Cuts Both Ways

For the title track released from this album, see Cuts Both Ways (song).
Cuts Both Ways
Studio album by Gloria Estefan feat. Miami Sound Machine
Released July 1989
(see release history)
Recorded 1988—1989, Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida
Genre Pop
Length 49:29
Label Epic
EK-45217
CBS Records International
Producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald
Gloria Estefan feat. Miami Sound Machine chronology

Let It Loose
(1987)		 Cuts Both Ways
(1989)		 Exitos De Gloria Estefan
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau C[2]

Cuts Both Ways is Gloria Estefan's debut solo album, and final album with Miami Sound Machine, as they would simply become her backup band for her solo career after its release. Although Estefan's name is on the front cover, the album credits Estefan and Miami Sound Machine (as with the previous album, Let It Loose).

In some Spanish-speaking territories, the album was titled Doblemente Herida.

History

By 1989, Gloria Estefan was one of the most successful female Latin artists in the world. After a decade of being the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine, she had been credited above the group name (Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine) on their 1987 album Let It Loose. With the release of Cuts Both Ways, it was widely believed that Estefan had gone solo, but Miami Sound Machine continued to perform as her backing band in the studio and on tour (however, the only original member of MSM to play on the album besides Estefan was her husband/producer, Emilio).

The album contains dance music, Latin rhythms and ballads. It has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide, reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and peaking at #1 in the UK, Belgium, Australia, and Ireland.

The first single from the album was "Don't Wanna Lose You", which became one of Estefan's biggest hits, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (her second U.S. number one) and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It also reached the Top Ten in The Netherlands, Ireland, Brazil and the UK. Other singles from this album included "Here We Are", another big hit for Estefan and one of her signature songs, "Oye mi Canto", a huge hit in Europe but ignored in USA, "Get on your feet", another signature song and huge hit, and finally the title track, which didn't make so strong an impact on the charts as the previous singles.

The artists Betty Wright and Jon Secada were backing vocalist for the album, and also both appeared on Estefan's next album, 1991's Into the Light.

Track Listings

Standard Track Listing
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Ay, Ay, I"  Gloria Estefan 3:49
2. "Here We Are"  Gloria Estefan 4:51
3. "Say"  Jon Secada, Bill Duncan 3:41
4. "Think About You Now"  Jorge Casas 4:20
5. "Nothin' New"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
6. "Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice) (English Version)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:52
7. "Don't Wanna Lose You"  Gloria Estefan 4:12
8. "Get On Your Feet"  John De Faria, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 3:38
9. "Your Love Is Bad For Me"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
10. "Cuts Both Ways"  Gloria Estefan 3:16
CD/Cassette Bonus Tracks
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
11. "Oye Mi Canto (Spanish Version)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:58
12. "Si Voy A Perderte" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07
Japan Bonus Track
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
13. "Ay, Ay, I" (Extended Mix)Gloria Estefan 6:05
Mexican LP Track Listing (Track Listing in Spanish, Tracks are not sung in Spanish unless specified)
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Ay, Ay, Yo (Ay, Ay, I)"  Gloria Estefan 3:49
2. "Si Voy A Perderte (Vers. Español)" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07
3. "Di (Say)"  Jon Secada, Bill Duncan 3:41
4. "Ahora Pienso En Ti (Think About You Now)"  Jorge Casas 4:20
5. "Nada Nuevo (Nothin' New)"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
6. "Oye Mi Canto (Versión En Español)" (Oye Mi Canto - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:52
7. "Aqui Estamos (Here We Are)"  Gloria Estefan 4:51
8. "Sobre Tus Pies (Get On Your Feet)"  John De Faria, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 3:38
9. "Tu Amor Me Hace Daño (Your Love Is Bad For Me)"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
10. "Corta De Ambos Lados (Cuts Both Ways)"  Gloria Estefan 3:16
Mexican Cassette Track Listing (Track Listing in Spanish, Tracks are not sung in Spanish unless specified)
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Ay, Ay, Yo (Ay, Ay, I)"  Gloria Estefan 3:49
2. "Si Voy A Perderte [Versión Inglés] (Don't Wanna Lose You)"  Gloria Estefan 4:07
3. "Di (Say)"  Jon Secada, Bill Duncan 3:41
4. "Ahora Pienso En Ti (Think About You Now)"  Jorge Casas 4:20
5. "Oye Mi Canto (Versión En Español)" (Oye Mi Canto - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:52
6. "Nada Nuevo (Nothin' New)"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
7. "Oye Mi Canto [Versión Inglés] (Hear My Voice)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:51
8. "Aqui Estamos (Here We Are)"  Gloria Estefan 4:51
9. "Sobre Tus Pies (Get On Your Feet)"  John De Faria, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 3:38
10. "Si Voy A Perderte (Vers. Español)" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07
11. "Tu Amor Me Hace Daño (Your Love Is Bad For Me)"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
12. "Corta De Ambos Lados (Cuts Both Ways)"  Gloria Estefan 3:16
Brazilian LP Track Listing
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Ay, Ay, I"  Gloria Estefan 3:49
2. "Toda Prá Você (Here We Are)" (Here We Are - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan, Aloysio Reis 4:51
3. "Say"  Jon Secada, Bill Duncan 3:41
4. "Think About You Now"  Jorge Casas 4:20
5. "Nothin' New"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
6. "Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice) (English Version)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:52
7. "Don't Wanna Lose You"  Gloria Estefan 4:12
8. "Get On Your Feet"  John De Faria, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 3:38
9. "Amor Fatal (Your Love Is Bad For Me)" (Your Love Is Bad For Me - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan, Aloysio Reis 3:50
10. "Cuts Both Ways"  Gloria Estefan 3:16
11. "Se Tenho Que Te Perder (Don't Wanna Lose You)" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07
Brazilian CD Track Listing
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Ay, Ay, I"  Gloria Estefan 3:49
2. "Toda Prá Você (Here We Are)" (Here We Are - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan, Aloysio Reis 4:51
3. "Say"  Jon Secada, Bill Duncan 3:41
4. "Think About You Now"  Jorge Casas 4:20
5. "Nothin' New"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
6. "Here We Are"  Gloria Estefan 4:51
7. "Se Tenho Que Te Perder (Don't Wanna Lose You)" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07
8. "Your Love Is Bad For Me"  Gloria Estefan 3:50
9. "Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice) (English Version)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:52
10. "Don't Wanna Lose You"  Gloria Estefan 4:12
11. "Get On Your Feet"  John De Faria, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 3:38
12. "Amor Fatal (Your Love Is Bad For Me)" (Your Love Is Bad For Me - Portuguese Version)Gloria Estefan, Aloysio Reis 3:50
13. "Cuts Both Ways"  Gloria Estefan 3:16
14. "Oye Mi Canto (Spanish Version)"  Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald 4:58
15. "Si Voy A Perderte" (Don't Wanna Lose You - Spanish Version)Gloria Estefan 4:07

