Music Review: Shakira "She Wolf"

Shakira

She Wolf

Album: She Wolf

Year: 2009

         Shakira’s rebelling against her old-fashioned boyfriend in the straightforward “She Wolf.”

         Scattering, tight beats open the single. setting an impish tone. In the bridge, she says there’s another side to her people don’t know about. She keeps her wantonness hidden. She’s changing and wants to people to know . Her boyfriend would be shocked and unprepared for it. (“S.O.S she's in disguise/S.O.S she's in disguise/There's a she wolf in disguise/Coming out, coming out, coming out.”)

               Her boyfriend expects her to adhere to traditional female roles in the first verse. She was okay with his standards for the first couple years. Then, she began to question it. Now, she’s ready to figure out who she is without him. (“A domesticated girl, that's all you ask of me/Darling it is no joke, this is lycanthropy/Moon's awake now, with eyes wide open/My body is craving, so feed the hungry.”)

                   She’s at his beck and call every day of the week. However, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t get ticked off if she forgot to clean the dishes the night before or treat her to dinner for the hard work she’s done in the house.  Her morale is low and she feels like he’s taking advantage of her.  She decides to she’s going to find someone else and flaunt it in his face. (“I've been devoting myself to you/Monday to Monday/And Friday to Friday/Not getting enough retribution or decent incentives to keep me at it/I'm starting to feel just a little abused/Like a coffee machine in an office/So I'm gonna go somewhere cozy/To get me a lover and tell you all about it.”)

            In the chorus, she declares she’s not the docile person everyone thought she was.  People need to accept it and allow her to be herself. (“There's a she wolf in your closet/Open up and set it free/There's a she wolf in your closet/Let it out so it can breathe.”)

            In the second verse, she’s at the bar, checking out guys. She’s had her eye on a good-looking dark-haired man. He’s been returning her glances and laughing at her jokes all night. She’s not the type to worry about consequences or rules anymore. She’s going to live life to the fullest. (“Sitting across a bar, staring right at her prey/It's going well so far, she's  gonna get her way/Nocturnal creatures are not so prudent/The moon's my teacher, and I'm her student/To locate a single man I've got on me a special radar/And the fire department hotline in case I get in trouble later/Not looking for cute little divas or rich city guys that just want to enjoy/I'm having a very good time and behave very bad in the arms of a boy.”)

              The chorus is sung again.

             The bridge is sung twice.

            Pointed strings match her demand that “there’s a she wolf in the closet, let it out so it can breathe” to end the single.   

         Shakira’s authoritative, impudent vocals indicate she is the outgoing, sensual person she has dreamed of being. No longer will she stay at home while her boyfriend goes out or get taken for granted again. When she howls, it’s flirty and lively. She’s a brand new woman, free from the role she’s pretended to like for several years.

         The sly R&B beats twirl in sharp bursts throughout the song, evoking disco.  The elements (strings, horn) are minimal, keeping it from becoming outdated. It fits well with her quirky comparisons (“like a coffee machine abused in an office”) and intelligent, down-to-earth lyrics. It’s not often that SAT words like retribution and prudent show up in pop music.

          The smart “She Wolf” manages to be both lighthearted and suggestive without dumbing itself down.