Tortilla, my host family and their 18-year-old cat, and discotecas: all parts of Spain I’m going to miss. One of the most fun parts of being here has been getting into the music. It’s emotional. It has a fantastic beat. And I find it irresistible to dance to no matter where I am, discoteca or otherwise. The fact that it’s in Spanish and I have to look up and translate the lyrics? I guess it’s just another form of cultural immersion, after all, it’s what all the Spaniards do. Hearing American music everywhere I go, on the radio, in stores, and in the discotecas was actually more normal than I first thought. Spaniards love American music, and their reply to my question about whether they understood the lyrics?
“We have Google.”
And so do I, so at least I know what I’m singing now. Catch me turning these on and pretending I’m back in a Spanish discoteca. Unfortunately, there won’t be churros and chocolate at the end of the night.
- “Mi Gente” – J Balvin
If this song’s prominent beat doesn’t make you feel like you’re in a club, I don’t know what will. Fun fact: This song takes me back to the one and only night I embraced my inner Spaniard and stayed out until 5 am. Long story short, I am not a Spaniard, it took me two days to recover from the sleep deprivation, and now I go, I dance, I go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
- “Me Rehúso” – Danny Ocean
This song is my favorite song on the playlist. There’s something about the catchy beat and lyrics that have me singing and dancing along every time. Also, look up and translate the lyrics. Wow is this guy sad and does not want to let his girl go.
- “La Cintura” – Alvaro Soler
Yet another great dance song. This guy is lucky enough to have a girl to dance with and is enjoying the experience a whole lot.
- “Cuando Nadie Ve” – Morat
Trying to figure out the name of this song bugged me for days. I heard it everywhere, at the discoteca, in Zara, even on the bus (where I happily spied the guy next to me mouthing the lyrics). Don’t let the happy boy band sound mislead you, the song is a guy telling a girl he’ll give her all his love, except, since she’s in someone else’s arms it will never happen, and no one will ever see them together.
- “ El Anillo” – Jennifer Lopez
Honestly not my favorite song of the bunch, but it has a good club beat to dance to. Watch the music video to see J. Lo looking fierce.
- “Me Emborrachare Bachata” Radio Edit – Grupo Extra
This song’s bachata rhythm is a nice break from the usually prominent beat in Spanish music. Usually there’s one or two couples putting the rest of the room to shame with their dance skills. And without a doubt everyone is yelling, “Me emborrachare, me emborrachare por tu culpa, por tu culpa,” with all the melancholy of the singer who is singing about getting drunk because his girlfriend betrayed him and now he’s alone without her love.
- “Déjala Que Baile” – Melendi, Alejandro Sanz, Arkano
This song is a joint effort by three of Spain’s most popular artists right now. I love it for Alejandro Sanz’s raspy voice and it’s mysterious, more subdued beat. Also, this song’s music video is wild. It reminded me of Stranger Things and Avatar (2009), and I’m guessing a lot of body paint was involved.
