A Forgotten Spot

"A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)" is a song performed by American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda along with Puerto Rican singers Zion & Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela and Lucecita Benítez. It was released on September 20, 2018 by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. The song was written by Miranda, along with the rest of the collaborators. The song was released on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria which directly struck Puerto Rico in 2017.[1][2]

"A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)"
Single by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zion & Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela and Lucecita Benítez
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2018
Recorded2018
Genre
Length5:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Luz Benítez
  • Pedro Bragan
  • Alberto Carrión
  • Rafael Castillo
  • Pablo Fuentes
  • Jeffrey Penalva
  • Martha Pesante
  • Gabriel Pizarro
  • Félix Ortiz
  • Pedro Vázquez
Producer(s)Trooko
Lin-Manuel Miranda singles chronology
"Almost Like Praying"
(2017)		 "A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)"
(2018)

Background

Following the release of Miranda's 2016 mixtape, The Hamilton Mixtape, based on the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton, it was announced that a second mixtape would be released.[3] In December 2017, Miranda admitted he was having trouble compiling a second album that satisfied him as much as the first mixtape, and cancelled the second volume, announcing that instead he would be releasing thirteen tracks, once a month, over the following year. He referred to these releases as "Hamildrops."[4]

Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017. An estimated 2,975 people died in Puerto Rico alone.[5] The U.S. government response was widely criticized as inadequate and slow.[6]

In October 2017, Miranda released "Almost Like Praying" a month after Hurricane Maria struck the island.[7] The song was released to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico following the hurricane.[8] The song debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Digital Songs Sales chart, selling 111,000 downloads and achieving 5.2 million streams in its first week of availability in the US.[9] Proceeds from the song were donated in full to the Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief and Recovery Program, destined for the victims and survivors of the hurricane.[10][11][12]

Months prior to the single's release, Ivy Queen, one of the collaborators, embarked on the “Ivy Queen on the Road Tour” throughout the United States to promote the upcoming release of her tenth studio album. The proceeds of the May 19th date in New York City were donated to the “Rock Steady for Life” campaign, benefiting victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.[13]

Musical composition

The song was inspired by the opening number for Hamilton, "Alexander Hamilton,"[14] which features Leslie Odom Jr., Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, & the Cast of Hamilton. The song's refrain is taken directly from a lyric on "Alexander Hamilton."[14]

"A Forgotten Spot" is performed primarily in Spanish.[15] It was written to bring awareness and support to the ongoing recovery efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.[14] Its lyrics analyze the current situation in Puerto Rico following the Hurricane.[15] The song's lyrics also criticize the death toll controversy and response from American president Donald Trump associated with Hurricane Maria.[16][17][18]

Release

The song was posted to Mirandas official YouTube channel on September 19, 2018. It was released digitally the next day, September 20, 2018. Its release commemorates the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria.[19]

Critical reception

Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone magazine boasted about the song featuring an "all-star" cast of "some of Puerto Rico's most prominent musicians."[14] He later claimed the song's producer to have crafted a beat "packed with light synths and crisp drums that dance around speaker-rattling bass."[14] Catherine Toruno of the Miami New Times also noted how the song featured "top Puerto Rican artists."[20] An editor for the Diario Metro de Puerto Rico praised the rap performed on the song by Benitez, claiming it to showcase her versatile artistic abilities. They continued by labeling the rap a "positive surprise."[21] The Puerto Rican television station WAPA-TV expressed similar sentiments towards Benitez's performance.[22] For the week of September 20, 2018—September 27, 2018, it was the second most listened to Latin pop song on Apple Music in the United States.[23]

Chart performance
Chart (2018) Peak
Position
US Latin Digital Songs (Billboard)[24] 13
US Latin Rhythm Digital Songs (Billboard)[25] 12

Credits

Credits adapted from Tidal.[26]

  • Alberto Carrión — background vocals, composer
  • Atlantic Records — record label
  • Chris Gehringer — mastering engineer
  • Daniel Diaz — percussion
  • De La Ghetto — composer, main artist
  • Ivy Queen — composer, main artist
  • Leo Genovese — accordion
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda — background vocals, composer, executive producer, main artist
  • Lucecita Benitez — composer, main artist
  • PJ Sin Suela - composer, main artist
  • Trooko — mixing engineer, musical producer, programmer, synthesizer
  • Zion & Lennox — composer, main artist

Release history
List of release dates, showing regions, formats, labels and references
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States September 20, 2018
[27]
gollark: Or just one RX580.
gollark: You should demand RX580s instead.
gollark: I've got one with a Pentium 4.
gollark: My mum has a laptop with a Core 2 Duo from about 2009. Somehow it is still going.
gollark: <@229624651314233346> Nothing.

