Maria Castano, Arts & Entertainment Editor
I have been really into Hispanic rock for the last couple of years, and with it, fortunately, came a lot of new additions to my day-to-day playlist. I wanted to make a playlist with all the Spanish songs I’ve been listening to lately, rock or otherwise, that share a common thread: they’re extremely calming. They have been helping me lately manage the aftermath of study sessions, tests, and essays, and they are so nice to have in the background as you romanticize your life and walk around campus.
Some of these songs I discovered by myself, others remind me of car rides with my parents or Christmas dinners with my family, and some are just so pleasant to the ear, I firmly believe everybody should get to listen to them at least once, so please do so as you read this to affirm my fantastic taste.
On a last note, if you understand Spanish and are heartbroken, maybe this is not the playlist for you, as there is (completely unintentionally, I swear) a common thread of yearning in most of them.
Besame Mucho – Lisa Ono
Of course, you cannot make a playlist talking about beautiful and relaxing music in Spanish without mentioning Lisa Ono. She is a Japanese-Brazilian bossa nova artist from whom I have yet to listen to sing a bad song. “Besame Mucho,” as the name may indicate, is a love song about yearning. She wants her lover to kiss her like it’s the last time they will see each other because she fears their relationship may not last forever, and that she or her partner may leave. It is a direct and heartfelt message that is accompanied by her soft voice and the characteristic bossa nova sound, creating such a lovely and intimate experience. The lyrics can seem a little sad, but for some reason, Hispanic music just loves having heartbreaking lyrics with the most pleasant or upbeat melodies.
Cementerio Club – Pescado Rabioso
On the topic of heartbreak, this song masterfully and with very few lyrics describes a feeling of immense solitude after a heartbreak. I always picture this song in the background of a humid summer day, where there’s little to do, and even though the weather has been anything but hot lately, it is a song that incites memories of beautiful and somewhat melancholic quotidian moments.
Quizás Quizás Quizás – Lisa Ono
There is no way I could only add one Lisa Ono song to this playlist. I’m sorry, but I truly do not exaggerate when I say she absolutely dominates the “Hispanic Classics for a Peaceful Evening” category I just made up. “Quizás Quizás Quizás,” is a bossa nova cover of the song by the same name originally made by Osvaldo Farres in 1947 (the original version is also beautiful, so after listening to Lisa Ono’s version, go check out that one). It talks about a lover asking the other for a response to their love. It talks about waiting desperately for days for a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and only receiving ‘perhaps, perhaps, perhaps’ as an answer.
Sabor a Mi – Eydie Gormé
Another fantastic cover on this playlist. This time made by Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos. Gorme has many other fantastic covers with a similar vibe in Spanish (“Piel Canela,” being my personal favorite) as a part of her 1964 collaboration with Trio Los Panchos on the album Amor (Great Love Songs In Spanish). She is a fantastic singer, and her voice, accompanied by the chorus of male voices on particular parts of the song, makes you quite literally want to float. The song is, unsurprisingly, about love and yearning, and leaving an indelible mark on somebody, a taste of each other that becomes part of their identity because of how much they loved one another.
A Estos Hombres Tristes – Almendra
Just to diverge a little from the monotheme of yearning in this playlist, I wanted to introduce a song from Almendra, an incredible Argentinian rock band that revolutionized the genre in their homeland. This song is about those melancholic and conflicting Sunday afternoons Spinetta lived through as a kid, playing football and eating with family, yet feeling a sense of loneliness that he couldn’t explain. It is a beautiful song filled with metaphors that ask why we feel sad in the moments when we are carefree and have unlimited possibilities.
Algo Contigo – Rita Payés
A beautiful song about, you guessed it, yearning. It is such a simple melody of mainly Rita Payés’ voice and a guitar, with a trumpet and trombone solo close to the end, that allows the listener some time to just breathe in the sounds. It is extremely calming and soft, a little sad as it talks about pining and not wanting to die without having something with the person they love.
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Usted – Luis Miguel
And to finish on a high note, a Luis Miguel song was more than necessary as the cherry on top of this list. His voice is so decadent in this song, full of passion, so it does not transmit the same peacefulness as the rest of the songs in this playlist, but that was kind of the reason why I chose it to finish this Jasper Jams. I wanted a song that sometimes you just want to scream the lyrics of, while still being one of his most iconic and beautiful ballads.