"Abriendo Puertas"
image of Gloria Estefan wearing a long hat and facing the camera
Single by Gloria Estefan
from the album Abriendo Puertas
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1995 (1995-09-19)
Genre
Length3:52 (Album Version)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Kike Santander
Producer(s)
Gloria Estefan singles chronology
"Cherchez La Femme"
(1994) 		"Abriendo Puertas"
(1995) 		"Más Allá"
(1995)
Music video
"Abriendo Puertas" on YouTube

"Abriendo Puertas" (English: "Opening Doors") is a song from Cuban American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan's sixth studio album, of the same name (1995). The song was written by Kike Santander, who handled production alongside Gloria's husband Emilio Estefan. It was released as the lead single from the album on September 19, 1995. The song is a vallenato and son cubano tune that metaphorically deals with opening doors and closing wounds. Its music video features Estefan performing the song while also showing scenes of farmers planting crops. The song received positive reactions from music critics, who mostly praised the instruments. Commercially, it topped both Billboard's Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Airplay charts in the United States and peaked at number three on the Dance Club Songs chart as well.

Gloria Estefan performed the song live as part of the opening ceremony for the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2021. Estefan re-recorded the song in 2020 for her fourteenth studio album Brazil305 and incorporated Brazilian music. The song received three accolades including the Lo Nuestro Award for Tropical Song of the Year and Billboard Latin Music Award for Latin Dance Single of the Year" in 1996. American singer Leslie Grace covered the song live as part the Lo Nuestro Awards tribute to Estefan by Univision in 2018.

Background and composition

In 1995, Gloria released her second Spanish-language studio album, Abriendo Puertas, which was produced in its entirety by Colombian composer Kike Santander and her husband Emilio Estefan.[1] Abriendo Puertas is a holiday album with the tracks making references to Christmas and New Year's.[2] Santander penned all the songs on the album, including the opening title track.[3] The song is a vallenato track with a mix of Son cubano and according to Juan Fermin Cabrera of the New York Daily News conveys "positive message of freedom, encouragement and hope".[4][5] In the song, Estefan chants "Abriendo puertas, cerrando heridas" ("opening doors and closing wounds") which The Boston Globe editor Alisa Valdes noted it reflects a "growing desire among Cuban-American exiles to build bridges to the people of Cuba".[6]

Promotion and reception

"Abriendo Puertas" was released as the album's lead single on September 30, 1995 by Epic Records.[7] A re-recording of the song was included on her fourteenth studio album Brazil305 (2020) and this version incorporates Brazilian music.[8] The accompanying music video for the original version intersperses Estefan performing while farmers are growing their crops.[9] Estefan performed "Abriendo Puertas" live as part of a medley along with "Cuando Hay Amor" and "Magalenha" during the opening ceremony of the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2021.[10] Parry Gettelman called it a "charming title track".[11] Achy Obejas of the Chicago Tribune highlighted "Abriendo Puertas" for its "simple words about unity and its sweet vallenato rhythms".[12] An editor for El Tiempo felt that the blending of the two genres mixes well[13] Mario Tarradell of the Dallas Morning News noted that while Estefan's phrasings and instruments "evoke the sound of vallenato", its arrangements "also pays tribute to the light swing and brassy Cali salsa sound".[14]

At the 1996 Billboard Latin Music Awards, "Abriendo Puertas" won "Latin Dance Single of the Year".[15] In the same year, the track won the Lo Nuestro Award for Tropical Song of the Year.[16] It was also recognized as one of the best-performing songs of the year at the 1997 BMI Awards.[17] In the United States, "Abriendo Puetas" reached the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Airplay charts while it peaked at number three on the Dance Club Songs chart and ranked number 76 in Switzerland.[18][19][20][21] As honoree of the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award by Univision along with her husband, the track was performed by American singer Leslie Grace during the 2018 Lo Nuestro Awards along with "Conga".[22]

Formats and track listings

United States single[23]

  1. Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (album version) – 3:52
  2. Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (Teri's Twirlin Vocal Mix) – 8:13
  3. Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (D's Classic Club Mix) – 7:29
  4. Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (Spanish Fly Club Mix) – 6:13
  5. Cherchez La Femme (Ballroom Vocal Mix) – 7:29

Europe single[24]

  1. Abriendo Puertas (album version) – 3:52
  2. Abriendo Puertas (Teri's Twirlin Vocal Mix) – 8:14
  3. Abriendo Puertas (D's Classic Club Mix) – 7:32
  4. Abriendo Puertas (Teri's Gettin Hard Club) – 5:13
  5. Abriendo Puertas (D's Underground Dub) – 6:13


Personnel

Adapted from the Abriendo Puertas liner notes:[25]

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^ "Emilio Estefan, Producer Settle". Sun-Sentinel. March 23, 2002. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Promis, Jose F. "Abriendo Puertas - Gloria Estefan". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. ^ O'Brien, Jon (September 25, 2020). "Gloria Estefan's 'Abriendo Puertas' Turns 25". Grammy. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Cabrera, Juan Fermin (June 29, 1995). "Estefan Records in Spanish Once Again". New York Daily News. p. 21E. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Raquel, Diana (September 7, 1995). "Aqui y Alla: Humberto Ramirez llega a Orlando". La Prensa de San Antonio (in Spanish). p. 17. ProQuest 368519665. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Valdes, Alicia (September 2, 1995). "JFK Jr.'s only question is for the Post". The Boston Globe. p. 30. ProQuest 290745057. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Lannert, John (September 2, 1995). "Estefan Opens Doors to New Sounds With Epic Set". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 35. p. 10. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (August 12, 2020). "Gloria Estefan – Brazil305 Album Review". Entertainment Focus. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Estefan, Gloria (1995). Abriendo Puertas (online video) (in Spanish). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Garcia, Thania (November 19, 2021). "Gloria Estefan, Anitta & More Kick Off 2021 Latin Grammys With Epic Opening Medley". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Gettelman, Parry (October 6, 1996). "Gloria Estefan". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  12. ^ Obejas, Achy (October 13, 1995). "Gloria Estefan Abriendo Puertas". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  13. ^ "Abriendo Puertas". El Tiempo (in Spanish). November 21, 1995. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Tarradell, Mario (October 1, 1995). "Record Reviews". The Dallas Morning News. p. I5.
  15. ^ Lannert, John (May 4, 1996). "¡Que Viva La Música!". 108 (18): L-3. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2013. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ "Lo Nuestro – Historia" (in Spanish). Univision. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "Los Premios Latino de BMI". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. September 13, 1997. p. 85. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Gloria Estefan Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "Gloria Estefan Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Gloria Estefan Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Gloria Estefan – Abriendo Puertas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "Premio Lo Nuestro celebra la música latina, a los Estefan y a Olga Tañón". Sun-Sentinel (in Spanish). February 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  23. ^ Abriendo Puertas (Media notes). Estefan, Gloria. United States: Epic. 1995. 49K 77977.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Abriendo Puertas (Media notes). Estefan, Gloria. Europe: Epic. 1995. EPC 662414.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Gloria Estefan (1995). Abriendo Puertas (CD liner). United States: Epic Records. EK 67284.
  26. ^ "The Year in Music: 1995" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 52. December 23, 1995. p. YE-66. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
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