Livin' la Vida Loca
"Livin' la Vida Loca" (transl. "Livin' the Crazy Life") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, Ricky Martin. It was released to radio stations by Columbia Records as the lead single from the album on March 23rd 1999.
A Latin pop song, it is about an irresistible, particularly sinister wild woman who lives on the edge, seducing others into her crazy world. The song received acclaim from music critics, who complimented its lyrics and danceable rhythm. It was ranked as Elle's best 1990s pop song and was listed among the "Best Latin Songs of All Time" by Billboard.
The Residents (and later, their lead singer Randy Rose) performed the song live as part of their "Sam" series of live performances, premiering it with a small orchestra at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive on June 4th 2010. Bootleg footage of Rose performing the music has reached 9,000 views on YouTube. A studio demo was released in 2022 on the compilation album So Long Sam.
The Residents' version of the song was first officially released in January 2013, as part of the So Long Sam concert film uploaded to the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive YouTube channel.[1] To date, it is the most recently released song covered by The Residents, who have rarely covered contemporary pop music in recent years.
History
Recording
When "Livin La Vida Loca" was released on March 23rd 1999, The Residents were likely hard at work rehearsing for their Wormwood tour. Ricky Martin was by then already an internationally known pop star, but the single was his first mainstream chart success in the US.
In 2010, The Residents began working on their So Long Sam live show. The performance featured a series of monologues told from the perspective of "Sam", an aging and politically incorrect baby boomer, obsessed with his past and unable to mature. Musically, the show was based around orchestral re-arrangements of popular songs, which came to include "Livin' La Vida Loca". The group recorded studio demos of the show around that time.
Live performances
The Residents performed So Long Sam (featuring "Livin' La Video Loca") at a one-off live concert at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive on June 4th 2010. In the show the song was introduced by a monologue from The Singing Resident in the guise of the character Sam:
"Okay, so you've heard a few of my songs, and y'know? They just don't write songs like that anymore! I know, I just probably sound like a crazy old fool, but shit! Music has fucking gone to hell! Y'know, there is only one song written in the last twenty years that I can even remember! I'll sing it for you now..."[1]
On October 20th 2011, a new extended version of the So Long Sam show debuted, presented under the pretense of a solo performance by The Residents' lead singer Randy Rose, titled Sam's Enchanted Evening. This version of the show featured a stripped-back version of the So Long Sam re-arrangement of "Livin' la Vida Loca", with only Rose accompanied by Joshua Raoul Brody on piano. In this context, the song follows Sam contemplating the death of his friends and the homosexuality of his son. The pianist suggests that they play a piece of music to cheer him up, and Sam asks for "Livin' La Vida Loca".
Release
Various bootleg recordings of Randy Rose's version of the song quickly circulated on the internet. The first official release of the track was in January 2013, when the Berkeley Art Museum released a concert film of The Residents' initial So Long Sam show on YouTube.[1]
The song was officially released on the 2022 So Long Sam (1945 - 2006) 2xCD collection, with the 2010 live version on disc one, and the demo version on disc two. A third version of the song, from Sam's Enchanted Evening, was released in 2023 on the album of the same name.
Lyrics
She's into superstitions Black cats and voodoo dolls I feel a premonition That girl's gonna make me fall
She's into new sensations New kicks in the candlelight She's got a new addiction For ever' day and night
She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain She'll make you live her crazy life, and take away your pain Like a bullet to your brain, come on
So upside, inside out She's livin' la vida loca She'll push and pull you down Livin' la vida loca Her lips are devil red And her skin's the color mocha She will wear you out Livin' la vida loca, come on Livin' la vida loca, come on She's livin' la vida loca
Woke up in New York City In a funky cheap hotel She took my heart and took my money She must've slipped me a sleeping pill
She never drinks the water, makes you order French champagne Once you've had a taste of her, you'll never be the same She'll make you go insane, so
Upside, inside out She's livin' la vida loca She'll push and pull you down Livin' la vida loca Her lips are devil red And her skin's the color mocha She will wear you out Livin' la vida loca, come on Livin' la vida loca She's livin' la vida loca
She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain She'll make you live her crazy life, and take away your pain Like a bullet to your brain, come on
So upside, inside out She's livin' la vida loca She'll push and pull you down Livin' la vida loca Her lips, they're devil red And her skin's the color mocha She will wear you out Livin' la vida loca, come on So upside, inside out She's livin la vida loca She'll push and pull you down Livin' la vida loca Her lips are devil red And her skin's the color mocha She's gonna wear you out Livin' la vida loca, come on Livin' la vida loca, come on She's livin' la vida loca
List of releases
List of versions
- ↑ So Long Sam live recording, Berkeley Art Museum, June 4th 2010 (4:01)
- ↑ San Anselmo studio version, March 2010 (3:36)
- ↑ Sam's Enchanted Evening live recording, Cabaret at The Marsh, Berkeley, November 10th 2011 (5:43)
See also
External links and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Residents: So Long Sam (1945--2006)" (unlisted), posted by Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, January 30th 2013