Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have been causing a stir with their joint album I Said I Love You First. Representing the perfect creative collaboration between two halves of a shared heart, the album features 15 tracks, including “Call Me When You Break Up” with Gracie Abrams, and “I Can’t Get Enough”, their 2019 collaboration with J Balvin and Tainy. “I felt like it was a little reflection of who we are, how we did this together, how much we love it and how much we love each other,” Gomez recently said about working with her romantic partner in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “And I just felt like it was meant to be that way.”
One of the standout tracks on the album is “Ojos Tristes”, a bilingual glam-pop song featuring the vocals of María Zardoya, lead singer of The Marías, who is also credited as a songwriter and producer. The song – whose lyric video has nearly 2 million views and was in the top 10 of YouTube’s music trending list at the time of this writing – samples the 1981 classic by Jeanette, “El muchacho de los ojos tristes”. Below, Billboard compares the 2025 version with the original by the Spanish-born English singer.
Title: “El muchacho de los ojos tristes”
Artist: Jeanette
Year: 1981
Song: The song about a young man with sad eyes became one of the most iconic tracks in Jeanette’s career. In it, the artist sings about encountering a lonely man with sad eyes who needs love, and her desire to see him again to make him feel better. Musically, it is a soft glam-pop ballad that conveys melancholy, backed by Jeanette’s dreamy and sweet vocals. “El muchacho de los ojos tristes” was written and produced by Manuel Alejandro and was the third single from Jeanette’s 1981 album Corazón de Poeta.
Video: A video posted on Jeanette’s official YouTube channel shows the then 30-year-old singer performing the song on a live television show. Completely alone on stage, the artist delivers the song’s lyrics with grace, passion, and her own sad eyes shining. She wears a purple sequined dress and cowboy boots while swaying from side to side.
Title: “Ojos Tristes”
Artists: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
Year: 2025
Song: While the 80s song is about the desire to get to know that mysterious man, the 2025 version by Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco takes a different approach. The song still talks about a man with sad eyes, but this time, it’s about the pain of a breakup and the longing to see that person again. The lyrics are a mix of English and Spanish, with Gomez singing about how she can’t get over the memories of her ex-lover. Musically, the song has a more upbeat and electronic sound compared to the original, but still maintains the melancholic vibe.
Video: The music video for “Ojos Tristes” shows Gomez and Blanco in a futuristic setting, with Gomez wearing a silver jumpsuit and Blanco in a white suit. The video features a mix of futuristic and vintage elements, with Gomez singing in front of a retro TV set and Blanco playing a futuristic guitar. The video also includes scenes of Gomez and Blanco dancing together, representing the chemistry and connection between the two artists.
In conclusion, while both versions of “Ojos Tristes” have their own unique charm, the 2025 version by Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco brings a fresh and modern twist to the classic song. With its bilingual lyrics and electronic sound, the song showcases the growth and evolution of both artists, while still paying homage to the original. It’s a beautiful representation of the creative collaboration between two halves of a shared heart, and a testament to the power of love and music.