My Audio List (with YouTube vids) of
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SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
You can use the widget below to listen to the said playlist as-long as you are signed up them. Doing so is free, quick and easy so you'd be a fool not to. For my DEEZER PLAYLIST click this link
This page was created by SIMPETWEB
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{1} Lento Julieta Venegas [2003] |
To say that this song is slow is to be accurate on two levels. It is a slow paced track whose title (Lento) literally means slow. Julieta is immensely talented and one of the few music artists in this list to bridge the gap between pop and hipster music. One of her songs was always going to be at the top of this list, the only question was, which one? I was toying with three songs: Lento, Me Voy (her biggest success so far) and Eres Para Mi. The latter is a personal favorite as it has got one hell of a groove, but I finally decided for Lento because, as well as being sublime, it is probably the easiest to understand. Saying this, almost all of her songs are great in this respect, and yet no less clever for it. Venegas herself is a five latin grammy winning American-Mexican singer song writer who plays many instruments and talks multiple languages and just happens to have sold a whole lotta albums. |
{2} Corre! Jesse & Joy [2011] |
Mexican brother and sister act that hit it big, very BIG. This song was used in the infamous telenovala 'La que no podia amar,' and if you ever watch it yourselves, you'll be going 'dum... dedum-dedum' with the rest of us. The YouTube count for the official video was 329 million when I last checked, so your going to be in good company learning this song. There is a surprisingly deep narrative to what could appear like a simple pop song from the outside. The lyrics tell the tale of a girl who is with a scoundrel repeat offender: she knows he is going to go off again but this time she has had enough, she is letting him go. In fact, in her own words, she is letting him run. Whilst we're there, the song would make an ideal basis for a Spanish lesson: modern, uncomplicated, good lyrical narrative, clear singing voice. So I made one based on it. Want to try it out? |
{3} Propuesta Indecente Romeo Santos [2014] |
Anyone who knows the Spanish language music scene are going to think 'what! That song is good for learning Spanish!!' The answer is a resounding YES! The song has a surprisingly concrete lineal narrative (albeit a slightly risqué one at that), is sung in a clear voice (see the official video for a clearer voiced version) which is not overpowered by the music nor sung too fast, and finally, this song is popular (bearing in mind, language and culture are two sides of the same coin.) And when I say popular, I mean popular!!! (783 million YT hits) The song is about an indecent proposal by a guy to a girl at a party, to ditch her other half and go with him for the night (we're talking steamed up car windows here) NOTE: the controversial lines about blaming alcohol for his lack of respect, and lifting up her skirt to measure her sensibility. P.S I've also done a Spanish lesson on this song as-well. |
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{4} Pienso En Ti Shakira |
We all know Shakira, right? Well... wrong! Come see her other, less hip jingling side, with this 'hair raising on the back of the neck' song. It's extremely simple, very short, yet immensely poignant. It is also the only Shakira song where you are ever likely going to be able to make out all the words. In fact, this is the biggest problem with Shakira when used as a basis for Spanish lessons: even the Spanish have trouble making out what she's saying a lot of the time. (though Andrew from Howtolearnspanish will insist) But there is that familiarity thing for anglophones, and the fact that she is a GREAT music artist, one of my favourites in-fact. So the key is picking her slow songs. Try to avoid Suerte and Ojos Asi (sorry Andrew) but stick to ones like No and Que Me Quedes Tu. Oh, by-the-by, I've done my own Shakira Spanish lesson, and it's based on (guess what) Pienso En Ti. |
{5} Al Otro Lado Del Rio Jorge Drexler |
The Other Side of the River (direct translation of the song title) forms part of the sound track of the excellent Spanish language film Diarios de motocicleta [the Motorcycle Diaries] a thought provoking and critically acclaimed film based on Che Guevera's road trip (with his friend Alberto Grenado) across south america whilst the two were still young students. This trip changed both lives and lead to Guevera becoming the famous Marxist Guerilla whose image is still printed on teenage angst t-shirts worldwide. The song for me will always represente the moving moment when Che swims across a river to help leprosy victims on the other side. It won the Academy award for best original song and deservedly so. Jorge Drexler is a uraguayan musician, actor and (if you can believe it) ear nose and throat doctor of german jewish and spanish, french and portuguese christian decent. |
{6} Muerte En Hawaii Calle 13 |
Calle 13 is the squirrel's nuts. Just fantastic. If you are learning Spanish then you must at least become familiar with one of their songs, and I desperately wanted that song to be Latinoamerica: a moving song concerning the common latin American identity. However, I caved at the last minute fearing that it may be too fast for a beginner and so I opted for Muerte En Hawaii. This is not to say that the latter is easy as there are many words which are churned out quite quickly. However, it is the structure which is interesting for language learners as it is essentially a list song in which singer lists a lot of impossible attributes and feats that he is claiming to have or have done (like having fought with crocodiles, gone round the world in less than a second, being immune to death, being able to construct a brain without having to read the instructions... etc) This helps because of expectancy. You know that the next thing is going to be another feat or attribute and so you are primed to understand it; with only knowing one or two words you can fill in the blanks. Calle 13 are a band of two stepbrothers from Puerto Rico, who, with their eclectic mix of styles and sounds cannot easily be pigeon holed into any genre of music. Their lyrics are always packed with meaning and often hard hitting. |
