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No Sé Tú

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"No Sé Tú"
Promotional single by Armando Manzanero
from the album Cariñosamente
LanguageSpanish
B-side"Otra Vez"
Published1986
Released1986
Length3:07
LabelCBS
Songwriter(s)Armando Manzanero

"No Sé Tú" (transl. "I Don't Know About You")[1] is a song written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Armando Manzanero, released from his studio album, Cariñosamente (1986). A popular bolero song, the lyrics describe the protagonist unable to stop thinking about his lover. Manzanero re-recorded "No Sé Tú" as a duet with Francisco Céspedes on Manzanero's album Duetos (2001). It was listed among Manzanero's best songs by an editor for BBC Mundo.[2]

A cover of the song by Mexican singer Luis Miguel was released as the second single from his eighth studio album, Romance (1991). Miguel co-produced his rendition along with Manzanero, with string arrangements being composed by Bebu Silvetti. The music video for Miguel's cover was directed by Pedro Torres, filmed in Miami, and features the artist performing in front of an orchestra. It won the Eres award for Video of the Year.

Retrospectively, his rendition received favorable reviews from music critics who listed it among the artist's best songs. At the 1993 Lo Nuestro Awards, "No Sé Tú" won Pop Song of the Year while Manzanero received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Latin Award for the same category.

Background and composition

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In 1986, Manzanero released Cariñosamente, an album of new arrangements of songs he had previously composed as well as two original compositions written by Manzanero ("No Sé Tú" and "Otra Vez").[3] The former is a bolero that tells of a man "who can't stop thinking about the love of his life".[4][2][5] "No Sé Tú" was released as a promotional single from the album.[6] Manzanero performed an instrumental version of the song on the piano for his studio album, El Piano, Armando Manzanero, y sus amigos (1995).[7] According to La Verdad's Paola Alejandra Parra, while Manzanero has written songs based on his life, it is not known to whom "No Sé Tú" was dedicated.[8]

He later re-recorded "No Sé Tú" as a duet with Francisco Céspedes on Manazero's album Duetos (2001).[9] He also performed the song with fellow Mexican singer Susana Zabaleta on their live album De la A a la Z (2006).[10] "No Sé Tú" ranked number three on BBC Mundo's "Armando Manzanero 10 Songs That We Love the Most".[2] As part of Billboard's tribute to the artist, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, Joy Huerta of Jesse & Joy performed the song live with Manzanero playing on the piano.[11] Following Manzanero's death, Huerta recorded her own rendition of the track and was featured as the closing theme for the Mexican telenovela Fuego ardiente (2021).[12]

Luis Miguel version

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"No Sé Tú"
Silhouette of Luis Miguel holding a microphone
Single by Luis Miguel
from the album Romance
ReleasedFebruary 1992 (1992-02)
StudioOcean Way Recording (Hollywood, California)
GenreBolero
Length3:48
LabelWEA Latina
Songwriter(s)Armando Manzanero
Producer(s)
  • Manzanero
  • Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel singles chronology
"Inolvidable"
(1991) 		"No Sé Tú"
(1992) 		"Contigo en la Distancia"
(1992)
Music video
"No Sé Tú" on YouTube
"No Sé Tú"
A 23-second sample of Miguel's cover of Armando Manzanero's 1986 "No Sé Tú", which contains parts of the chorus and features string arrangements by Bebu Silvetti.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In 1991, Mexican singer Luis Miguel covered "No Sé Tú" on his eighth studio album, Romance, a collection of boleros performed by the artist.[13] Released as the album's second single in February 1992 by WEA Latina,[14] it is one of two songs by Manzanero that Miguel covered in the album, along with "Te Extraño", as selected from among 500 others.[15][16][17]

As with the rest of the album's tracks, it was co-produced by Manzanero and Miguel, with Bebu Silvetti arranging the strings.[18] Recording took place at the Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California.[19] The song was later included on his compilation albums Mis Boleros Favoritos (2002) and Grandes Éxitos (2005).[20][21] A live version of the song was featured on his live albums and as part of the "Romance Medley" on Vivo (2000).[22][23][24]

Reception

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Retrospectively, music critics commended "No Sé Tú" as one of Miguel's best songs. 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.[25][26] Danyel Smith of Vibe magazine listed it as among the 99 best love songs of the and wrote: "Backed by a full orchestra, his voice rises, falls and penetrates, making us wish we'd been there la otra vez".[27] The Classic Rock editor ranked "No Sé Tú" as Miguel's third best song of all-time by complimented it as "another satisfying ballad" and praised its "exquisite" musical arrangements.[4] Cindy Carcamo of the Orange County Register called it "beautifully written".[28] Commercially, it topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs in the United States, where it spent seven weeks at this position.[29] It ended 1992 as the second best-performing Latin song of the year.[30] In Mexico, both "No Sé Tú" and "Inovidable" topped the charts for a total of six months.[31]

