Song Review: The Black Eyed Peas are back with their new song “Girl Like Me.” And while Fergie is no longer with the group (she departed in 2017, reportedly to focus on her solo career and to devote more time to parenting), the Peas have teamed up with Shakira in her place.
“Girl Like Me” is being hailed as a “tribute” to Latina women. But we’re not exactly in Nobel Prize territory here. In this context, tribute actually translates to objectification, which the three remaining members of the Black Eyed Peas indulge in, along with Shakira as a very willing co-conspirator.
Lyrics in English and Spanish describe what kind of Latina these guys are looking for. Not surprisingly, they focus on women’s looks and sensuality, not on her intelligence or inner qualities. Will.i.am tells us, “I want a girl like Shakira/ … I want a girl that shine like glitter/ … I wanna girl that’s a heater.”
Admittedly, these lyrics are hardly the most explicit ones out there in a world where graphic songs such as Cardi B’s recent No. 1 “WAP” leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. But these lyrics demonstrate how even a supposed “tribute” can’t do more than compare a woman to a stripper whom they want to bed.
HITS-WORLD GIVES THIS SONG A RATING OF 8.6 OF 10
Text / En, Es / Lyrics: Shakira & Black Eyed Peas - Girl Like Me (2021)
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
You're looking for
A girl like me
La-la-latinas
I want a girl like Shakira
Esa latina está rica
I wanna find me a chica
Que sepa vivir y que viva la vida
I need her bien bonita
Elegante señorita
Girl, I want you when I need ya
All of my life, yeah, baby, let's team up
I want a girl that shine like glitter
A girl that don't need no filter
For real, for real
A girl that's a natural killer
I want a girl that's a heater (Hot)
Caliente, a flamita
Yo quiero, mira
Yo quiero una chica que no me diga mentiras
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
You're looking for
A girl like me
Oye, mami, estoy buscando una chica así
Oye, mami, estoy buscando una chica así
You're looking for
A girl like me
Me llevas en tu mente
Soy adictiva como el azúcar
Me buscas permanentemente
¿No ves que sólo quiero jugar?
Latinas, latinas
La-la-latinas
La-la-latinas
Sacúdelo como Shaki
Baby, drop it low, on top of me
Electric feel so shock me
Your hips don't lie, they rock me
Baby, come get me, you got me
Oye, mami, ven aquí
You know I'm liking what I see
Muévelo, muévelo, muévelo así
Yo quiero una mujer
Una princesa no tiene paredes
A chick with no boundaries that die for within
Buena en la cama, she good in the bed
A girl that be using her head
To use a cabeza the best
I want a girl who's a diva
No quiero otra, sí, eso es
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
You're looking for
A girl like me
I'm a girl that shines like glitter
Baby, you know I need no filter
For real, I'm real
You know I'm real
Like that my lips are so glossy
Like it when I get so bossy
Baby, if you do it my way
Just for the hell of it, I'll let you love me
Latinas, latinas
Sha-Sha-Shakira
Sha-Sha-Shakira
I like latinas
Ones who look like Selena
Shake her 'bunda' like Anitta
Morenas, that's más fina
I like domincanas
Boricuas and colombianas
In East L.A. I like the chicanas
And they want a piece of the big manzana
So they tell me that you're looking for a girl like me
Oye, mami, estoy buscando una chica así
You're looking for
A girl like me
Me llevas en tu mente
Soy adictiva como el azúcar
Me buscas permanentemente
¿No ves que sólo quiero jugar?