El Problema

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title: "El Problema" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2002-songs", "ricardo-arjona-songs", "songs-written-by-ricardo-arjona", "songs-in-spanish"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Problema" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	El Problema
cover	Ricardo-Arjona-El-Problema.jpg
type	single
artist	Ricardo Arjona
album	Santo Pecado
released
recorded	2002
genre	Latin pop
length	5:31 (Album version)
label	*Sony Discos
writer	Ricardo Arjona
producer	*Ricardo Arjona
prev_title	A Cara o Cruz
prev_year	2001
next_title	Minutos
next_year	2003
::

::callout[type=note] the Ricardo Arjona song ::

Warner Music Latina | writer = Ricardo Arjona | producer = *Ricardo Arjona
Carlos Cabral Junior | prev_title = A Cara o Cruz | prev_year = 2001 | next_title = Minutos | next_year = 2003 "El Problema" ("The Problem") is a Latin pop song written, produced and performed by Guatemalan Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona. It was released as the lead single from his ninth studio album, Santo Pecado (2002). It is also recognized as one of Ricardo Arjona's signature songs.

Critically and commercially successful, the song became a hit by the singer, staying at No.1 for eight consecutive weeks at the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and twelve weeks at No.1 on the Latin Pop Songs chart, both being the most by any of his singles to date.

Reception

On the success of the song, Arjona commented that "it is an accident that happens, and you doesn't now how it is about. I thought 'El Problema' wasn't a song that could sound on radio and it happened." Mario Tarradell from The Dallas Morning News commented that "filled with lengthy verses and a gospellike chorus, the cut hardly sounds like your usual drive-time fodder."

Music video

The music video for "El Problema" was filmed between November 16 and 18, 2002 in Barcelona, Spain. The video features the singer chasing a woman throughout the city to finally find her at the La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's biggest church, in which he is arrested by the police and sent to prison.

Track listing

| headline = Digital Download | title1 = El Problema | writer1 = Ricardo Arjona | length1 = 5:31

Chart performance

"El Problema" became a huge commercial success for Arjona. The song debuted at No.27 on the Billboard Latin Songs chart the week ending November 2, 2002. The following week it jumped to No.11, receiving the "Greatest Gainer" honor for that week. On the week ending November 16, "El Problema" jumped to No.9, thus becoming Arjona's third song to reach the top 10, after "Desnuda" and "Cuando", both of which reached No.1 in 2000. The week ending December 7, 2002, "El Problema" reached No.1 on the chart, and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. On the Latin Pop Songs chart, it debuted at No.17 on the week ending November 2, 2002, and reached No.1 on the week ending November 30. The song stayed at No.1 for nine consecutive weeks. It is, to date, the longest-running number-one single by the Guatemalan singer on both charts.

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (2002–03) | Peak position | |---|---| ::

Yearly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (2003) | Peak position | |---|---| | US Billboard Latin Songs | 4 | | US Billboard Latin Pop Songs | 3 | ::

Decade-End charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (2000–2009) | Peak position | |---|---| | US Billboard Latin Songs | 89 | | US Billboard Latin Pop Songs | 33 | ::

Release history

::data[format=table]

Country	Date	Format
October 2002	CD single	Sony Music
January 19, 2010	Digital download (re-release)
::

References

(15 October 2002). "Empieza su 'problema' en la radio". [[El Norte (Monterrey).
[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32427661_ITM?email=hahc21@hotmail.com&library= Ricardo Arjona, El Problema]. AccesMyLibrary.com. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FD1F5AA9EFEE515&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Ricardo Arjona continues to make well-crafted music without worrying about sales or awards"]. ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]''. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-11-02/latin-songs?order=gainer "Top Latin Songs of the week"]. Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-11-09/latin-songs?order=gainer "Top Latin Songs of the week"]. Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-11-16/latin-songs?order=gainer "Top Latin Songs of the week"]. Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
[{{BillboardURLbyName
[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-11-02/latin-pop-songs?order=gainer "Latin Pop Songs of the week"]. Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-11-30/latin-pop-songs?order=gainer "Latin Pop Songs of the week"]. Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
(December 27, 2003). "The Year in Music 2003: Latin". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
(December 27, 2003). "2003 Year End Charts".
(December 27, 2009). "2009 Decade End Charts".
(December 27, 2009). "2009 Decade End Charts".
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/El-Problema-Import-Ricardo-Arjona/dp/B00008VA1A/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1335924987&sr=8-17 "El Problema (US Import): Ricardo Arjona"]. Amazon.com. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
[https://www.amazon.com/El-Problema/dp/B003BMWTM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335924761&sr=8-1 "El Problema: Ricardo Arjona"]. Amazon.com. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.

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