Personnel

Miami Sound Machine

Additional musicians

Production

Design

Singles

Release history

Region Date
Japan July 12, 1989
Europe July 10, 1989
Canada July 10, 1989
United States July 11, 1989

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Chart (1989/1990) Peak
position
Australia albums chart 1[3]
Australia albums chart (Year-End 1990) 11
Belgium albums chart 1
Canada albums chart 42[4]
Dutch albums chart 1[5]
German albums chart 27[6]
Irish albums chart 1
New Zealand albums chart 1[7]
Norway albums chart 4[8]
Spain albums chart 13
Sweden albums chart 18[9]
Swiss albums chart 13[10]
UK albums chart 1[11]
US Billboard 200[12] 8
U.S. The Billboard 200 (Year-End 1990) 27
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 80
U.S. Top Latin Pop Albums 11

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA) 4× Platinum 280,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Platinum 100,000^
Germany (BVMI)[14] Gold 250,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[15] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[16] Gold 25,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart succession

Preceded by
A New Flame by Simply Red		 UK number one album
August 5, 1989 – September 15, 1989 		Succeeded by
Aspects of Love by London Stage Cast
Preceded by
Pretty Woman (soundtrack) by Various Artists		 Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
August 5, 1990 – August 18, 1990 		Succeeded by
The Best of Van Morrison by Van Morrison

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 28, 1989). "Consumer Guide: Cuts Both Ways". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2011-02-01.
  3. ↑ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Gloria+Estefan&titel=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ Canadian Chart
  5. ↑ http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Gloria+Estefan&titel=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.de/album.asp?artist=Gloria+Estefan&title=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a&country=de. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Gloria+Estefan&titel=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Gloria+Estefan&titel=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Gloria+Estefan&titel=Cuts+Both+Ways&cat=a. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ http://hitparade.ch/album/Gloria-Estefan/Cuts-Both-Ways-937. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/gloria%20estefan/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ "Gloria Estefan Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Gloria Estefan. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Miami Sound Machine – Cuts Both Ways". Music Canada.
  14. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Gloria Estefan; 'Cuts Both Ways')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  15. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  16. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Gloria Estefan; 'Cuts Both Ways')". Hung Medien.
  17. ↑ "British album certifications – Gloria Estefan – Cuts Both Ways". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Cuts Both Ways in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  18. ↑ "American album certifications – Estefan, Gloria – Cuts Both Ways". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH