"Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin from his sixth studio album, Sound Loaded (2000). Martin re-recorded the song along with American singer Christina Aguilera in December 2000. The album version was written by Desmond Child, Victoria Shaw, and Gary Burr and produced by Child; the duet received additional production from Walter Afanasieff. The duet was released by Columbia Records on January 16, 2001, as the second single from the album. A mid-tempo pop song and power ballad with elements of flamenco and Latin music, it is about heartbreak and longing.
"Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" received widely positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the singers' vocals. The song was listed among the Greatest Love Songs by VH1. It was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, losing the award to Aguilera's other contender, "Lady Marmalade". The song was commercially successful, peaking at number one in Hungary, New Zealand, and Romania while topping Poland's airplay chart and Croatia's foreign song chart. It also reached the top five in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, among others. In Australia and Canada, it became a top-10 hit. The song has received several certifications, including silver in the UK.
A Spanish-language solo version of the song, entitled "Sólo Quiero Amarte" (), penned by Martin and percussionist Danny López, was recorded by the former and released in the United States. This version reached the summit of the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, Latin Pop Airplay, and Tropical/Salsa Airplay charts in the United States. To promote the English version of the song, Martin and Aguilera performed it on several television programs and award shows, such as the 2001 World Music Awards. The accompanying music videos for the duet and Spanish versions were directed by American director Wayne Isham and filmed in Florida. Several contestants on various music talent shows have covered the song.
Background and release From 1999 to 2000, Ricky Martin embarked on his fifth tour, the Livin' la Vida Loca Tour, to promote his first English album, Ricky Martin. While on tour in 2000, Martin returned to the studio and began recording material for his sixth studio album, Sound Loaded. The album was released on November 14, 2000, by Columbia Records, and a solo version of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was included as the fifth track on the album. A Spanish version of the song, titled "Sólo Quiero Amarte" () was featured as the 15th track on the Latin American edition of the album with the same release date.
Martin re-recorded the song along with Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas in December 2000 for the 11th Annual Billboard Music Awards. Aguilera wrote about the re-recording in an online message: "An incredible music and career opportunity has come up for me to record a duet with Ricky Martin." In an interview with the Grammy Awards in 2021, Martin talked about collaborating with Aguilera: "Every time I talk about Christina, it brings a smile [to my face] because I think it was a very powerful track. Her delivery, her performance like always was beautiful." The duet was released to radio stations in the United States, by Columbia Records on January 16, 2001, as the second single from Sound Loaded. The track was not released in a major commercially available single format in the United States, and consumers could purchase the song only with buying the album. Those who had already bought the album could download it from Martin's website for free or mail a sticker from their copy of the album, receiving a free CD with the new version of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely".
A maxi single, including all three versions of the song (solo, duet, and Spanish), as well as a remix of Martin's previous song, "She Bangs", was released in Europe, on January 16, 2001. Additionally, CD singles of the suetwere launched in Australia and the United Kingdom, on February 26, 2001. The promo CD of the Spanish version was released in the US and includes a salsa version of "Sólo Quiero Amarte" recorded by Martin. The duet version of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was later added to Martin's compilation albums The Best of Ricky Martin (2001), 17 (2008), Greatest Hits (2011), Playlist: The Very Best of Ricky Martin (2012), and Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition (2013), and Aguilera's Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008), while "Sólo Quiero Amarte" was added to Martin's La Historia (2001).
Music and lyrics
Musically, the re-recorded version of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a mid-tempo pop song and power ballad, featuring elements of flamenco and Latin music. The News Journal noted that the duet features a more "danced-up" melody than the original, which was simply a ballad. Both the solo and duet versions of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" were written by Desmond Child, Victoria Shaw, and Gary Burr, while the production for the solo version was handled by Desmond Child and the duet's production was handled by Walter Afanasieff. Martin and Danny Lopez co-wrote "Sólo Quiero Amarte".
According to the duet version's sheet music on Musicnotes.com, "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" uses piano and guitar and is composed in the key of B♭ minor with a groove of 100 beats per minute. Martin and Aguilera's vocals span from the low note of D♭4 to the high note of D♭6. The album version track runs for a total of five minutes and five seconds, while the duet runs for a total of 4 minutes and 12 seconds. According to Stephen Daw from Billboard, "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a love song about "heartbreak" and "longing", as well as "love, lose, and hope" according to mitú's Cristal Mesa, with lyrics including, "Nobody wants to be lonely / Nobody wants to cry / My body's longing to hold you / So bad, it hurts inside / Time is precious and it's slipping away / And I've been waiting for you all of my life".
