I remember seeing this live on tv and thinking, “WOW!” I’ve seen so many “greatest Grammy performance” lists and still can’t believe that this one isn’t on ANY of them. Ricky Martin SHOCKED main stream USA and paved the way for the latin pop music explosion of the 2000s with this performance. The audience was stunned (and confused) by the performance and pageantry…and the day after, Ricky was booked on many talk shows in the US for the first time ( I believe). Greatest overlooked performance EVER. (To date…in my humble opinion.) Cheers and Rock On! Thank you for finding this gem.
@MarciaSantos-ox1fk I double checked and I stand corrected! Her standing ovation was at a different awards show a few years earlier. My memory was a bit off! 😂
I agree except on one thing, Ricky was ALREADY a global star by then, hence why they gave him the floor at the Grammy's, the US catch up late, but he was propelled into the universe that night, this is the night Ricky put Latinos in the map for all the right reasons...Im watch it live and I was soo incredibly proud of him.
A stunned, mostly white, American audience didn't realize what hit them until the end. A gorgeous man, with a great voice and a hot body, was moving his hips in ways they'd never seen, and singing in two languages in ways they'd never heard, on such a big stage. It was a song most of them had never heard. The performance represented a category most of them didn't think too much about. But when it was over, their standing ovation spoke volumes and immediately began to echo through space and time. For Latin artists performing thereafter, audiences expected this sort of energy and passion and usually got it, ushering in a modern golden age for Latinx performers. Even Jennifer Lopez owes a lot to Ricky and this performance. As a Latinx performer she was mostly known for Selena and other acting roles. This night and this performance added a new dimension to who JLo was and it helped catapult her to even greater stardom through music. The following year, all eyes were on JLo as a popular Latinx performer, and that's when she broke the internet in the Versace dress. The following year, her second album "JLo" went to Number One. We remember the dress, but I wonder what happened to those leather pants Ricky wore. They should've been cast in bronze.
When the hairs on my arms stand up I know it's an amazing performance. The hairs still havent gone down since I watched this live on TV when he first performed it. It's still my favorite live performance of all time. Every once in a while I have to go back and watch it. Bravo!❤🎉❤🕺💃
I remember watching this live and was like "WOW"! It was like an explosion! Incredible. Agree it should be top 10 Grammy performance of all time. Definitely best opener ever!
It only took the entire performance for the zombies in that dead audience to recognize genius and come to life. The most well deserved standing O ever.
Hadn’t seen it since watching it live. I remember at the end having my mind blown. Funny how memory works. I remember a NewYork’s New Year amount of confetti, double the amount of people on stage, and the crowd going batshit during the performance. Still one of the best performances.
I remember watching this performance on TV and thinking, wait is that the guy I had the crush on from Menudo?! Sure was. It was cool to see him just in his element and blowing the minds of everyone in the audience. Love him!
The people in the audience didn't know what hit 'em; didn't know how to react. Ricky Martin was gonna bring it no matter if they wanted it or not. Unbelievable performance that completely took them by surprise.
What is really surprising about this video is that all those people in the audience remained seated in their chairs the whole time!!! I mean how could they resist the the urge of moving their bodies!!! I would have danced like a mad cow...
I think they didn't know what to do, they were so stunned. I think they thought they had to be reserved. But that explosion of applause at the end! This was definitely a unique, iconic performance.
To anybody reading this, I pray that whatever is hurting you or whatever you are constantly stressing about gets better. May the dark thoughts, the overthinking, and the doubt exit your mind may clarity replace confusion. may peace and calmness fill your life.
Jesus. What a production. And what a performance. They’re doing it live on stage and not mimicking on a minus track. Things really used to be world class back in the days
It took JLo long enough to stand up lol . Great performance. I remember watching it live . That crowd was a tad dull but at least they gave Ricky well deserved ovation at the end 😎😎😎
I was 23yrs old when I first saw this on TV in 1999, and immediately thought "WOW, who is this guy that, all of sudden, just brings life and pazazz into the Grammy?.?." AND he so dam HOT.🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵♨♨🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 The next day people were saying he's Ricky Martin from the Menudo group and again I was like WAIT WHAT, I do remember hearing Menudo's music back in the mid 80s to late 90s, just never knew their names 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
*** Not many ARTISTS can identify a single moment when it all change for their careers...this was such moment for RICKY MARTIN...the NIGHT when he was catapulted to the MUSIC INDUSTRY'S STRATOSPHERE and onto becoming a MEGA STAR !!!!
I have a friend who worked at Sony records who was there that night. He told me that T.V. didn't show even half of Ricky's dancing. The director should have spent less time on the background and more focused on Ricky.
I had been only a year in the US and I remember clearly this Grammy! My American friends were like who is this man???? Oh my gosh he is absolutely amazing they couldn’t stop dancing with this performance! He opened the doors for Latin singers to sing at the American Grammy’s!
El último artista latino masculino q dejo en alto Latinoamérica en los Grammys despues de Ricky hasta ahora no hay nadie. Hace poco fue la bestia fe bad bunny y fue un asco su presentación tuvo su oportunidad y la desaprovecho porq no es artista en cambio Ricky si lo es lo fue y lo sera por algo todavia nadie lo supera a nivel masculino. Grande Ricky!!!
I fell in love with Ricky because of this song & festive artistic infectious performance....few songs are so uplifting that they bring tears to your eyes. Did when I watched it live then & STILL does today! I became such of a fan of his that. I wrestled in refried beans to get free tickets. Finally, the beans are out of my hair but that concert lives in my heart forever! To Ricky Martin & the Cup of Life, salute!
Esto si es ser latino !!!! Excelente presentación en una época donde los latinos son marginados !!!! Gracias a Ricky y Shakira ayudaron a mejorar la perspectiva !!!
exacto! recuerdo crecer en estos dias donde el racismo y la discriminacion era descaradamente abierta e infundida en todos los medios. Ricky fue un grande que nos enorgulleció nuestra latinidad
Ha Celine la veo bien seria. No sé si piensas q la de rojo en primera fila es Celine. Las únicas personas que mostraron más o menos alegría y todo fueron Madonna y la esposa de Sting
This performance, Janet Jackson’s 1987 performance and Aretha Franklin’s version of Nessum Dorma are like the only Grammys performances that I will always remember, seriously.
Grande Ricky. Tanto derroche de alegria y belleza en esta cancion. Lo que me pregunto es como hizo esta pobre gente del auditorio para permanecer quieta sin bailar, si aca hasta los resotes de mi silla bailan emocionados!!! Bravo Ricky!!!
Los americanos no sabían quién era Ricky hasta ese momento. Por eso a principio nadie reaccionó. Pero al final de la canción TODOS se pararon de sus sillas y le dieron a Ricky un standing ovation. I was extremely proud of him 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷
Ricky Martin singlehandedly saved the most boring Grammys to date. The audience was a bunch of stiff fuddy-duddies, including J-lo. Had that performance been today, people would have been jumping out of their seats.
