Rhythm Divine

Album: Enrique (1999)
Charted: 45 32
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is an "I'll follow you anywhere" song, with Iglesias letting the lady know there's nowhere she can hide from his passion. All he needs is the rhythm divine to guide him, meaning his muse.
  • Songwriters have been known to follow up their hit songs with another that sounds just like it, and that's what happened here. The team of Paul Barry and Mark Taylor wrote "Bailamos," the first single from Enrique Iglesias' first English-language album, Enrique. The song was a massive hit, going all the way to #1 in America. So, they took many elements from "Bailamos" and worked them into another song, "Rhythm Divine," which was released as Enrique's next single. It didn't do nearly as well, stalling at #32 in the US.

    "It was probably too much of a follow-up," Taylor said in the Billboard Book Of #1 Hits. "It was the same kind of track, so much so that it didn't have the same magic."

    The writers redeemed themselves with the next song they wrote for Iglesias, "Be With You," which went to #1.
  • The music video was shot in Kuala Lumpur, where Iglesias playfully follows a girl who is being very evasive. She eventually disappears into the ocean, possibly because she's a ghost or a figment of his imagination.

    It was directed by Francis Lawrence, who went on to work on some of the Hunger Games films after making videos for the likes of Shakira ("Whenever, Wherever"), Lady Gaga ("Bad Romance") and Alanis Morissette ("Hands Clean").

    The girl in the video is Claudia Mason, a model who later appeared in the movies Celebrity and The Brass Teapot.
  • Iglesias recorded a Spanish version called "Ritmo Total" that was released in Latin markets.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.