Enrique Iglesias. Euphoria. Thoughts.

I’ve been an Enrique fan since hero in 2002. I’ve played escape to death and I loved quizas, the Spanish language album that was the follow up. Enrique kinda lost me with 7, I didn’t really understand where that album was going.

It wasn’t until insomniac was released that I found my passion for his music again. Insomniac is an INCREDIBLE album I loved dearly. So when I heard euphoria was hip-hop, dance infused, and had all these artists I didn’t like working on it, I was sceptical to say the least.

I’ve followed the US downloads from itunes, we had 4 before the album.

1. Cuando me enamoro. I didn’t take to at first but I like it now. It’s got the most sweet lyrics when translated.

2. I like it. I erm… didn’t like it. At all. But the chorus got under my skin.

3. heartbeat. with pussy cat doll Nicole. And I LOVE IT. Its probably one of the best tracks Enrique has ever recorded. Simple melody, simply lyrics, but my god it’s a dance track. I love it so much.

4. no me digas que no. erm no! I don’t like it all.

So that’s about 25% of the singles in the US I loved before release. But I took that chance of buying it and finding gold. And gold I tell you, is what it is.
A lot of this album is either dance inspired or about heartbreak. And it works so well.

UK STANDARD VERSION:



1. I LIKE IT FEATURING PITBULL

the first single, you've probably heard it on the radio while doing the cleaning or seen the video on a music channel as you where flicking the channels.

I don’t like pitbull and I don’t think it suits the song, have said that, I still find myself singing pitbull’s words as well as enrique’s. I do think it’s a great club track that would have been better without pitbull. (see track 11)



2. ONE DAY AT A TIME FEATURING AKON

I’ve hated akon since he had that silly chipmunk first single. But this song works. It’s a tender song about letting go. And I adore it. enrique duet with akon? it shouldnt work. but kinda does.



3. HEARTBEAT FEATURING NICOLE SCHERZINGER

I love love love this song. It’s the best dance track ever, and my official sound of the summer. I’ve played it SOOO many times. This song, unlike the songs with usher and akon was meant to be a duet and Nicole rocks it.



4. WHY NOT ME

Heartbreaking song I adore so much. I hope you don’t mind me quoting lyrics.

“i know i will never free my soul. its trapped between true love and being alone”

"u say u love me, but I'm just a friend, my heart is broken, I wanna love you, why oh why baby why not me, we were meant to be"


5. DIRTY DANCER WITH USHER

I love this tune. It’s about one of them girls that is pretty and she knows it, and only breaks men’s hearts. enrique duet with usher on the other hand. DANCE TRACK.

“she's a dirty dirty dancer, never never lonely, you will never be her only”



6. HEARTBREAKER

A flowing sad song. I love it. It’s got this percussive bit on it I love.



7. EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT

I love this song. It’s a pick me up song. And I NEVER thought I would hear Enrique swear but I love it.

“I feel the chaos taking over me. Life is moving at speed the light. At look at u & everything is gonna be alright. Nobody cant f**k with us”



8. COMING HOME

Haven’t really played this one much. A piano and vocal song. It’s painful. But I love it.


9. CUANDO ME ENAMORO FEATURING JUAN LUIS GUERRA

A Spanish language song and I like it but it’s had to grow on me. It has the most wonderful lyrics translated into English:

“If I could get a star from the sky
I would not think twice, because I love you
If the moon be your reward
I swear to do anything to be its owner”

released in the US as a single it has a video:



10. NO ME DIGAS QUE NO FEATURING WISIN AND YANDEL

Classed as almost Latin urban in its sound. I don’t like it much. Don’t like wisin on yandel on it. It’s too typically latin and too urban, in terms of melody and sound. And I hate the huge group of people he’s got singing a verse on it.



11. I LIKE IT (without pitbull)

This track, without pitbull, I just ADORE! proper dance track, without that rapper wahoo!



To sum it up I’m obsessed with why not me, one day at a time, dirty dancer, heartbeat & i like it (without pitbull) & US only tracks dile que and ayer. And a reason to buy the cd rather than digitial? Its got the most gorgeous footnote from Enrique on it.

This album is very different from any album Enrique has done before. But it’s laced with his brilliant vocals but I do genuinely love it. I can’t wait for him to tour it so I can dance my ass off live. I love good dance tracks.


US/LATIN STANDARD VERSION

If you get a chance, I would also recommend getting hold of a copy of the US CD. if you want you could try and pick up a US only special editon CD. Its only sold in US target stores, I bought mine on ebay for about £14.