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{7} Ojala Silvio Rodriguez |
Silvio Rodriguez, a Cuban folk singer/acoustic guitarist, is inseparable from the commonly shared south american identity. His songs have become anthems (at least amongst those leaning left) through-out that part of the world. Many of his songs have a deep introspective poetical quality. The man himself was a left-wing idealist from poor farmer roots who inevitably became involved with the Cuban revolutionary movement. His songs were often banned by the various right wing dictatorship regimes that used to pop up with frequency in South America. Now, I promised myself to use one of his easier songs to follow like Quien Fuera, Sueño Con Serpientes, or Mariposas, all of which I love, but everytime I tried I kept going back to Ojala. Pleeeaasse, take the time to get to know it. I know it's all abstract 'n' all, and not so easy to follow, but the lyrics are just BEAUTIFULL! If you're finding it hard then follow the links to the others I've just mentioned: at least you'd have tried. |
{8} A Dios Le Pido Juanes |
You will never escape this song... 'I ask it of god' is the translation of the song title of this omnipresent song. Very popular the world over, it has strong lyrical meaning, uses the subjunctive a lot, but is not necessarily that complicated to understand once you've got the lyrics written in front of you. If you need some extra help, try this free Spanish lesson I did which explains the lyrics in full. The song is another list type thing, as here, the singer is putting to god various requests i.e. that his people rise up, that his mother dies not, that he rests forever at the side of his love interest... etc. I've made it sound cringe worthy but it's not: it's a serious, genuine song lyrically speaking despite the pop overtones in the music. Juanes is a columbian music artist (guitarist and singer) who pretty much reigned as godfather of Spanish language music during the noughties (15 latin Grammys and 5 normal ones to his name to prove it) He is most notorious internationally for La Camisa Negra but A Dios Le Pido comes a close second. |
{9} Dejenme Llorrar Carla Morrison |
Coming from Carla's first full lengthened studio album of the same name, Dejenme LLorrar [leave me be to cry/ let me cry] is an excellent Spanish language song for learning Spanish. But in truth, any of the tracks from that album are apt for this purpose, the tracks being marked by simplicity and poigniancy, with emphasis on voice and lyrics. So why this particular song? In part, because of personal reasons. I remember not so long back when I was doing a job that I hated... just flippin' hated. I remember coming home each day and sticking on this song because I knew nothing would have cheered me up, and so I decided to just wallow in self-pity. (See my Spanish lesson based Dejenme LLorar) |
{10} Hu Hu Hu Natalia Fourcade |
For me, nothing represents the indie pop revolution in Spanish language music at the moment than Natalia Fourcade. TO BE CONTINUED... |
And now what...
So, your learning Spanish and like the idea of doing it with Spanish language songs. First things first, try my free lessons that I based on:
You could also try using YouTube lyrics videos of songs, pausing the video after each line and entering the words causing you trouble into an online dictionary. Once you've finished a song listen to it again without pausing just to see how much you picked up. Come back to it a week later and see how much you remember. If you do this with enough songs you can make your own playlist of them with Spotify/Deezer: You'll be surprised just how quick you can start to pick out the words. To help you on this quest I've made a linked list of good quality Spanish language YouTube lyrics videos (there are some awful ones out there: either poor sound quality or unreadable fonts) just to get you started. NOTE: As I've said above in the list, although Shakira's music is more approachable for anglophones wanting to learn Spanish (familiarity etc) her style of singing can make it difficult to understand for a beginner. Use her slower songs preferably. P.s. I also put a review of the radio station Cadena Dial (a Spanish language music only Radio station) to the right somewhere. It formed part of a larger article on The Best Free Online Spanish Language Radio Stations for Learning Spanish. Linked List of Good Spanish Language YouTube Lyrics Videos
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FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Jesse & Joy Corre! (2011) Mexican brother and sister act that hit it big, very big. This song was used in the infamous telenovala 'La que no podia amar,' and if you ever watch it yourselves, you'll be going 'dum... dedum-dedum' with the rest of us. This song makes for a superb basis for a lesson: modern, uncomplicated, good lyrical narrative, clear singing voice. What's stopping you FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON
