Oral Fixation, Vol. 1 & 2

Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 is a Latin pop album.[8] The introductory track, "En Tus Pupilas" ("In Your Pupils"), incorporates folk music styles[9] and its opening verse includes French-language lyrics.[2] "La Pared" ("The Wall") has been compared stylistically to the 1980s duo Eurythmics.[9] "La Tortura" ("The Torture") features Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz, with elements of Colombian cumbia music, dancehall and electronica.[10] "Obtener un Sí" ("Obtain a Yes") is a bossa nova song with cha-cha elements against an orchestral background.[10] "Día Especial" ("Special Day") features Argentinean singer-songwriter Gustavo Cerati on guitar.[11]

The sixth track, "Escondite Inglés", has a new wave feel.[10] "No" also features Cerati on guitar, using a simple melody to emphasize Shakira's vocals.[9] "Las de la Intuición" ("The Ones with the Intuition") has synthpop elements,[10] while "Día de Enero" ("January Day") has been compared to Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade.[9] "Lo Imprescindible" ("Bare Essentials") has German-language verses in which Shakira lyrically expresses "Come baby come. Don't ever leave me".[12] The disc concludes with an acoustic version of "La Pared" and the Shaketon remix of "La Tortura".[13]

For Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, the album touches on everything from the expected Latin rhythms to glitzy Euro disco, trashy American rock & roll, and stomping Britpop, all punctuated by some stark confessionals. "How Do You Do" is a bold opening track that features Gregorian chants and an eerie reciting of "The Lord's Prayer" before thrusting the listener into a song similar to Sarah McLachlan's 'Dear God', according to Kristina Weise of Songwriting Universe. It presents bitter questions regarding faith and religion. The lyrics say, "How many people die and hurt in your name?/Hey does that make you proud, or does it bring you shame?" Shakira affirms, "I decided in the bridge of the song to include chants from different religions like Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And the three chanters are saying basically the same: they are asking for forgiveness," she said off the track.[14] The first single, "Don't Bother", presents the final chapter of a relationship and the confusion that faces anyone in a break up. It includes the lyric lines, "For you I'd give up all I own and move to a communist country/If you came with me, of course/And I'd file my nails so they don't hurt you." She quickly follows with: "And after all I'm glad I am not your type/I promise you won't see me cry/So don't bother/I'll be fine, I'll be fine." For Shakira, "I think 'Don't Bother' has a lot of pain in it as a song, but also a lot of humor and sarcasm. Yes, it is a way of exorcising all of these feelings, a form of catharsis, getting rid of all of those emotions that torture us women at some point in our lives."[14]

"Illegal" features a guitar solo by Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana, and features lyrics such as, "You said you would love me until you died/And as far as I know you're still alive", which were compared to "Alanis Morissette"'s "You Oughta Know", according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic. "I'd like to be the owner of the zipper on your jeans," she sings on the racy "Hey You," which was compared to the works of American rock-band No Doubt, by Slant Magazine.[15] Mariachi horns bump up against surf guitars in "Animal City", a don't-go-there warning against fame and fake friends; while bossa nova accents wind through "Something", one of only two tracks reprised from Fijación Oral, being called En Tus Pupilas on the first edition. While "The Day and the Time" is on the first edition, with the title "Dia Especial".[16] Meanwhile, gypsy-caravan violin and marauder guitar complete "Your Embrace," a teardroppy, adult-contemporary balladry, whilst "Costume Makes the Clown," talks about she cheating on her guy, over battering-ram guitars. Shakira also dives into pulsating neo-disco on the closing track "Timor", but in the form of a protest song.