“La Llamada” (The Call) by Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, English translation

“The Call”
Style: Drama pop song about a cheater who wants to get back together. This person cheats, gets caught, gets dumped, and then won’t stop calling! Selena is just going to keep hanging up. Stop calling her. I love songs with stories.
Country: United States (Texas); Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

[Sound of phone ringing]

-Bueno…
-Soy yo, mi amor, antes de que me cuelgues no’ más dejame explicar que…

-Hello…
-It’s me, my love, before you hang up on me just let me explain that…

[Sound of phone hanging up]

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“Nuestro Amor Sera Leyenda” (Our Love Will Be Legend) by Alejandro Sanz, English translation

“Our Love Will Be Legend”, 2009
Style: Pop, love song, about long-distance relationships
Country: Spain (Madrid)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

No hay doctor que me retenga,
No hay dolor que me detenga,
No hay planeta que me eclipse,
O de tu lado me desvíe.

There is no doctor who can retain me,
There is no pain that can detain me,
There is no planet that can eclipse me,
Or from your side divert me.

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“Bonito” (Nice Life) by Jarabe de Palo, English translation of lyrics

“Nice Life”, literally “Pretty”
Album: Bonito, 2003
Style: Cheerful, repetitive and upbeat pop song about enjoying life. A little hypnotic. I can imagine he is singing this song to himself as he goes for a walk, greeting everything he meets.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Bonito, todo me parece bonito.

Nice, everything seems nice to me.

Bonita mañana,
Bonito lugar,
Bonita la cama,
Qué bien se ve el mar.

Pretty morning,
Pretty place,
Pretty bed,
How good the sea looks.

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“Algo De Ti” (Something About You) by Paulina Rubio, English translation

“Something About You” Lyrics Translation
Style: Electric pop, catchy. This song’s background sounds like the Kill Bill soundtrack, maybe with hints of Mamma Mia. Anyway, it got stuck in my head.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Cierro los ojos sin mirar atrás.
Las cosas buenas pasan más y más
Y tus errores tienen la virtud
De hacerme mal.

I close my eyes without looking back.
Good things happen more and more
And your mistakes have the power
To do me harm.

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“Hu, Hu, Hu” by Natalia Lafourcade feat. Julieta Venegas, English translation

“Hu, Hu, Hu”
Album: Hu, Hu, Hu (2009)
Style: Light, airy, pop/rock. The singers control the song metric really well. They almost put me in a trance. I call the style “airy,” but that is more about the mood. The singing voices are quite strong.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Intro:
————————————————————–
Quiero regalarte las estrellas, [*regalar = lit. gift (verb)]
Sol, la luna entera,
Una hora extra para respirar.

I want to give you the stars,
The sun, the full moon,
An extra hour to breathe.

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“Lo Hecho Está Hecho” (What is Done is Done) by Shakira, English translation

“What is Done is Done” Lyrics
Album: She Wolf, 2009
Style: Energetic lusty pop. The music video for this song has really interesting choreography that takes elements of martial arts and maybe ballet. The guy in the video is Daniel “Cloud” Campos.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

En la suite 16
Lo que empieza no termina.
Del mini bar al Edén
Y en muy mala compañía.

In suite 16
What starts does not end.
From the minibar to Eden
And in very bad company.

Hey!

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“Acción y Reacción” (Action and Reaction) by Thalía, English translation of lyrics

“Action and Reaction” Lyrics Translation
Album: Greatest Hits, 2004
Style: Electric pop, love song. This is a song about two people from different ethnicities and backgrounds in love. It does not matter that they are different; they are in love!
Country: Mexico
Listen: live version; pre-recorded album version;

Translation:

Que tú prefieras los Beatles
Y yo Juan Gabriel,
No importa que sea otro el ritmo
Pero aquí es cuestion de piel.

That you prefer The Beatles [*old, famous British band]
And me, Juan Gabriel, [*old, famous Mexican ranchera singer]
No matter the different rhythm [*lit. No matter that the rhythm be another]
(But here) it’s a matter of skin.

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“Loca” (Crazy) by Aleks Syntek, English translation of lyrics

“Crazy” (2009 single)
Style: Pop, quick pace, danceable. Weird song about a guy waking up in the wrong bed in the wrong house, totally confused and agitated. It’s a catchy song.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Intro:
——————————
Soy un caso singular
Que debiera analizar.
No sé que me dieron,
Ni lo que me hicieron,
Pero ya no soy normal.

I am an exceptional case
That you should analyze. [*formal “you”]
I do not know what they gave me,
Nor what they did to me,
But I am no longer normal.

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“Waka Waka Esto Es África” by Shakira, English translation of the Spanish version

“Waka Waka This is Africa”
Official song of 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa; June 11 – July 11
Album: Sale El Sol (The Sun Comes Out), 2010
Country: Colombia
Style: Upbeat, cheerful. Note that Shakira has an official English version called “Waka Waka This Time for Africa.” This, however, is the translation of the Spanish version. It’s interesting to compare how different parts of the world will think of the FIFA 2010 song, since the lyrics are not completely the same.
Listen: YouTube Spanish version

Translation:

Llego el momento,
Caen las murallas,
Va a comenzar
La única justa de la batallas.

The moment has come,
The walls fall,
It is going to begin,
The only one of the battles that is just.

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“El Problema” by Ricardo Arjona, English translation of lyrics

“The Problem” Lyrics Translation
Album: Santo Pecado (Blessed Sin), 2002
Style: Pop, romantica, foolish adoration. This guy adores a girl who is not serious about the relationship and he is leaving himself very vulnerable.
Country: Guatemala
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

El problema no fue hallarte,
El problema es olvidarte.
El problema no es tu ausencia,
El problema es que te espero.

The problem was not finding you,
The problem is forgetting you.
The problem is not your absence,
The problem is that I wait for you.

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“Dámelo” by Juanes, English translation of lyrics

“Give It To Me”
Album: Mi Sangre (My Blood), 2004
Style: Rock, shamelessly sleazy. Juanes wants to seduce a woman and “get to know her” tonight. Oh Juanes.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Intro whispers:

Ey… sí, tú… sí, sí, tú que está ahí. Escucha, ey…

Hey… yeah, you… yeah, yeah, you right there. Listen, hey…

¿Qué tengo que hacer para tener
En mi labios esos tus labiecitos bonitos?
¿Qué te tengo que hacer para tener
De tu sabor un poquito?

What do I have to do to have
In my lips those pretty little lips of yours?
What do I have to do to have
Of your taste a little?

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“Mira La Vida” (Look at Life) by Julieta Venegas, English translation

“Look at Life” Lyrics
Album: MTV Unplugged Julieta Venegas, 2008
Style: Optimistic upbeat song, a bit hypnotic, about life saying yes to you and you saying yes to life, about looking forward to the future, about celebrating a birth.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Chorus:
————————————–
Mira la vida abriéndose camino.
Mira la vida diciendo que sí.

Look at life opening a way for itself.
Look at life saying yes.
————————————–
(x2)

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