Chayanne Reflects on ‘Y Tu Te Vas’ 20 Years After Hitting No. 1: ‘It’s A Song That Will Last Forever’
20 years ago on Wednesday (June 15), Chayanne scored his sixth No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs with “Y Tú Te Vas,” which spent seven weeks atop becoming his longest-leading title among nine wins.
Penned by the great Franco De Vita, the track became the ultimate heartbreak anthem with heart-wrenching lyrics that came alive with Chayanne’s emotional delivery.
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“There are lyrics that are more special than others,” the Puerto Rican artist tells Billboard. “I remember the first time I heard this song, it really left me thinking about the depth of the lyrics. Franco de Vita will always be one of the greatest songwriters of our time and I admire him a lot, but I think this may be one of the best songs he’s ever written.”
“Y Tú Te Vas” is the opening track on Chayanne’s 2002 Grandes Éxitos album, which became his longest-charting album at No. 1 on Latin Pop Albums with a total of 10 weeks at the summit. It concurrently earned him his first No. 1 on Top Latin Albums (two weeks atop).
The 53-year-old singer adds that he remembers recording this song as if he was going feeling the pain of a heartbreak. “All my songs I record with a lot of hope that they’ll find success but this one in particular surpassed my expectations.”
To this day, Chayanne remembers the impact the song had on his fans who stopped him at airports or on the street to share what the song made them feel personally.
“They would tell me, ‘It’s as if this song was written just for me.’ The lyrics really touched their soul. Even a friend of mine, who was going through a breakup at the time, kept singing this song over and over again,” he says. “It’s just one of those songs that will last forever.”
