Juan Gabriel’s 20 Best Songs of All Time, Ranked (Staff Picks)

Composed by Juan Gabriel for Rocío Durcal’s seventh studio album, Canta a Juan Gabriel, Volumen 1, in 1977, the romantic ballad “Fue Un Placer Conocerte,” gained immediate popularity after the pair performed the song live a year later — launching a fruitful run of collaborations built on years of friendship. Durcal’s soaring vocals with Juan Gabriel’s serene delivery turned the ranchera into a signature collaboration, and years later their first joint top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, reaching No. 10 in 1992. The album had already made history for Durcal, who nearly reached the top of the Top Latin Pop Albums chart — landing at No. 2, becoming her first chart visit, in 1985. — PAMELA BUSTIOS

With “Te Sigo Amando,” Juan Gabriel turns heartbreak into an act of unwavering devotion. The song finds its narrator unable to let go, holding on to love even after it has become a source of pain — a familiar Juanga theme delivered with disarming tenderness and dramatic conviction. Its sweeping arrangement and emotionally exposed vocals make every declaration feel larger than life. The enduring ballad reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in 1997, underscoring the lasting power of one of his most impassioned love songs. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Released on his 1978 album of the same name, “Siempre en Mi Mente” captures the fixated, borderline obsessive feeling of being unable to stop thinking about someone: “How could you ask me to forget you when you’re always on my mind?,” he sings in Spanish. Its persistent longing gives the song a distinctly Capricorn-coded energy — devoted, determined and quietly consumed by a love it refuses to release. In 2016, the lovelorn hit reached No. 21 on Billboard‘s Latin Digital Song Sales chart and now boasts nearly 150 million streams on Spotify. — I.R.

Lies, betrayal and revenge intertwine in a story of disillusionment and self-respect. Infidelity is at the heart of this song, in which the wronged party decides to confront the person who deceived him and wounded his pride, demanding an apology. Included in his 1983 album Todo — one of El Divo de Juárez’s most iconic releases, featuring several songs that would become major hits in his discography.

The arrangements by legendary trombonist Chuck Anderson, combined with mariachi, resulted in a refined sound that still retained the Mexican touches Juan Gabriel always preserved in his music. “Because you betrayed me behind my back/ So today I’m going to expose you as a fake/ I’m going to make you kneel and beg my forgiveness/ And implore me for love in front of your lover,” he sings in Spanish. — TERE AGUILERA

Released in 1983, this upbeat mariachi finds the singer-songwriter from Ciudad Juarez narrating the story of a man who’s questioning his ex-fiancée and how they made the wrong decision in leaving him for someone who has money. He proceeds to say his ex married a rich person, and that it didn’t last long, but now he’s moved on. “Now I am the one living happily/ I built a home after I lost you/ Later on, I forgot you/ And I forgave you; I can no longer do/ Anything for you,” he playfully sings. In 2015, Juanga released a new version of “Caray” with Alejandra Guzmán for his album Los Dúo. The track reached No. 46 on the Latin Digital Song Sales chart in 2016. — JESSICA ROIZ

Included on his 1980 album Recuerdos, this song is one of the most dramatic and emotionally charged in the Divo de Juárez’s extensive repertoire. It is a moving ballad that expresses, with profound melancholy, resignation to loneliness and unrequited love—while still carrying a message of resilience. Its emotional resonance makes it a timeless heartbreak classic. Juan Gabriel rerecorded it twice: first for his 2001 compilation album Por Los Siglos, and later with Venezuelan singer Lasso for his 28th studio album, Los Dúo 3 (2022). The single reached No. 39 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart in 2016. — NATALIA CANO

In 1982, Juan Gabriel released “No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar,” a song written entirely by him and included on his album that year, Cosas de Enamorados, as one of its promotional singles. A masterful anthem of heartbreak, the song soon became one of El Divo de Juárez’s most memorable works, thanks to its ranchera-pop fusion melody and deeply emotional performance. The song is a classic example of the romantic ballad, a genre in which the iconic singer-songwriter excelled at conveying deep and universal emotions. In Juanga’s unmistakable style, the track expresses the decision to never give one’s heart away again after suffering profound romantic disappointment. — N.C.