References
  1. Tirado, Frances (September 20, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda lanza canción por el aniversario del huracán María". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  2. Gans, Andrew (September 20, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Honors First Anniversary of Hurricane Maria in #HamilDrop Series". Playbill. Total Theater, Inc. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  3. Lin-Manuel Miranda [@Lin_Manuel] (November 9, 2016). "What, y'all though we'd leave Schuyler Sisters unremixed? Room Where It Happens? One Last Time? OF COURSE vol. 2! (Lemme finish vol 1 tho)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2018 – via Twitter.
  4. Kaufman, Gil (December 14, 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces 'Hamildrops' Series, Promising New Monthly 'Hamilton' Content for the Next Year". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  5. Baldwin, Sarah Lynch; Begnaud, David (August 28, 2018). "Hurricane Maria caused an estimated 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico, new study finds". CBS News. Columbia Broadcasting System. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  6. Gambino, Lauren (September 11, 2018). "Donald Trump attacked for calling Hurricane Maria response an 'incredible success'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  7. Mahtani, Melissa (September 28, 2017). "'Hamilton' creator: New song a 'love letter to Puerto Rico'". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  8. Gibbs, Adrienne (October 5, 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Joins With Jennifer Lopez and Gloria Estefan In Song For Puerto Rico Relief". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  9. Trust, Gary (October 16, 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Almost Like Praying' Debuts as Top-Selling Song of the Week". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  10. Feldman, Kate (October 5, 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda releases 'Almost Like Praying' benefit single for Puerto Rico with Gloria Estefan, Rita Moreno". Daily News. New York Daily News. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  11. Lawler, Kelly. "Lin-Manuel Miranda explains his new song for Puerto Rico, those Trump tweets". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  12. Weldon, Sarah (October 6, 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda debuts star-studded single for Puerto Rico, 'Almost Like Praying' — listen here". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  13. "Reggaeton star Ivy Queen headlines Red Bull Festival concert to help Puerto Rico". New York Daily News. Tronc, Inc. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. Blistein, Jon (September 20, 2018). "Hear Lin-Manuel Miranda Celebrate Puerto Rico on 'A Forgotten Spot'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  15. "Lin-Manuel no calla sobre Puerto Rico". El Vocero (in Spanish). El Vocero de Puerto Rico. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  16. "Lucecita Benítez y reguetoneros se unen a Lin-Manuel en una canción sobre María". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Grupo Ferré-Rangel Media. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  17. "Lin-Manuel Miranda conmemora aniversario de María con nuevo sencillo". NotiCel (in Spanish). O2 Comunicaciones. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  18. "Lucecita rapea en tema de Lin-Manuel sobre respuesta a María". El Calce (in Spanish). PubliMetro. September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  19. "Componen canción para conmemorar el aniversario del huracán María". WIPR-TV. Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation. September 20, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  20. Toruno, Catherine (September 26, 2018). "De la Ghetto on the Growth of Spanish-Language Music: "It's a Cultural Movement". Miami New Times. Voice Media Group. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  21. "Lucecita Benítez sorprende con un rap en composición de Lin-Manuel Miranda". Diario Metro de Puerto Rico. Metro Internacional. September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  22. "Lucecita sorprende al cantar rap". WAPA-TV (in Spanish). Hemisphere Media Group. September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  23. "Las 10 canciones más escuchadas de la semana en Apple Music". The San Diego Union-Tribune (in Spanish). The Associated Press. September 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  24. "Latin Digital Songs Sales: October 06, 2018 - Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  25. "Latin Rhythm Digital Songs Sales: October 06, 2017: Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  26. "TIDAL: Listen to A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)". Tidal. Aspiro. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  27. "A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado) by Zion y Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela and Lucecita Benitez on Amazon". September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
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