Bagdad (song)


"Bagdad" is a Spanish-language song recorded by Spanish singer and songwriter Rosalía. A fan favourite, the song was released on 4 December 2018 as the fourth single from her second studio album El mal querer. The track was co-produced by Rosalía and Spanish musician El Guincho and contains an interpolation of "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake.

Background

In an interview with Beats 1, Rosalía said she was inspired by an erotic club in Barcelona called Bagdad and by Timberlake's "Cry Me a River": "He heard the song and said, "Yes, you can use the melody"; I was so excited because he never approves anything."
The song's lyrics, part of a narrative arc that spans the whole album, revolve around the main character of the story being seen alone crying in the streets at night, clapping her hands in sorrow "like she's praying to the rhythm of bulerías", and then being rescued by a "fallen angel".

Music video

The music video for "Bagdad", directed by Helmi, was filmed in Paris and released on 4 December 2018. It features Rosalía as a strip-club dancer, dancing in a pole wearing a blonde wig. She then goes to the bathroom after having a heated up phone conversation, where she starts crying to the point that the water from her tears fills up the whole room, drowning her. The singer tweeted that the music video is "For all those who were heartbroken and drowned in their sorrow."

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