One of the most cheerful rancheras in Juanga’s repertoire, “Me Gustas Mucho” was popularized in the early 1970s by his frequent collaborator Rocío Dúrcal, who released it as the lead single from her album Canta a Juan Gabriel Volumen 2. Later, the artist known as the “Divo de Juárez” also performed it, both live and in a 1998 recording with Banda El Recodo. Romantic, danceable and featuring an unforgettable chorus — “Me gustas mucho/ Me gustas mucho tú/ Tarde o temprano seré tuya, mío tu serás” (“I like you so much/ I like you so much/ Sooner or later, I’ll be yours, and you’ll be mine”) — it is undoubtedly one of his most memorable songs. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

“¿Por Qué Me Haces Llorar?” formed part of the Mexican artist’s self-titled album in 2010, marking his 27th studio set, and the first he released after a seven-year hiatus. The theatrical mariachi song narrates the story of a man who never had a drinking problem or never even shed a tear until he got heartbroken. “Let them know that today I drank, and today I got drunk — because of you,” Juanga chants in the track that peaked at No. 20 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2010. During the song’s live performance, Juanga would hold a drink in his hand, and then throw it at the crowd in despair. — J.R.

To kick off the ’80s, Juan Gabriel found inspiration in a key place in his life in Ciudad Juárez: the Noa Noa bar, which was an essential backdrop in his artistic development. It was the place where he started his career as a singer, accompanied by guitars, piano, and a big band; he described it as a place full of joy and celebration. He was able to perfectly capture its essence in the single he named after it, describing it as a meeting spot where the most important thing was to dance. Included on the album Recuerdos (1980), it became one of his big classics. In 2016, after his passing, the artist’s catalog experienced a resurgence, and “Noa Noa” reached No. 22 on Hot Latin Songs. — INGRID FAJARDO

Released in 1980, it is undoubtedly one of the singer-songwriter’s most heartfelt songs — a deeply painful ode to someone who does not return the devotion and love of a person who openly admits his feelings despite being rejected. “The difference between you and me would be, my love, that if I were in your place, I would love you”: a heartbreaking confession that becomes even more dramatic when delivered in his voice and accompanied by mariachi. “La Diferencia” was also recorded by artists including Rocío Dúrcal, Banda El Recodo and Vicente Fernández, with whom Juan Gabriel recorded a collaborative version for the 2015 album Los Dúo, bringing together two of the greatest legends of Mexican music. —T.A.

One of Juan Gabriel’s most histrionically charged songs, “Abrázame Muy Fuerte” moves through wild vocal leaps, dramatic shifts in pitch and raw emotional release. Written for his sister Virginia Aguilera, who spent seven years in a coma, the song was released as the third single from his 27^th studio album and delivered his seventh — and final — No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, ruling for nine weeks in 2001.

Covered endlessly and built for standing ovations, the song reached its most iconic heights during Juan Gabriel’s 2013 sold-out performance at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, backed by symphony orchestra, mariachi and an unreserved chorus. Produced by Bebu Silvetti, Luigi González and Ricardo Cortez, the album Abrázame Muy Fuerte arrived via BMG U.S. Latin in 2000. The set peaked at No. 2 on Top Latin Albums and gave Juan Gabriel his second of six No. 1s on Top Latin Pop Albums. It won Premio Lo Nuestro’s pop album of the year and earned a 2002 Grammy nomination for best Latin pop album. — P.B.

The heartfelt ballad perfectly places into words the relatable feelings that occur after a relationship is over: curiosity, uncertainty, and missing someone — because as the song says, “There is no doubt that habit is stronger than love.” “Costumbres” — penned by Juan Gabriel in the mid-1980s and made famous by Rocío Dúrcal — has been covered by many artists, including Selena, Pepe Aguilar, Banda El Recodo, Natalia Jimenez and La India, proving its generational impact. — J.R.

One of the first big hits of the Divo of Juárez and a key track from his debut album, El Alma Joven, is “No Tengo Dinero” (or “I have no money”). The song genuinely tells the personal experiences he was going through at that time being broke. Lyrically, the young dreamer reminds us that love always triumphs over material things and that dignity doesn’t depend on wealth. In the ’70s, that iconic, raspy-yet-sweet voice started winning over the audience, blending pop with acoustic guitars. In 2003, a new cumbia remix version with Los Cumbia Kings and El Gran Silencio brought freshness to the classic, taking it to No. 5 on Hot Latin Songs. — I.F.

One of the most iconic songs in Juan Gabriel’s discography, “Te Lo Pido Por Favor” was originally released as part of his album Pensamientos (1986) as a keyboard-driven pop ballad with ranchera touches. But a great song remains great regardless of how it is sung, and this gem by Juanga has been reinterpreted over the years by artists across various musical genres. Tito Nieves brought it into the salsa realm in 1996, Jaguares recorded a successful rock version in 2002, and Marc Anthony included it on his tribute album Iconos in 2010 as a heart-wrenching power ballad.

