It was January 2014, and the internet basically had a collective heart attack. Shakira and Rihanna—on the same track? It felt like the Avengers of the 2010s pop world was finally happening. People expected a club banger or maybe a deep ballad, but what we got with Can't Remember to Forget You was this weirdly addictive, ska-influenced rock-pop hybrid that somehow made total sense and no sense at all at the same time.
Honestly, it's one of those songs that feels like a time capsule. You hear that opening guitar riff and suddenly you're back in a world where The Voice was the biggest thing on TV and everyone was trying to figure out if "indie-pop" was actually a thing or just a marketing buzzword.
The Collab We Didn't Know We Needed
Let’s be real: putting two of the biggest female artists on the planet together is usually a recipe for a "too many cooks" disaster. But with Can't Remember to Forget You, the chemistry actually worked. Shakira’s rounded, almost yodel-adjacent vocals collided with Rihanna’s gritty, Barbadian-tinged grit in a way that shouldn't have been as smooth as it was.
The song was co-written by a massive team, including Swedish pop wiz Erik Hassle and Kid Harpoon (who you probably know now as Harry Styles' right-hand man). It wasn't just a "feature for the sake of a feature." Shakira later mentioned in interviews that she felt Rihanna was the "only other half" that could make the song work. Apparently, Rihanna was even a bit intimidated about having to shake her hips next to the woman whose hips literally don't lie.
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"I have to lay down next to her and shake my hips in this video. Are you serious? THAT is a nightmare," Rihanna joked in a behind-the-scenes clip.
That Music Video Scandal (Looking Back from 2026)
If you weren't online in 2014, you missed a bizarre moment of moral panic. The music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, featured the duo smoking cigars, lounging on beds, and generally just being rich and famous.
For some reason, this sent certain people into a tailspin. A Colombian councilman named Marco Fidel Ramírez actually tried to get the video banned in Shakira’s home country, calling it an "unabashed glorification of lesbianism." Looking at the video today, it feels pretty tame compared to what’s on TikTok every five minutes. Shakira defended it as "empowering," and frankly, the controversy probably just helped it sail past the one-billion-views mark on YouTube even faster.
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Why the Sound Was So Polarizing
Musically, the track is a bit of an outlier in both their discographies. It’s got that upbeat, reggae-rock vibe that feels more like No Doubt than a standard Rihanna Rihanna EDM track.
- The Ska Influence: The "up-stroke" guitar rhythm is pure 90s ska-revival.
- The Bass: It’s surprisingly heavy on the low end, which gave it life in car speakers.
- The Lyrics: It's the classic "I know he's trash but I'm going back anyway" anthem. We've all been there.
Critics at the time were... let's say "mixed." Some loved the risk-taking, while others thought it was a bit underwhelming for such a powerhouse pairing. But the charts didn't care. It hit the top ten in nearly 30 countries. In the US, it debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was Shakira’s highest debut ever until she dropped that savage Bizarrap session in 2023.
The Legacy of "Can't Remember to Forget You"
So, does it still hold up?
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In a world where pop music has become increasingly "vibey" and atmospheric, the high-energy, live-instrument feel of Can't Remember to Forget You actually feels refreshing. It was one of the last times we saw a major "superstar duet" that felt like a genuine artistic experiment rather than a calculated streaming play.
It also marked a specific turning point for Shakira. It was the lead single for her self-titled tenth album, an era where she was balancing motherhood, The Voice, and a global career. It proved she could still dominate the English-language market without losing that "Shakira-ness" that makes her unique—that weird, wonderful way she bends vowels and picks unexpected genres.
Actionable Insights for the Pop Obsessed:
- Listen for the "Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte" version: If you only know the English version, go find the solo Spanish version. Shakira’s delivery is often more emotive in her native tongue, and the rock elements feel a bit punchier.
- Check out the production credits: If you like the "clean but crunchy" sound of this track, look up other work by John Hill and Kid Harpoon. You’ll start seeing the DNA of modern pop everywhere.
- Watch the BTS: The behind-the-scenes footage of Shakira and Rihanna hanging out is genuinely sweet and lacks the "manufactured" feel of modern social media promos.
Ultimately, Can't Remember to Forget You might not be the "Hips Don't Lie" of the 2010s, but it remains a fascinating moment where two icons met in the middle of the Atlantic—somewhere between Colombia, Barbados, and a Los Angeles recording studio—and decided to just have some fun with a guitar and a drum machine.
Next Steps for Music Fans:
To get the full picture of this era, you should compare the production of this track to "Empire," the second single from the same album. It shows the massive range Shakira was aiming for in 2014, moving from reggae-pop to full-blown stadium rock.