"No Sé Tú" (transl. "I Don't Know About You")[1] is a song written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Armando Manzanero, released from his studio album, Cariñosamente (1986). A popular bolero song, the lyrics describe the protagonist unable to stop thinking about his lover. Manzanero re-recorded "No Sé Tú" as a duet with Francisco Céspedes on Manzanero's album Duetos (2001). It was listed among Manzanero's best songs by an editor for BBC Mundo.[2]
A cover of the song by Mexican singer Luis Miguel was released as the second single from his eighth studio album, Romance (1991). Miguel co-produced his rendition along with Manzanero, with string arrangements being composed by Bebu Silvetti. The music video for Miguel's cover was directed by Pedro Torres, filmed in Miami, and features the artist performing in front of an orchestra. It won the Eres award for Video of the Year.
In 1986, Manzanero released Cariñosamente, an album of new arrangements of songs he had previously composed as well as two original compositions written by Manzanero ("No Sé Tú" and "Otra Vez").[3] The former is a bolero that tells of a man "who can't stop thinking about the love of his life".[4][2][5] "No Sé Tú" was released as a promotional single from the album.[6] Manzanero performed an instrumental version of the song on the piano for his studio album, El Piano, Armando Manzanero, y sus amigos (1995).[7] According to La Verdad's Paola Alejandra Parra, while Manzanero has written songs based on his life, it is not known to whom "No Sé Tú" was dedicated.[8]
He later re-recorded "No Sé Tú" as a duet with Francisco Céspedes on Manazero's album Duetos (2001).[9] He also performed the song with fellow Mexican singer Susana Zabaleta on their live albumDe la A a la Z (2006).[10] "No Sé Tú" ranked number three on BBC Mundo's "Armando Manzanero 10 Songs That We Love the Most".[2] As part of Billboard's tribute to the artist, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, Joy Huerta of Jesse & Joy performed the song live with Manzanero playing on the piano.[11] Following Manzanero's death, Huerta recorded her own rendition of the track and was featured as the closing theme for the Mexican telenovela Fuego ardiente (2021).[12]
A 23-second sample of Miguel's cover of Armando Manzanero's 1986 "No Sé Tú", which contains parts of the chorus and features string arrangements by Bebu Silvetti.
In 1991, Mexican singer Luis Miguelcovered "No Sé Tú" on his eighth studio album, Romance, a collection of boleros performed by the artist.[13] Released as the album's second single in February 1992 by WEA Latina,[14] it is one of two songs by Manzanero that Miguel covered in the album, along with "Te Extraño", as selected from among 500 others.[15][16][17]
Retrospectively, music critics commended "No Sé Tú" as one of Miguel's best songs. The track was listed among "10 Luis Miguel Songs You Should Know" by Emily Paulín on Sonica and "20 Best Luis Miguel Songs to Listen on YouTube Music" by an editor for El Comercio.[25][26]Danyel Smith of Vibe magazine listed it as among the 99 best love songs of the and wrote: "Backed by a full orchestra, his voice rises, falls and penetrates, making us wish we'd been there la otra vez".[27] The Classic Rock editor ranked "No Sé Tú" as Miguel's third best song of all-time by complimented it as "another satisfying ballad" and praised its "exquisite" musical arrangements.[4] Cindy Carcamo of the Orange County Register called it "beautifully written".[28] Commercially, it topped the BillboardHot Latin Songs in the United States, where it spent seven weeks at this position.[29] It ended 1992 as the second best-performing Latin song of the year.[30] In Mexico, both "No Sé Tú" and "Inovidable" topped the charts for a total of six months.[31]
Music video
An accompanying music video for "No Sé Tú" was directed by Pedro Torres and filmed in Miami; it features Miguel and an orchestra performing in front of a building.[32][33] The video premiered on 16 February on the Mexican variety show Siempre en Domingo.[14] At the 1993 annual Premios Eres, it won Best Video.[34]
^Cariñosamente (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. Spain: CBS Records. 1986. CBS 460256 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Ossa, Carlos Joaquín (1997). Golpe al corazón: tangos y boleros (1. ed.). Santiago, Chile: Planeta. p. 75. ISBN9789562471749.
^No Sé Tú / Otra Vez (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. Spain: CBS Records. 1986. CBS 460256 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^El Piano. Manzanero y sus amigos (Media notes). Armando Manzanero. United States: BMG US Latin. 1995. 7 43212 61222 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 15 February 1992. p. 58. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^"Breves de Espectáculos" [Entertainment Briefs]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 9 February 1992. p. 54. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^Salazar, Jaime Rico (1993). Cien años de boleros: Su historia, sus compositores, sus mejores intérpretes y 600 boleros inolvidables [One hundred years of boleros: Its history, its composers, its best performers, and 600 boleros] (in Spanish). Bogotá, Colombia: Centro Editorial de Estudios Musicales. p. 320. OCLC29577859.
^Valdez, Paco (30 December 1991). "Estrellas" [Stars]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). p. 47. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^"Luis Miguel revive música del pasado" [Luis Miguel relives music from the past]. El Informador (in Spanish). 8 January 1992. p. 15-D.
^Calzada, Gloria (24 August 1991). "Comentarios de..." [Comments from...]. El Informador (in Spanish). p. 14-E.
^"Luis Miguel se encuentra sano" [Luis Miguel is Healthy]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 18 March 1992. p. 50. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^Torres, Pedro (director) (1992). No Sé Tú (Television). Miami, Florida: Warner Music Mexico. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^"Entregan los premios 'Eres'" [The Eres awards presented]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 12 February 1993. p. 47. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.