Intermediate Level Romeo Santos Propuesta Indecente (2013) 779 million views on YouTube. Let me repeat 770 MILLION REVIEWS. Can you afford NOT to know this song. As it happens, though it may be extremely risqué, even controversial, it is also a great catchy song with a strong lyrical base. Romeo, a bronx born singer of latin descent, has been key making popular the Bachata style of music. Come and see why! FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Beginner Level Shakira Pienso En Ti (1995) We all know Shikira, right? Well... wrong! Come see Shakira's other, less hip jingling side, with this 'hair raising on the back of the neck' song. It's extremely simple, very short, yet immensely poignant. It is also the only Shakira song you are ever likely to make out all the words. It also happens to be one of my favourites: "it's my website, and I'll do the songs that I want to, the songs that I...." FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Intermediate Level Juanes' A Dios le Pido (2002) If you are learning Spanish then be prepared to come across this song (that is if you haven't come accross it already!) This song was, and still is, everywhere. Juanes is a legend and many of his songs would make great bases for a lesson but I chose this one for a reason in particular; it is a mental work out for the Subjunctive Mood. If you don't know what that is, then, ROLL ON UP. FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Intermediate Level Carla Morrisons Déjenme Llorar (2012) I remember not so long back when I was doing a job that I hated... just flippin hated. I remember coming home each day and sticking on this song because I knew nothing would have cheered me up, and so I decided to just wallow in self-pity. But the song did help, and the reason is is because its a latin grammy award winning marvelous piece of work. I'm sure you'll enjoy learning the ins and outs of the lyrics of one of Mexicalifornia's treasured jewels. Just be prepared to part with a few tears, that's all. FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Intermediate Level Nena Daconte's Voy a Tumbarme al sol (2013?) This was the first lyrics translation language lesson I ever did (Spanish or French) and so it remains close to my heart. It is probably the most complete (standards have slipped!) Why start with this song? It was constantly on the radio at the time and kinda got stuck in my head. No regrets though, as it's still as catchy little number. I'm also a little taken by this Spanish group's lead singer, Mai Menses, and you'll be too when you see her perform a live acoustic version of the song in this lesson. Right! all done! I'm off lie in the sun... FREE LYRICS TRANSLATION SPANISH LESSON Beginner Level Nuestro Camino (a song from) Violetta (2014) Don't know what Violleta is? It's a very successful Argentinian Disney channel ado-series about a girl and her friends who sing a lot (can you tell this definition was not copied from Wikipedia!) Ok, If this is not your thing, fair enough. However, I found this karaoke video of one of their songs on YouTube and thought to myself, 'It's almost tailor made for Spanish language beginners.' So I then searched for the lyrics and a translation (it's not mine) and put them together. I will gradually be adding annotations to make it into a proper lesson. Review of Cadena Dial, Spains Popular Spanish Language Music only Radio StationSPAIN - (Mostly Music)
ALTERNATIVES: 1 fm Total hits en Español (Younger audience) Café Romantico (older audience) Oh my! Am I really about to admit that I listen to this station? And yet I DO! (guilty pleasure) and YOU SHOULD TOO! What is it? Well, its jingle gives it away: 'lo mejor de nuestra música' = lo mejor[the.best] de[of] nuestra[our] música[music] Ok, it may not be the best of 'their' music but it certainly is 100% 'their' music. Yes, an hispanophone only music station and popular at that. It is Spains second most popular music station (2.3million listeners.SOURCE: Prisa Radio), only beaten by 40 Principales. (this latter is of no use to you, containing minimal amounts of Spanish) Cadena Dial is about 90% music with a little bit of talk going on (particularly in the mornings) and the music is, well, erm, kinda gushy, kinda easy listening, kinda pop, hardly flamenco, nor reggaeton (phew!) and yet very Spanish/Hispanic with at times subtle latin beat influences in some of the music. Let's put it this way, the Americans have Country the Germans Schlager, the French les Chansons Francaise, leaving the Spanish with the one and only Cadena Dial. (it's not really a type of music but it might as well be) Why is this station good for you? Three reasons. The first reason is that the Spanish sung here is fairly clearly understood, and draws from all over the Spanish speaking world giving you a taste of all the different accents. The Second reason is that with in the same week they will probably play the same 500 songs over and over again. This sounds hellish, but nevertheless due to this very fact the songs will quickly start to leave imprints of their words upon your grey matter even before you know what those words mean and this is extremely useful in language learning; your next step will be to try and find out what those words mean by going on youtube and watching the lyrics videos for example. You will be doing a lesson without realising it. The third (and most important) reason is that this station will help you better understand a big part of Spanish/Hispanic culture; learning a language is almost impossible without first adopting a bit of the culture it belongs to. NOTE: Anglophones may not take to this music at first but give it many sessions before giving up. It's like 'country western' music: you may have a lifetime of avoidance but if your forced to listen to it over a five hour long car journey, you sort of get it by the time you step out the other end. Signed Simpetweb, author of unequal web columns and clashing couleur schemes since 1989 (did the web even exist back then?)
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BY THE WAY
If you liked this playlist then you may like:
My Deezer and Spotify Playlists of the Best 100 French Language Songs of All Time Suitable for Learning Spanish
or
My Spotify Playlist of Modern French Artists and Songs of Interest
If you liked this playlist then you may like:
My Deezer and Spotify Playlists of the Best 100 French Language Songs of All Time Suitable for Learning Spanish
or
My Spotify Playlist of Modern French Artists and Songs of Interest