US only songs:



1. Ayer
Obsessed with this song. A song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the quizas album. Truly wonderful.

2. dile que
ballad. also obsessed with this song. Again wouldn’t have sounded out of place on quizas.

3. tu y yo
another dance track. Spanish language. I LOVE IT.

4. no me digas que no (without wisin and yandel)
This version is better than the version with wisin and yandel but I still don’t like it.


So that’s about a 1000 words as to why you should just:

BUY IT!!!!

baby hold on.

My name is Hayley.
I am lost.
And I don’t know how I will ever be found.
Or if I ever will be.

What I do know is that mine is a restless heart.
And all I keep asking myself is am I where I want to be?
The answer? No.

I dunno what to do.
Or what to say.
But if I don’t say something then I think I might just go insane.
It’s this sadness that is consuming me.
It’s this feeling of despair.
I really hope all this pain now is somehow worth it later.
I thought I had most of it worked out.
Trying to remember the last time I felt this low and finding it hard to remember. Probably about year ago.
I just want to scream and someone hear me. Because it feels like I’m shouting under my breath.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve lost my faith in people. Even this blog now, designed to pour my heart out, and yet it’s more guarded bullet points than paragraphs. And I don’t even know where to post it so that only the people I want to see it will.

Reading back at how low I was before side 2, two things are clear. How much my friends love me and me them, and how much worse that low was then to this one now.
I would do anything to not feel so low like this. It’s so hard when you get into a hole to get out. And that’s just it; you can never truly know how you got out the hole last time to do the same this time.

And all this started because my flatmate is moving out. And it sent me into a spiral of despair. I’ve got to try and find a new flatmate. I’ve got to have them come round and present myself to these prospective new flatmates, I’ve got to have people judge me, and then I’ve got to live with one of them. So my sister and I also started looking for a new place, I can’t really afford too nice a place and I just wish things were different. This anxiety cripples me. As does the depression.

I wish I could be this super sassy 24 year old. Yet I still feel like this messed up shy 18 year old. And I don’t know what to do. I’m drifting aimlessly when I should have answers.

The older I get, the worse stress affects my body and yet still I can’t seem to stop it.

It’s so frustrating when all those words of encouragement from friends and Darren himself seem to fall on deaf ears.

A friend rung me the other night and was asking me questions. And I just froze. Didn’t know how to describe what Darren meant to me, or how I was feeling. One of my best friends and I was trying to shut him out. Thankfully he didn’t let me and made me laugh instead. You know who you are, and I adore you for it.

I keep thinking of something a dear friend said to me once, Ireland needs a hayley, and hayley needs her Ireland. All I wanna do is go home. I’m so happy at home. I guess September isn’t too far away. But right now, a day seems a lifetime.

My sister and her boyfriend are going on holiday in September. I long for a holiday. But I don’t have any friends to go with. I long to see the world. To see the sunset, the beauty, the Kodak moments. The WOW moments. What I long for most is someone to share my life with, be it friend or lover, because I’ve got so much love to give and it feels like it is spilling out and going nowhere.

These are lyrics to an Enrique song I found the other day, ironic I find the song now, he could be talking about me.

Baby Hold On.

“She bought a ticket to nowhere
And she told me that she's sick of this life
She said, "Don't worry, it's alright."
'Cause she doesn't wanna see me cry

Oh, I wish that she could see
How beautiful she is to me
Oh, please don't let go
Baby, baby; be strong
So much you don't know
Life is crazy sometimes
I know it's not easy, but
Baby, baby; hold on

I wipe the tears from her face
She's forgotten how her smile used to feel
She holds my hand and she whispers,
"Tell me why you love a loser like me."

Now I should go about being less hard on myself, people always tell me to care less for others and more for myself. But as Darren Hayes says, “it's easier to give than receive love” ;)

If you’ve listened to that ramble then thank you.

xx

crossfire. first thoughts.

I love it.
I love how it’s funny in places.
I love how damn good Brandon flowers looks even filthy and covered in cuts.
Charlize Theron makes a great heroine.
I love how Brandon looks vulnerable.
I love how he is still smiling when meant to be trapped and need freed.
He so didn’t look happy when he was hanging upside down, at least it was authentic LOL




"Heart and pain came-ah pouring down
Like hail, sleet and rain they're handing it out”


I love how it’s charlize saving Brandon.
Whatever the cause.
Whatever the reason.
She saves him.


““And when the hardest part is over we'll be here”


I think it’s a beautifully sweet, romantic song, quite clearly written about his wife and I love it.


"And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears”


The final word?
How damn good does he look in the making-of video ;)