Music video

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An accompanying music video for "No Sé Tú" was directed by Pedro Torres and filmed in Miami; it features Miguel and an orchestra performing in front of a building.[32][33] The video premiered on 16 February on the Mexican variety show Siempre en Domingo.[14] At the 1993 annual Premios Eres, it won Best Video.[34]

Accolades

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At the 5th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 1993, "No Sé Tú" won Pop Song of the Year.[35] At the inaugural ASCAP Latin Awards in the same year, Manzanero won Pop Song of the Year for the track in a tie with Ana Gabriel's song "Evidencias".[36]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Gold 30,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Silva, Guadalupe (21 February 1992). "Luis Miguel Brings Us His Maturing Sounds". El Paso Times. p. 9. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Las 10 canciones que más nos enamoraron de Armando Manzanero" (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. 28 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  3. ^ Cariñosamente (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. Spain: CBS Records. 1986. CBS 460256 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Michele (3 July 2022). "Top 10 Luis Miguel Songs". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. ^ Ossa, Carlos Joaquín (1997). Golpe al corazón: tangos y boleros (1. ed.). Santiago, Chile: Planeta. p. 75. ISBN 9789562471749.
  6. ^ No Sé Tú / Otra Vez (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. Spain: CBS Records. 1986. CBS 460256 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ El Piano. Manzanero y sus amigos (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. United States: BMG US Latin. 1995. 7 43212 61222 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Alejandra-Parra, Paola (22 May 2021). "No sé tú de Armando Manzanero, la historia de la canción". La Verdad (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Armando Manzanero – Duetos Armando Manzanero Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Armando Manzanero - De la A a la Z [DVD] Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Latin Billboard 2020: Armando Manzanero recibe premio a su trayectoria". La Verdad (in Spanish). 21 October 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Una telenovela rinde homenaje a Armando Manzanero con el tema 'No sé tú'". Los Angeles Times (in Spanish). 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. ^ Fernandez, Enrique (1 August 1999). "The Future Is Retro". Sun-Sentinel. p. 2. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 15 February 1992. p. 58. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Breves de Espectáculos" [Entertainment Briefs]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 9 February 1992. p. 54. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  16. ^ Salazar, Jaime Rico (1993). Cien años de boleros: Su historia, sus compositores, sus mejores intérpretes y 600 boleros inolvidables [One hundred years of boleros: Its history, its composers, its best performers, and 600 boleros] (in Spanish). Bogotá, Colombia: Centro Editorial de Estudios Musicales. p. 320. OCLC 29577859.
  17. ^ Valdez, Paco (30 December 1991). "Estrellas" [Stars]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). p. 47. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Luis Miguel revive música del pasado" [Luis Miguel relives music from the past]. El Informador (in Spanish). 8 January 1992. p. 15-D.
  19. ^ Calzada, Gloria (24 August 1991). "Comentarios de..." [Comments from...]. El Informador (in Spanish). p. 14-E.
  20. ^ Adaime, Iván. "Mis Boleros Favoritos — Overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  21. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Grandes Exitos - Luis Miguel". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  22. ^ "America & En Vivo – Luis Miguel". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  23. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "El Concierto - Luis Miguel: Overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  24. ^ "Vivo – Luis Miguel". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2017. Click on the back cover.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ Smith, Danyel (February 1999). "99 Best Love Songs of All Time". Vibe. 7 (1): 68. ISSN 1070-4701.
  28. ^ Carcamo, Cindy (27 September 2008). "Strong Show But No Surprises From Luis Miguel". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Luis Miguel - Chart History: Hot Latin Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Topping The Charts Year By Year". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 48. 28 November 1998. p. LMQ3. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  31. ^ Bazán, Rodrigo (2001). Y Si Vivo Cien Años... Antología del Bolero en México [And If I Live One Hundred Years... Anthology of Bolero in Mexico] (in Spanish). Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica. p. 70. ISBN 9681663071. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Luis Miguel se encuentra sano" [Luis Miguel is Healthy]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 18 March 1992. p. 50. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  33. ^ Torres, Pedro (director) (1992). No Sé Tú (Television). Miami, Florida: Warner Music Mexico. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  34. ^ "Entregan los premios 'Eres'" [The Eres awards presented]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 12 February 1993. p. 47. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  35. ^ "Lo Nuestro – Historia". Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  36. ^ Lannert, John (29 May 1993). "ASCAP Salutes Latin Writers, Publishers" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 22. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  37. ^ "El elepé baladas". El Informador. April 2, 1992. p. 74E.
  38. ^ "Luis Miguel Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  39. ^ "The Year in Music: 1992 - Top Hot Latin Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. 26 December 1992. p. YE-54. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  40. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Luis Miguel – No Sé Tú". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
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