On the Billboard charts, Juan Gabriel’s original track reached No. 40 on Latin Digital Song Sales, Tito Nieves’s version hit No. 15 on Tropical Airplay, and Jaguares’s take reached No. 33 on Latin Pop Airplay. — S.R.A.

A masterclass in romantic self-deception, “Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez” finds Juan Gabriel caught in the loop of heartbreak: promising himself he’s moved on, only to realize he has once again forgotten how lonely life feels without the person he loves. The song’s title — translating to “I forgot again”— is both confession and punchline, turning emotional backsliding into something instantly relatable. With its mariachi-driven drama and Juanga’s unmistakable blend of vulnerability and theatricality, the track makes longing feel almost communal: Everyone has tried to convince themselves they’re over someone, only to end up right back where they started. In 2016, the song reached No. 33 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart — a testament to the enduring pull of one of his most bittersweet songs.— I.R.

One of Juan Gabriel’s muses, by his own account, was Spanish singer Isabel Pantoja. He gave her this song, which became emblematic in both her career and his. The reunion with a former love — whom the narrator tells that someone else has taken their place — serves as the throughline of this iconic song, originally released in 1988. Juan Gabriel revisited it for his 1990 En Vivo Desde el Palacio de Bellas Artes concert; more recently, it spontaneously became an anthem during the FIFA World Cup, soundtracking millions of social-media posts.

Accompanied by a symphony orchestra, the song features a musical bridge that, amid the sporting event, audiences turned into a celebration of victory — far removed from the song’s concept and true storyline. The phenomenon made clear that Juan Gabriel’s music knows no bounds. “No te aferres a un imposible, ya no te hagas ni me hagas más daño, ya no,” goes the lyric from this anthem about loving someone while still holding feelings for another. In 1998, the song reached No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. — T.A.

“Amor Eterno” was written by Juan Gabriel as a tribute and dedication to his mother. Powered by a melodious acoustic requinto guitar that kicks off the song, the powerful ranchera ballad — about an eternal love so pure and unconditional that will last beyond someone’s passing — was made famous by Rocío Dúrcal in 1984. “Oh, how I wish/ That you were alive/ That your little eyes had never/ Ever closed, and that I could be looking at them,” says the heartfelt tune. “Amor Eterno” debuted at No. 19 on the Hot Latin Songs in 1991, but it peaked at No. 8 in Sept. 2016, a month after El Divo de Juarez’s passing. — J.R.

Few songs in Latin American music history are as devastating as “Hasta Que Te Conocí.” Released on Juan Gabriel’s 1986 album Pensamientos, the heart-wrenching ballad reached No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs in 1987— and 40 years later, it remains a timeless masterpiece of solitude, betrayal and emotional reckoning.

In the studio recording, he spends the first two-and-a-half minutes holding himself back, delivering each line with aching tenderness and remarkable restraint, as if the pain is still too raw to fully confront. Then the song begins to unravel. The emotion swells until it cuts through the heart like a thousand knives: a searing crescendo of strings, a dramatic instrumental solo and sweeping violins that seem to widen the song’s emotional universe. Then come the trumpets — never more powerful or more perfectly placed — as Juanga slowly lifts his voice toward the heavens, each “ah-ah-ah” carrying more anguish than the last.

The performance is almost operatic, theatrical and gloriously uncontained. When he sang it with mariachi at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1990, the song took on an even grander dimension. By the time he reaches the “Es que tú fuiste muy mala, vete” lyric, the song reveals itself like a passionate telenovela exploding inside your ears — a musical tragedy sung with absolute conviction. — I.R.

Juan Gabriel’s most iconic song ever — and the one that introduced him to the world — “Querida” was included on the LP Recuerdos II (1984), the album that established El Divo de Juárez as an undisputed hitmaker. Written by singer-songwriter himself, with arrangements by Chuck Anderson, it became a massive phenomenon in and beyond Mexico, thanks to the gut-wrenching emotion of its lyrics, whose intended subject remains a mystery. The song stands out for its finely crafted musical structure, featuring a warm piano introduction accompanied by strings and a harp, which lead into the singer-songwriter’s gentle voice as it gradually builds in intensity with the refrain, “Tell me, when are you coming back?”

And like any great song, “Querida” has been covered by other artists, including Chayanne and the Mexican band Maldita Vecindad, which reinterpreted it as ska-rock, as well as the trio Pandora and Colombian singer Juanes, who rerecorded it with the icon for his album Los Dúo (2015). It reached No. 10 on the 1998 Hot Latin Songs chart. — N.C.