Remember When Enrique Iglesias’ Racy 2000 Video for “Sad Eyes” Was Nixed by His Own Label?

When Enrique Iglesias released his fourth album Enrique in November 1999, it was a big leap forward for him on the international front. His first three Spanish language albums on Fonovisa Records had each sold between 500,000 and a million copies domestically, and now he was wanting to extend his reach. And the move paid off.

Buoyed by the success of his Spanglish single “Bailamos”—which was included on the Wild Wild West movie soundtrack over that summer and went to No. 1 in the U.S. and Spain and Top 5 in several European countries—Iglesias signed a multi-album deal with Interscope. The subsequent album, which included “Bailamos,” would also produce another No. 1 hit, “Rhythm Divine,” and two more Top 5 singles, “Be with You” and “Could I Have This Kiss Forever,” the latter a duet with Whitney Houston. The singer was also cross-pollinating different musical styles under the Latin pop umbrella for which he has been lauded for.

But of the five singles released, only one did not have a video—at least one you could see. The clips for Iglesias’ cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Sad Eyes,” which utilized a more pop mix than the album version, were a bit too steamy for Interscope, thus it was never shown. It was directed by David LaChapelle, who later helmed videos for Elton John, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Britney Spears.

The ballad is timeless in its style and appeal, and while it feels forlorn it is more about the anticipation of what could be. Fans have debated the situation that keeps the man and woman in the song from being together—and who is the lonely one, or are they both lonely?—but there is hope lingering in the sadness.

Well, for a while I’ve been watching you steady
Ain’t gonna move ’til you’re good and ready
You show up and then you shy away
But I know pretty soon, you’ll be walkin’ this way
Because sad eyes never lie

The video, however, depicts a lonely pop star (literally, Enrique) who feels isolated from regular people because of his overwhelming fame. Despite being surrounded by throngs of cheering fans, he returns to his hotel rooms alone. To ease his loneliness and sexual hunger, he looks at erotic websites and dials phone-sex lines and masturbates. He also picks up a sex worker in his limo, then brings her back for steamy bathtub and bedroom sex and her pole dancing. But when he awakens she is gone and he is left alone again. What is interesting is the sex-line worker and the woman he picks up look the same; there is an obsession going on here.

While the content of the video was not X-rated, it walked a line like R-rated erotic thrillers of the day where it showed enough skin and implied enough action that MTV would not show it. Perhaps they also felt uncomfortable that Iglesias was not pretending to be another star—the fans in the video clearly have the name Enrique on their t-shirts and posters. Was he contemplating what life might be like for him if he had a different reaction to his fame? The story in the video clearly portrays “Enrique” being no different than the average Joe who might be sexually frustrated and unable to connect with women, hence he finds other ways to satiate his desires.

“Sad Eyes” was a bold move to make because it is both a sexy and sad clip. Iglesias was rising to international prominence as well and doubtless had plenty of young fans—Interscope might have gotten nervous about that. It was clearly meant for a mature audience. Interestingly enough, even though it surfaced on YouTube as early as 2009, the clip has never be added to the singer’s official YouTube channel nor has it been blurred or edited on the accounts where it has been uploaded. Allegedly, LaChapelle first uploaded it but was asked by Universal to take it down.

Both the original Springsteen song and the cover have never gotten wide exposure beyond core fans. Neither the original nor Iglesias’ cover have charted. The Boss recorded “Sad Eyes” during the Human Touch sessions in 1990, but the song was not released until a 1998 box set of unreleased material called Tracks. It was one of two singles released from that four-disc compilation. While it is not a song that is widely known for either artist, it still has a haunting quality that endures today.

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