collaborating with David Foster and Juan Carlos Calderón on some compositions, along with English-speaking composers, and selecting cover versions for the album.[9] Due to difficulty finding a suitable producer for the record, the singer decided to co-produce Aries (1993) with his long-time associate Kiko Cibrian.[7] The final release is composed of ten tracks, four of which are dance songs that are "upbeat, brass-heavy, attitudinal numbers" including "Suave".[2][10] "Suave" was composed by Cibrian and Orlando Castro and its lyrics narrate about a "seductive woman, how her smile has bewitched him...in a few words, she is the woman of his dreams".[11] In the song, Miguel chants: "suave como me mata tu mirada, suave es el perfume de tu piel, suave son tus caricias, como siempre te soñé, como siempre te soñé" ("smooth, how you look kills, smooth, it is the perfume of your skin, smooth, it is your caress as I've always dreamed of you").[12] According to Castro, Miguel initially rejected the song as he did not like it, but later received a call from Cibrian with a reworked version.[13]

## Promotion and reception

[edit]

"Suave" was released as the album's third single in 1993 by WEA Latina.[14] Its music video was directed by Kiko Guerrero, filmed in Acapulco, Mexico, and features Miguel dancing with several women in the beach.[13] The song was later included on his greatest hits album Grandes Éxitos (2005).[15] A live version of the song was featured on his live albums.[16][17] AllMusic reviewer Jose F. Promis felt that Miguel "delivers to fine results" on the track along with "Dame Tu Amor" and "Que Nivel de Mujer".[2] John Lannert of the Sun-Sentinel referred "Suave", along with "Luz Verde", as "rhythmic, romantic runes".[18] In 2021, an editor for Terra listed it as one of the best three songs from the album.[19] The track was listed among "10 Luis Miguel Songs You Should Know" by Emily Paulín on Sonica and "20 Best Luis Miguel Songs to Listen on YouTube Music" by an editor for El Comercio.[20][21] It was acknowledged as an award-winning song at the 1995 BMI Latin Awards.[22] "Suave" ranked at number 54 in the South American edition of the "VH1 100 Greatest Songs of the Nineties in Spanish".[23] Commercially, it peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the US and number one in Mexico according to Notitas Musicales.[24][25] In 2021, Mexican entertainer Diego Boneta covered "Suave" on the soundtrack for the second season of Luis Miguel: The Series (2018).[26]

## Track listing

[edit]

CD Promo[27]

1. "Suave" (radio edit) - 4:58
2. "Suave" (Instrumental Mix) - 5:29
3. "Suave" (MD's Freestyle Mix) - 7:13
4. "Suave" (MD's Freestyle Semi-Dub Mix) - 7:33
5. "Suave" (MD's Suavisimo Mix) - 7:58
6. "Suave" (Top 40 Radio Edit) - 4:30
7. "Suave" (album version) - 4:47

## Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the Aries liner notes:[28]

Performance credits

* Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, arranger
* John Robinson – drums
* Kiko Cibrian – guitar, background vocals, arranger, brass arrangements
* Paulinho da Costa – percussion
* Jerry Hey – brass, brass arrangements
* Dan Higgins – brass
* Gary Grant – brass
* Bill Reichenbach Jr. – brass
* Kirk Whalum – saxophone solo
* Annie Cruz – background vocals
* Iliana Holland – background vocals
* Dan Navarro – background vocals
* Tom Bowes – background vocals

Technical credits

* Luis Miguel – producer
* Kiko Cibrian – co-producer
* Mauricio Abaroa – executive producer
* Julio Saenz – executive producer
* Benny Faccone – engineer
* Humberto Gatica – mixing
* Jim Champagne – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
* Noel Hazen – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
* Bernie Grundman – mastering
* Alfredo Gatica – artistic coordination
* Ezra Kliger – production coordination
* Jose Quintana – production coordination

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for "Suave"  Chart (1993)  | Peak
position

|

Mexico (Notitas Musicales)[25] | 1
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[24] | 9

## Jerry Rivera version

[edit]

"Suave"

Promotional single by Jerry Rivera
from the album  Fresco
Released| 21 November 1995
Studio| Charlie Dos Santos
E1212 Recording
Genesis Recording
Ocho Recording
Power Light Recording
Sir Sound Recording, NY
V, .U. Recording
Genre| Salsa
Length| 4:29
Label| Sony Discos
Songwriter(s)|

* Orlando Castro
* Kiko Cibrian

Producer(s)|

* Sergio George
* Cuto Soto

In 1995, Puerto Rican singer Jerry Rivera covered "Suave" which was later included on his sixth studio album Fresco (1996).[29] Rivera's version was released as a promotional single from the album on 21 November 1995 by Sony Discos.[30] As with the tracks in the album, it is a traditional salsa number produced by Sergio George and Cuto Soto.[31] Ramiro Burr of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram felt that George "injects a light urban touch of cool funk".[32] In the US, the song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and became his first number one song on the Tropical Airplay chart.[33][34] Rivera's version was nominated in the category of Tropical Song of the Year at the 8th Lo Nuestro Award in 1996, but ultimately lost to "Abriendo Puertas" by Gloria Estefan.[35][36]

### Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Jerry Rivera's version  Chart (1996)  | Peak
position

|

US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[33] | 16
US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[34] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Chart (1996)  | Position

|

US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[37] | 15

## See also

[edit]

* List of number-one hits of 1994 (Mexico)
* List of Billboard Tropical Airplay number ones of 1996

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Randle, Wilma (13 September 1993). "Miguel Boils Over at UIC". Chicago Tribune. p. 16\. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b c Promis, Jose F. "Aries – Overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
3. ^ "Romance – Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
4. ^ "Dimes y Diretes". El Siglo de Torreon (in Spanish). 12 October 1992. p. 51\. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
5. ^ a b Candelaria, Cordelia; Garcia, Peter; Adalma, Arturo (2004). Encyclopedia of Latino popular culture. Vol. 2\. Westport, United States: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 551–552\. ISBN 9780313322150. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
6. ^ Burr, Ramiro (11 July 1993). "Luis Miguel meets his challenges". San Antonio Express-News.
7. ^ a b Lannert, John (3 July 1993). "Luis Miguel Returns With An R&B Flavor". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 27\. pp. 1, 72. ISSN 0006-2510.
8. ^ Burr, Ramiro (17 June 1993). "Tejano pop star croons 2nd album". Austin American-Statesman.
9. ^ "Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 24 August 1992. p. 50\. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
10. ^ Obejas, Achy (11 August 1994). "Luis Miguel Aries". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
11. ^ Arrona, Junita Crespo (23 April 2021). "Luis Miguel la Serie 2 destapan nuevo single y las fans enloquecen" (in Spanish). AM. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023. "'Suave' habla sobre una mujer seductora, cómo su sonrisa lo ha embrujado...en pocas palabras es la mujer de sus sueños."
12. ^ "'Suave', la historia de una de la canciones famosas de Luis Miguel". El Universal (in Spanish). 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
13. ^ a b Alonso, Martinez (26 April 2021). "'Suave': la historia real del éxito de Luis Miguel". GQ (in Mexican Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
14. ^ "Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 27 September 1993. p. 95\. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
15. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Grandes Exitos - Luis Miguel". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
16. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "El Concierto - Luis Miguel: Overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
17. ^ "Vivo – Luis Miguel". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
18. ^ Lannert, John (20 June 1993). "A Seduction Of Rhythm". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
19. ^ "'Luis Miguel, la serie 2': Estas son las mejores canciones del disco Aries" (in Spanish). Terra. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
20. ^ Paulín, Emily (19 April 2022). "10 canciones de Luis Miguel que todos deben conocer sí o sí" (in Spanish). Sonica. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
21. ^ "Luis Miguel y las 20 mejores canciones para escuchar en YouTube Music". El Comercio (in Spanish). 10 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
22. ^ "Los Premios Latinos de BMI Latin Awards". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51\. 23 December 1995. p. 29\. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
23. ^ "Así suena Suave, canción de Luis Miguel en versión salsa". Milenio (in Spanish). 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
24. ^ a b "Luis Miguel Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
25. ^ a b "Canciones Que Mexico Canta". Notitas Musicales. March 1994.
26. ^ "Ya está disponible la banda sonora de la segunda temporada de 'Luis Miguel, la serie'" (in European Spanish). Sony Music España. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
27. ^ Miguel, Luis (1993). Suave (Media notes). United States: WEA Latina. LM-001.
28. ^ Miguel, Luis (1993). Luis Miguel (Album liner notes). US: WEA Latina, a division of Warner Music Group. pp. 17–18\. 7 4509-92993 2.
29. ^ Estévez, Jr., José A. "Fresco - Jerry Rivera | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
30. ^ "Jerry Rivera - Suave Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
31. ^ Rivera, Francisco Perez (8 September 1996). "Verano caliente para la música latina". El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). The McClatchy Company. p. 2C. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021 - via Newspapers.com. "Fresco, de Jerry Rivera, un álbum de salsa tradicional con un toque romántico..."
32. ^ Burr, Ramiro (19 February 1997). "Rivera offers a 'Fresh' sound on new CD". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 9\. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
33. ^ a b "Jerry Rivera Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
34. ^ a b "Jerry Rivera Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
35. ^ "Univision Announces the Nominees for Spanish-language Music's Highest Honors Premio Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina". Univision. Business Wire. 27 March 1996. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
36. ^ "Lo Nuestro – Historia". Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
37. ^ "1996: The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52\. Prometheus Global Media. 28 December 1996. p. YE-68. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Luis Miguel singles

Songs

1980s|

* "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres"
* "Noi, ragazzi di oggi"
* "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar"
* "Cuando Calienta El Sol"
* "Yo Que No Vivo Sin Ti"
* "La Incondicional"
* "Fría Como el Viento"

1990s|

* "Tengo Todo Excepto a Ti"
* "Entrégate"
* "Será Que No Me Amas"
* "Inolvidable"
* "No Sé Tú
* "Contigo en la Distancia"
* "América, América"
* "Ayer"
* "Hasta Que Me Olvides"
* "Suave"
* "El día que me quieras"
* "La Media Vuelta"
* "Todo y Nada"
* "Sueña"
* "Dame"
* "Cómo Es Posible Que a Mi Lado"
* "Por Debajo de la Mesa"
* "El Reloj"
* "Bésame Mucho"
* "Sol, Arena y Mar"
* "O Tú o Ninguna"

2000s|

* "Dormir Contigo"
* "Amarte Es un Placer"
* "La Bikina"
* "Amor, Amor, Amor"
* "Todo Para Ti
* "Santa Claus Llegó a La Ciudad"
* "Mi Humilde Oración"
* "Si Tú Te Atreves"

* v
* t
* e

Jerry Rivera

Studio albums|

* Abriendo Puertas
* Cuenta Conmigo
* Cara de Niño
* Magia
* Fresco
* Rivera

Singles|

* "Suave"
* "Loco de Amor"
* "Una y Mil Veces"
* "Ese"
* "Quiero"

Related articles|

* Idol Puerto Rico
* Sony Discos

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