"Don't Wanna Lose You" by Gloria Estefan

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  3962

Date:  07/08/1989

Debut:  55

Peak:  1 (1 week)

Weeks:  18

Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  For the 1987 #6 multi-platinum album Let It Loose, Gloria Estefan would get top billing above the Miami Sound Machine. By that point in time, there was only one original MSM member still remaining, Enrique "Kiki" Garcia. When '88 rolled around, Garcia chose to depart and that basically left MSM as more of an assembled backing band than an actual group. Because of that and Gloria Estefan's rising popularity, it was decided that Estefan would slide into a solo career. By the summer of '89, her debut solo album Cuts Both Ways was set for release. This first single was issued out and it would become a significant hit reaching #1 and #2 AC. It would sell well enough to go gold. The album would quickly take off and reach a peak of #8. By the fall it would hit platinum status. This song would earn Estefan a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

ReduxReview:  It was slightly unusual to kick off an album with a ballad, but this really was the best song on the album and the one that had the most chart potential. It was the logical choice and it paid off quite well. Written by Estefan, it was another solid, aching ballad on which she gave a lovely vocal performance.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  For her 2020 album Brazil305, Estefan would remake this hit. The album had Estefan re-recording her biggest hits in Brazilian rhythms. Some of the tracks were also performed in a different language than their original versions. Four new songs would also be recorded for the project. The album would end up winning the Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album. It was Estefan's fifth Latin Grammy. She also had three standard Grammys to her name.

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