"Illegal" | |||||||||||
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Single by Shakira featuring Carlos Santana | |||||||||||
from the album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 | |||||||||||
Released | 6 November 2006 | ||||||||||
Format | CD single | ||||||||||
Recorded | 2005 | ||||||||||
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Length | 3:52 | ||||||||||
Label | Epic | ||||||||||
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Shakira singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Illegal" is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her seventh studio album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005). It was written and produced by Shakira and Lester Mendez and it features Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana. Epic Records released the song as the album's third and final single on 6 November 2006, following the release of "Hips Don't Lie". "Illegal" is a pop and country ballad with lyrics concerning mourning of a past lover complete with an understated vocal performance by Shakira and an electric guitar riff by Santana throughout. It received mixed reviews from music critics, who compared it with Alanis Morissette's material and were mixed towards Santana's contribution.
The song achieved moderate success, topping the chart in Romania and the US Dance Club Songs chart and peaking within the top ten in Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Hungary and Switzerland among other countries. The music video for the song, co-directed by Jaume de Laiguana and Shakira, had its premiere on 16 November 2006 on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL). It features the singer portraying a girlfriend of a boxer and follows a similar storyline to the song's lyrics. "Illegal" has been performed by the singer live on few occasions, such as during the MTV 5 Star event (2005) and Good Morning America (2006).
"Illegal" is a ballad with lyrics revolving around mourning for the loss of a lover, as seen in the lines, "It should be illegal to deceive a woman's heart". It contains elements of pop and country music. Spence D. of the website IGN felt that Shakira adopted an "almost modern day country-styled pop aesthetic". Throughout the song, her vocals are subdued, complete with "rolling delivering, breathy accentuations, and... trill".AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the lyrics "You said you would love me until you died/And as far as I know you're still alive" were similar to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (1995).