Song: “Livin’ La Vida Loca”

The first #1 hit recorded and mastered entirely digitally using Pro Tools, 1999’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was a landmark for many reasons — Ricky Martin’s first crossover hit in English; one of the top-selling singles of all time; and, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, who had recently passed away.

Martin began his musical career at age 12 as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. In 1991, he went solo, and quickly rose to prominence, first in Europe and then earning a Grammy for his album, Vuelve. He also performed at the ceremonies, getting an extended standing ovation for “The Cup of Life.” This performance opened more doors for Martin, who worked with songwriter Desmond Child and former Menudo bandmate Draco Rosa to write “Livin’ La Vida Loca” for this next album, Ricky Martin.

The songwriters convened shortly after Frank Sinatra died in 1998, and decided to honor him and the Rat Pack era with a swinging song featuring horns blaring over a rock and Latin beat.

At the time, computers struggled to handle the requirements of digital recording and mixing software, so Pro Tools was often called derisively “Slow Tools.” The software was also imperfect and glitchy, but Child — who produced the track — kept pushing the company for fixes and upgrades. Things got easier.

But there were concerns that the files coming off the Macintosh weren’t going to sound right, so they ran a test — drum sounds recorded and mixed using tape vs. using Pro Tools. The listeners couldn’t tell the difference.

Child also made the song “drier” than most Latin music at the time — less reverb and chorus — which helped its crossover appeal.

The song got rave reviews from the start, and remains a seductive, energetic, and fun romp.

Enjoy!