Spy

Album: She Wolf (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Shakira teamed up again with her former "Hips Don't Lie" collaborator, Wyclef Jean, to record this song. "We both grew up in the developing world," Shakira said of Wyclef to MTV News. "We both have been very close to another kind of reality - you know, extreme poverty. People who don't have the ability to get access to education or even fulfilling their basic needs. And we both share the same visions and the same views about the world and what we can all do to - in our own small way - change that. So that is a recurrent topic of conversation between him and I."
  • This track has a similar theme to "Hips Don't Lie" with Shakira and Wyclef exchanging lines of seduction with one another. However, musically it is different and Shakira told MTV News that the pair experimented with a some different sounds before producing this retro disco track. She explained: "We hung out in Bahamas, which is where I live. After a few days searching, looking for different inspirational sources, we got to 'Spy,' which is a different direction for both of us. But we instantly recognized the value of the song. It's definitely different. It's sexy in its own way."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.