accept." Martin wrote about the request in Me, his official autobiography. Following his acceptance, musicians K.C. Porter, Robi Rosa, and Desmond Child joined him and they started working on "The Cup of Life". Martin wrote about the recording in Me: The song was released by Columbia Records on March 9, 1998, as the second single from the album. It was later released as the lead single from the album in Asian and European markets. Sony Music Asia released a promo CD containing three versions of "María", and "The Cup of Life". In Australia, "The Cup of Life" was released as a double A-side single with "María". "La Copa de la Vida" was included as the eighth track on Vuelve, released February 12, 1998, and its Spanglish radio edit was included as the ninth track on Martin's fifth studio album Ricky Martin, released May 11, 1999. An extended play, titled La Copa de la Vida (Remixes), was also released in 1998, which includes eight remixes of the song. Music and lyrics Musically, "La Copa de la Vida" is a primarily Spanish language samba-rooted Latin pop song, and features elements of batucada, salsa, dance, mambo, and Europop. John Lannert from Billboard says it resonates "much closer to Brazilian grooves than to sounds emanating from Martin's place of birth - Puerto Rico". According to the song's sheet music on Musicnotes.com, "The Cup of Life" is composed in the key of C minor with a groove of 108 beats per minute. Martin's vocals span from the low note of G4 to the high note of Ab5. Although the song is mostly in Spanish, Martin also uses a few words in English and French in the chorus. The track was written by Spanish musician Luis Gómez Escolar, American songwriter Desmond Child, and American musician Draco Rosa, with its production being handled by Desmond Child and Rosa. "La Copa de la Vida" runs for a total of 4 minutes and 27 seconds, and the English version is called "The Cup of Life". Leila Cobo from Billboard described it as a "high-octane party track". Throughout the song, Martin carries a "soccer-heavy" message with fully positive lyrics, including: "The cup of life, this is the one / Now is the time, don't ever stop" and "Nothing can hold you back if you really want it". Critical reception "La Copa de la Vida" has been met with universal acclaim