Written by Amanda Ghost with adittional composition by Shakira, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, the lyrics of the song describe one's life travelling as a "gypsy".

Upon its release, "Gypsy" received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its production.

The single was commercially successful and peaked at number one within the charts of Mexico and Romania as well as the top 10 in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Spain.

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jaume de Laiguana, and stars Spanish professional tennis player Rafael Nadal as Shakira's love interest.

The music video also generated a favourable response from critics, and was praised for the chemistry between Shakira and Nadal.

"Gypsy" was released as the fourth and final single from Shakira's eighth studio album, She Wolf (2009).

[14][15] A Spanish-language version of the song titled "Gitana" features additional lyrical contributions from Jorge Drexler and was released on 1 March 2010, as a digital promotional single.

[1] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy appreciated the acoustic-instrumentation of "Gypsy", noting it to be "by far the most organic-sounding offering from her She Wolf LP", but he also felt that the song is not "as instantly infectious as some of her classic singles".

[31][35] In Canada, the song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart, and remained on it for a total of one week.

Melanie Bertoldi from Billboard praised Shakira's appearance in the video, saying "the Colombian firebird looks hotter than ever".

[48] Jocelyn Vena from MTV praised the video for its "organic vibe" and commented that "while she (Shakira) claims that she's willing to wear her lover's clothes if they fit, she looks much hotter in the sheer black halter top and long black skirt that she sports at one point in the clip".

[49][50] On 16 November, Shakira performed "Gypsy" live on the show The View, accompanied by a tabla and sitar.

[56][57] The same day, she performed the song as a duet with Rascal Flatts lead-vocalist Gary LeVox on American Idol.

[62] The song was performed with a "folk lilt" and Shakira's vocals were backed by "accordion, fiddles and the rhythm section".

[63][64] Shakira guest-starred as herself in the eighth episode of the season four of Ugly Betty titled "The Bahamas Triangle", which aired on 4 December 2009.

[66] She sang "Gypsy" in a duet with Selena Gomez in the twelfth episode of the season three of Wizards of Waverly Place, titled "Dude Looks Like Shakira".

[67] In the episode, the main characters of the show, Alex (Gomez), Justin (David Henrie), and Max (Jake T. Austin), are shocked to find out that Shakira is no one but their Uncle Kelbo (Jeff Garlin), who is abusing one of the magic laws concerning fame and fortune.