Critical reception "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" has been met with widely positive reviews from music critics. Billboard staff reviewed the duet version, following its release in January 2001, writing that the song was "edgier and sexier" than Martin's previous works and calling his vocal performance with Aguilera "radiant". They described the track as "the combination of two of pop music's most sexually charged performers", mentioning the song's "sensuality" and its "feel-good vibe". British trade paper Music Week referred to the duet as a "pop swayer" and noted its "perfect" performance. AllMusic reviewer Jose F. Promis wrote that the duet version was more "bombastic" than the solo album version. The Los Angeles Times staff described the singers as "two of pop's hottest heartthrobs". Tangos Alice Kelly stated: "These two harmonize each other so beautifully that anyone would be convinced their love story was real." Writing for The Advocate, Gina Vivinetto praised "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely", saying the singers "blended their voices beautifully" on the track. Cristal Mesa from mitú described them as "two vocal powerhouses" and said they "definitely keep your attention as they sing" the song.
In 2017, Bustle critic Mathew Jedeikin gave the song a positive review, saying it is "basically a cult classic". He added that although the track "seemed underappreciated" in 2001, it "has lived on as one of the most iconic duets of the early 2000s". Kevin Apaza from Direct Lyrics labeled the song "an iconic hit", and Mark Blankenship from NewNowNext described it as "spectacular". In 2018, Stephen Daw from Billboard placed it among Aguilera's 10 best collaborations in her career, saying "no two musical artists scream 'early aughts' quite like" Martin and Aguilera, describing them as "two icons". Also from Billboard, Rebecca Schiller named the duet one of Aguilera's "most memorable collaborations". Writing for O, The Oprah Magazine, Amanda Mitchell ranked the track as Martin's third-best song on her 2019 list. In the same year, Gary James of Entertainment Focus ranked the song as Aguilera's second-biggest duet. Idolators Mike Wass acknowledged it as her sixth-best collaboration in 2021.
Accolades "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was ranked at number 65 on VH1's "100 Greatest Love Songs". Tango ranked it at numbers 35 and 89 on the lists of "100 Best 2000s Love Songs To Play On Repeat" and "100 Songs About Loneliness For When You're Feeling Alone", respectively. In The Advocate, the song was placed in the ninth position on their "10 Best Queer Duets" list in 2015. In 2017, E! Online named it the fourth-best duet with a Latin star. The following year, in Yardbarker, the duet placed at number six on the list of best musical collaborations featuring Latin artists. In 2021, BuzzFeed listed Martin and Aguilera as the eighth famous musicians who had the "best musical chemistry of all time". "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was nominated for Choice Music – Love Song at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. The song was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards but lost to "Lady Marmalade" by Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink. "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" won the silver award for Top Duet at the 2002 RTHK International Pop Awards. It earned a nomination for Best Collaboration at the 2001 Music Television Awards.
Commercial performance "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" became an international hit. On the week of January 27, 2001, it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 66. The following week, the song rose to number 34, becoming that week's highest climber as well as the greatest airplay gainer with an audience jump of 13 million. Three issues later, the duet peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100, becoming Martin's fourth and Aguilera's fifth top-20 hit in the US. The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the Hot 100. It also reached the top 10 on three other Billboard rankings: the Adult Contemporary chart (number three), the Mainstream Top 40 (number eight), and the Top 40 Tracks chart (number 10). In addition, the song appeared on the Rhythmic and Adult Top 40 charts, peaking at numbers 20 and 27, respectively. The Spanish-language version of the song, "Sólo Quiero Amarte", debuted at number 18 on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks on the chart issue dated February 10, 2001. It subsequently reached number one on April 7, 2001, and stayed there for four weeks, giving Martin his sixth number-one hit on the chart. It also topped the Latin Pop Airplay and Tropical/Salsa Airplay listings. On the Canadian Singles Chart, "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" charted for seven weeks, achieving a peak of number six on April 28, 2001.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number four on March 4, 2001, staying on the UK Singles Chart for 12 weeks. In July 2020, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the song silver for sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units. The record failed to enter the top 10 in Ireland, where it reached number 12 for two weeks and stayed in the top 30 for five weeks. In mainland Europe, the track topped four national rankings: Hungary's Mahasz chart, the Romanian Top 100, Poland's National Airplay chart, and Croatia's Foreign Singles chart. The song also reached number two in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland; number three in the Netherlands and Sweden; number four in Finland; and number five in Germany, Norway, and Portugal. In Denmark, the song peaked at number six, and IFPI Danmark awarded the song a gold certification for shipping over 4,000 copies. The record has also been certified gold in the Netherlands (40,000 units shipped), Sweden (15,000 units shipped), and Switzerland (20,000 units shipped). Elsewhere in Europe, "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" peaked at number 11 in the Flanders region of Belgium, number 13 in Austria, number 16 in Belgium's Wallonia region, and number 28 in France. On the Eurochart Hot 100 ranking, the song reached number two in March 2001.