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La cucaracha is a traditional Spanish corrido ( storytelling ballad) that became popular during the Mexican Revolution. On the surface, La cucaracha is a cute, festive song about a cockroach missing a leg. However, the original versions of the song were satirical, providing Mexicans with a means of expressing the struggles and frustrations ...
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- Pop Songs and Ballads
- Reggaetón Songs
- Rap and Hip-Hop
- Rock and Alternative
- Children’s Songs
- Tips For Learning Spanish with Songs
- What to Look For in Songs to Learn Spanish
- Why Learning Spanish with Songs Works
- Resources For Finding Songs to Learn Spanish
1.“Sale El Sol” (The Sun Comes Out) by Shakira
Lyrics You can never go wrong with learning Spanish from the Shakira. This Colombian singer is an international sensation! “Sale El Sol” is a good song for any level of Spanish learner. It’s slow, so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming for beginners. Also, the song primarily uses present tense verbsand general vocabulary, so there’s no need to tie yourself into knots figuring out the various verb conjugations. And even without the Spanish lessons, the song is a simple yet heartbreaking tune abou...
2.“No” (No) by Shakira
Lyrics And because Shakira is that great, she deserves a second entry on our list! In all seriousness, though, this song is a banger for more reasons than one. “No”is slow and steady, and heartbreakingly expresses her reasons for refusing to be with someone who is constantly causing her pain. She says that no one can live with the venom of this relationship and that she resents the fact that her lover can still hurt her even when he is long gone. The words are simple and powerful, and make st...
3. “Me Voy” (I’m Leaving) by Julieta Venegas
Lyrics This song tells the story of a woman who leaves her lover and must say goodbye, even though she doesn’t want to. The lyrics usecommon Spanish words along with a slow, easy beat—which is perfect for Spanish learners. Most of the song is in the present tense, though there are a few more complicated forms, like the subjunctive. Keep your ears open for common expressions, like “que lástima,”which roughly means “what a shame.”
13. “Despacito” (Slowly) by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
Lyrics Who hasn’t heard of this song by now? This song hit the world hard when it came out, topping the charts in 47 countries! Whether you missed out on the craze or already have the song playing in your head after reading its title, this is a catchy way to learn Spanish. The hit tune might be all about going “slowly,” but Daddy Yankee’s rap section zooms by pretty quickly. If you have trouble keeping up, try reading the lyrics out loud a few times, taking it faster each time. Then, you can...
14. “Mía” (Mine) by Bad Bunny and Drake
Lyrics This ode to love is told from the male point of view and implores the lover’s object of affection to declare that she belongs to him. It’s clear-cut and to the point: he loves her, she should acknowledge that and tell the world how it is. A tortured love song is always good listening, isn’t it? And the lyrics are as uncomplicated as their message, so this is a good choice to practice your speaking confidence and conversational vocabulary. The video offers cultural glimpses as well, whi...
15. “Con Altura” (With Height) by Rosalía
Lyrics This catchy tune is all about living the fun life, getting everything you can out of every moment and maybe even enjoying a few wild nights. The cultural significance of thereggaeton sound and flamenco dance moves is worth noting. They provide insights into Spanish culture that learners often only experience through travel or immersion. Here, though, the music brings both to life. This one is easy to sing along to and really fun. Who could ask for more?
19. “Con Calma” (With Calm) by Daddy Yankee
Lyrics This reggaeton dance song is all about a gorgeous woman who dances like a dream. The tune is so catchy that it honestly becomes an earworm in a really good way. You might find yourself singing the song without even realizing it. (True story—it happened to me!) The refrain is super simple, making this a good choice for those just entering the advanced level of Spanish. When it comes to the video itself, the pure entertainment value is off the charts. The dance moves are slick, the prese...
20. “Loco Contigo” (Crazy with You) by DJ Snake, J. Balvin and Tyga
Lyrics If you like your music hot and saucy, this is the perfect song! The video is all fast action, wild sets and crazy costumes. The guys sing about how crazy they are for a woman—with all the sincerity one can muster while riding in a vintage pink convertible past giant snails crossing the desert! Spanish learners will enjoy the simple lyrics and basic vocabulary, but it’ll be a bit of a challenge to pick up all the words at full speed. This is a fun way tograb some conversational Spanish—...
21.“Mis Ojos Lloran por Ti” (My Eyes Cry for You) by Big Boy
“Mis ojos lloran por ti” is a good song for advanced Spanish students. While the beginning is slow and heartfelt, the middle section includes some pretty fast rapping. It also contains more future tense, past tense and conditional tense verbs than most other songs. Trying to get your tongue around this one is a great way to practice both your pronunciation and memorization skills.
23.“Eres” (You Are) by Café Tacuba
Lyrics “Eres” has a steady, slow rhythm with simple, clearly articulated wordsthat are easy to follow. This is a love song demonstrating the incredible joy of being in love, waking up next to someone and not having to miss their presence anymore. Pair this song with a lesson about when to use ser and estar, the two forms of “to be” in Spanish. Figure out why the singer uses ser for “eres” (you are) but estar for “estoy” (I am)?
