¿A quién le importa?

"¿A quién le importa?" (English: literally, "To whom does it matter?"; idiomatically, "Who cares?") is a single released from the Spanish pop rock band Alaska y Dinarama's 1986 No es pecado album. Fangoria – composed of two of the song's three original artists, Alaska and Nacho Canut – recorded an updated, more electronic version of the song along with a new music video. The song was featured in the "Astracanada" disc of the album. Other cover versions include those by Pink Punk and Christina Rapado.

"¿A quién le importa?"
Single by Alaska y Dinarama
from the album No Es Pecado
B-side	"Bote de Colón (Techno Chochi' Mix)"
Released	March 1986
Genre	Hi-NRG pop rock synth-pop[1]
Length	3:48
Label	EMI Music
Songwriter(s)	Carlos García Berlanga Ignacio Canut
Producer(s)	Nick Patrick
Alaska y Dinarama singles chronology
"Un Hombre de Verdad" (1985) "¿A quién le importa?" (1986) "La Funcionaria Asesina" (1986)

Composition and themes

The song was originally written and produced by Carlos Berlanga and Nacho Canut.

The song describes a person who is criticized for being different. The question and title lyric "Who cares?" is repeated throughout the song indicating that criticism does not affect her and she will stay the way she is. The chorus of the song asks (translated from Spanish): "Who cares what I do? / Who cares what I say? / I am the way I am. I'll keep on being that. / I will never change."^[2]

Alaska y Dinarama's version of the song was later used as a gay anthem by the Spanish language-speaking LGBT community.^[2]

Track listing

"Alaska y Dinarama Spanish Single"

1. ¿A quién le importa ?
2. ¿A quién le importa? (Club mix)

Music videos

The performance for World Pride Madrid 2017

Alaska y Dinarama's music video

The music video was filmed in 1986 on TVE's soundstage for Alaska's program La Bola de Cristal. The music video depicts Alaska with her "Rastafari Punk" look (her makeup is green, and her hair is shaved from the sides and is grabbed into a high pony tail with dreadlocks), as she sings at the center of an energetic crowd (whom seem to get motivated by her and support her). In this video Alaska is wearing a silver fringe jacket. This style later inspired Thalia to dress up almost identically to her during her trip to Argentina. This video was first aired in Spain in 1986.

Fangoria's music video

Fangoria's was shot at Benidorm, Spain. The video is basically a theater play, starring Alaska using 5 different sets of clothing. A group compose of 28 energetic people dancing in the "play." This video is a tribute to the end of the year TV programs^[3]

Thalía version

"¿A quién le importa?"
Single by Thalía
from the album Thalía
B-side	"You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)"
Released	15 November 2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	Latin house dance-pop techno
Length	3:45
Label	EMI Latin
Songwriter(s)	Carlos Berlanga Ignacio Canut
Producer(s)	Estéfano
Thalía singles chronology
"No Me Enseñaste" (2002) "¿A quién le importa?" (2002) "Dance Dance" (2003)

In 2002 Latin Mexican pop singer Thalía covered the song in her 2002 self-titled studio album, with an accompanying music video. The music video for the song was shot in black and white and directed by Jeb Brien and shot in Manhattan, New York City, in the "Frying Pan" ship. In the video, Thalía has a punk look, and performs her song in a gay club. Miri Ben-Ari, who plays the violin in the song, also makes a cameo in the video. Amanda Lepore and DJ Keoki (of Club Kids fame) also make an appearance. The video was first aired in the fall of 2002. In December 2003, Thalía was invited to the Jingle Ball along with other artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, Sean Paul, and Simple Plan and where she was the first of nine artists to sing where she performed the song along with her hits Dance Dance (The Mexican), I Want You, and Baby, I'm in Love.^[4] Thalía also performed the song at the 2003 Latin Grammy Awards where she was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Album.^[5]

Track listings

Mexican & U.S. CD single

1. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Album Version] – 3:44
2. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Vocal Mix] – 3:58
3. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix] – 7:14
4. "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" – 3:56

Promo CD Single

1. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Album Version]
2. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Vocal Mix] – 3:58
3. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix] – 7:14

European Single

1. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix] – 7:14

U.S. 12" vinyl single
A-side

1. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix] – 7:14
2. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Vocal Mix] – 3:58

B-side

1. "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" – 3:56
2. "¿A Quién le Importa?" [Album Version] – 3:44

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003) Peak position El Salvador (Notimex)[6] 3 Mexico (Monitor Latino)[7] 14 Panama (Notimex)[8] 1 Uruguay (CUD)[9] 1 US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[10] 9 US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[11] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Peak position US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[12] 23 US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[13] 16 US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[14] 26

In popular culture

The song was used in important scenes in four Spanish-language Netflix productions between 2018 and 2021. The first was in the Mexican dark comedy The House of Flowers, performed by the character Julián as he comes out both in a recital and in a fantasy cabaret sequence.^[15] The second was in the Spanish romcom Despite Everything, where it is performed by the four sisters as they start smoking marijuana in the car at the outset of a road trip to find their fathers,^[16] and the third in the Mexican film Ready to Mingle, where it is danced and sung to at the end to show that main character Ana has learned an important lesson about herself and the single ladies have all come to acceptance.^[17] The song was also used in the Mexican Spanish television series Rubí as the main theme song; it is sung by Thalia's niece, Camila Sodi, who also starred in the series.^[18] In the last episode of the second season of El juego de las llaves, the song was used for the final scene.

At the end of each episode of Drag Race España, the host Supremme de Luxe recites the song's refrain, paralleling RuPaul's slogan, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen?", in each episode of the original American series from which the Spanish version is adapted.

In the finale of the first season of Drag Race México, the show's finalists perform a choreographed lipsync to Thalía's version of the song as their last challenge of the season.

References

1. Rolling Stone Staff (28 June 2023). "The 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 September 2023. The blazing chorus of Alaska y Dinarama's 1986 synth-pop track...
2. Montalvo Lucar, Jeanne (29 May 2018). "How I Made It: Alaska, on an LGBTQ Anthem en Español". Latino USA. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
3. "El Nuevo videoclip de Fangoria 'A Quien Le Importa'". 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
4. Vida, Pura (12 December 2003). "Thalía impulsa su carrera junto a los astros". Excélsior. p. 27.
5. The Latin Grammys
6. "Yahir es también popular en Centroamérica" (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreón. 14 April 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
7. "Radionotas Los Más Solicitados" (in Spanish). Radionotas. Archived from the original on 21 June 2003. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
8. "Sanz se hace notar". El Siglo de Torreón. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2022.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
9. Herald, Brownsville (4 July 2003). "Las diez canciones mas populares en Latinoamerica". The Brownsville Herald. Vol. 113, no. 20. p. 48.
10. "Thalia Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard.
11. "Thalia Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard.
12. "The Year in Music 2003: Latin". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. 27 December 2003. p. YE-67. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
13. "2003 Year End Charts". Billboard. 27 December 2003. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
14. "Billboard Year-End Charts 2003: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. 27 December 2003. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
15. Mejia, Jackie (27 August 2018). "This Netflix Telenovela Is Taking Over Social Media with a Challenge Tied To One of the Characters". we are mitú. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
16. "TRAILER: 'A Pesar de Todo' Is a Road Trip Comedy About Sisters Searching for Their Biological Dads". Remezcla. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
17. ""Solteras" / "Easy": escenas de la vida conyugal en Netflix". Puente Alado (in Spanish). 3 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
18. Solís, Erik (21 January 2020). "Camila Sodi interpreta el tema oficial de Rubí". Las Estrellas (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2020.