24.“Bonito” (Beautiful) by Jarabe de Palo
Lyrics You’ll tap your feet and bob your head to this song! It has avery catchy beat and a repeating chorus linethat you’ll be able to learn easily. Plus, the lyrics are beautiful—much like the title! This song talks about the beauty that can be found everywhere in life and how the bad things that inevitably happen can’t take away from the overall glory of life. It’s a great song for a rainy day when you might feel down. Keep an eye on that last letter in the titular word bonito: it changes d...
25. “Nunca Estoy” (I Never Am) by C. Tangana
Lyrics “Música triste en español” (Sad music in Spanish)—with these four words, C. Tangana described one of the most gut-wrenching songs I’ve heard recently. Sung in first person from the perspective of a woman (you can see that in sentences like “soy una imbécil”—I am a [female] idiot, for example), Tangana portrays what seems to be fragments of audio messages from a woman to her boyfriend, telling him that he doesn’t take care of her, he’s never there for her and he’s neglecting her. Thesad...
26. “La Cucaracha”
Lyrics This classic Spanish song is one most heritage learners learn at a really early age. I learned it almost as soon as I could speak! There are plenty of variations of the song, so you might have noticed the lyric link and the video don’t match. The video is a much more kid-friendly version than the linked lyrics, in which the roach is missing his hind legs. Whichever version you listen to, this song is perfect for beginners, withsimple words and phrases.Plus, the poor penniless cockroach...
27. “Qué hay más allá” (What More Is Out There) by María Parrado
Lyrics In any language, “How Far I’ll Go” is a fantastic song! If you’re a Disney fan, you’re already familiar with this one. And, really, who doesn’t love “Moana”? If you’re not familiar with it yet, this song is about knowing that you have a place in your community, but yearning to see what more can be found beyond the horizon. There’s a lot of repetition in this sweet, uplifting song. The lyrics are intended for a young audience, so they’re concise and clear. Plus, the song mostly uses the...
28. “Libre Soy” (I’m Free) by Carmen Sarahí
Lyrics The Disney film “Frozen”is a timeless story. A kingdom is threatened, so an unlikely pair sets off to break a spell. Along the way, they have adventures, encounter trolls and, ultimately, save the day. And, as a bonus for viewers, there’s the hit song “Let It Go,” which has a more explicitly empowering message in its Spanish title “Libre Soy”(literally “I’m Free”). The movie’s music is just as enchanting in Spanish as it is in English. And for anyone who’s seen the film, the lyrics to...
You’re almost set to start learning Spanish through songs! Our suggestions covered a variety of Spanish genres, styles, beats and topics, so hopefully you found something you like. To get the most out of these songs, here are a couple of tips for when you listen. 1. The first time through, just listen to the song and the beat.Try to pick out famili...
Choosing the right song to learn with is also crucial to your success. Here are some things you should look for when picking a song for learning Spanish: 1. Clear pronunciation:You don’t want to use a song where the lyrics blend into one another or are hard to understand because the singer is mumbling. This is especially true if you’re a beginner—s...
You take advantage of your fond childhood memories of songs. Quick, finish these lyrics: 1. “Upside inside out, she’s…” (“…livin’ la vida loca”) 2. “Des-pa-…”(“…cito”) 3. “Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena, heeeey…” (“…Macarena!”) Even if you’re an absolute beginner to Spanish, there’s a good chance you know all three of those, even if you haven’t...
Here are a few more resources to help you learn Spanish through songs: 1. LingoClip:This one is great site to learn Spanish (and other languages) through music videos. You can use it to learn the lyrics to songs through fill-in-the-blank questions that increase in difficulty according to the level you’re playing. 2. Barcelona Blonde:This one is a b...
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9. Ritchie Valens – “La Bamba”. Here are the words we remember: Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia …. Here's the translation: “To dance la Bamba you need a little bit of grace …”. 10. Rihanna – “Te Amo”. Here are the words we remember: Te amo, Te amo.
Sep 1, 2022 · 18. La rebelión. This classic salsa song was written by Joe Arroyo in 1986. Though the upbeat tempo and music may make you want to get up and dance, the story is based on a story suffering in the context of the slave trade in Colombia, during the Spanish rule.
Aug 24, 2021 · 1. La bamba. La Bamba is a fantastic representative of classic Hispanic music. It has traveled the word and it even inspired a feature film based on its singer’s life story. Originally a Mexican folk song, young Mexican American Ritchie Valens rewrote La Bamba in the late 1950s.
Clicking on a place icon opens a pop up showing the list of songs which mention that place. plus the artist and the year it was recorded. Click on a recording title to reveal the lyrics and images of the artist, the album, written information about the artist, and (usually) a 30sec sound preview of the song. Go ahead and click around.
In Spanish, the first letter of every sentence is capitalized, as is the first letter of all proper nouns (names of people, cities, countries, places, etc.). examples. Me gusta el desierto de Atacama. I like the Atacama Desert. Carlos es de Puebla, México. Carlos is from Puebla, Mexico. mayúscula = uppercase.
