Almost 400 million people in the world speak Spanish. It is the second most spoken language in the world. So it is not surprising that there are many Spanish songs!
Some artists are from Spain and others from Latin America. We all grouped them together in this ultimate list of Spanish songs.
What do most Spanish songs have in common? They are cheerful or sultry and you can dance great to it!
25. Selena – Amor Prohibido
Amor Prohibido (“Forbidden Love”) is the title track of the fourth studio album of the American singer Selena with the same name (1994). Selena wrote the song about her grandparents – who fell in love despite their different social classes.
24. Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee
One of the most popular songs on YouTube. Only a couple of years old but already a classic!
23. Silvio Rodriguez – La maza
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is generally regarded as the best folk singer in Cuba and perhaps one of the greatest singer-songwriters in Latin America. Known for his intellectual, very eloquent and symbolic texts, his songs are iconic elements of Latin American left-wing intellectual culture. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as ‘Ojalá’, ‘Playa Girón’, ‘Unicornio’ and of course ‘La maza’.
22. Roberto Carlos – Amigo
Roberto Carlos Braga is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, also known as King of Latin Music or just The King. Most of his songs were written in collaboration with his friend, singer and songwriter Erasmo Carlos.
Roberto Carlos sold more than 120 million albums around the world. He is considered to be one of the most influential artists in Brazil in the 1960s and was mentioned by many artists and bands as a source of inspiration until the 1980s.
When he visited Mexico in 1979, Pope John Paul II was greeted with the song “Amigo”, sung by a children’s choir. The event was broadcast live to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
21. Shakira – Ciega, Sordomuda
“Ciega, Sordomuda” (English: Blind, deaf and dumb) is a song from the Colombian singer Shakira for her fourth studio album Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). This Latin pop song= has prominent influences from mariachi, and the text expresses its clumsy feeling when the person she loves is around; she doesn’t pay attention to their signals because she is completely blinded.
20. Franco de Vita – Un Buen Perdedor
19. Juanes – La Camisa Negra
“La Camisa Negra” (“the black shirt”) is a Spanish rock song written by Juanes, inspired by Colombian singer-songwriter Octavio Mesa and recorded by Juanes for his third studio album Mi Sangre. In Latin America the song was released in 2005 as the third single from Mi Sangre and in Europe it was released in 2006 as the first single from the album. The song received mixed criticism from critics and caused controversy when it was used to support neo-fascism in Italy. Juanes strongly rejected the use of his song for political purposes. The single was very successful in Latin America and topped the charts.
18. Daddy Yankee – Gasolina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGKrc3A6HHM
“Gasolina” is a reggaeton song written by Daddy Yankee and Eddie Ávila for the 2004 Barrio Fino by Daddy Yankee. “Gasolina” is the first reggaeton song to be nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
17. Maná – Mariposa traicionera
“Mariposa traicionera” (Treacherous butterfly) comes from Mana ‘s sixth studio album, Revolución de Amor (2002). It was Mana’s first number 1 hit in America.
16. Hector Lavoe – El Cantante
“El Cantante” is the famous song from Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe from 1978 and the first single from the Comedia album. The song is written by Rubén Blades and produced by Willie Colón. The 2006 film (with Jennifer Lopez) about the life of Lavoe, El Cantante, takes its title from the song.
15. Jose Luis Perales – Y como es él (1982)
¿Y cómo es él? “is a song composed by José Luis Perales in 1981 and released in 1982. It was originally composed for Julio Iglesias and has been covered by Raphael, among others. Marc Anthony also scored a hit with the song in 2010.
14. Aventura – Obsesión
Obsesión “is a song from the Dominican American bachata band Aventura on the 2002 album We Broke the Rules. It achieved huge successes in many countries and topped many international charts.
13. Joan Sebastian – Secreto De Amor
José Manuel Figueroa Figueroa better known as Joan Sebastian was a Mexican singer-songwriter. He wrote more than 1,000 songs, including compositions for Vicente Fernández, Lucero, Pepe Aguilar and Rocío Dúrcal. His music is a mix of Latin American pop, ranchera and grupera music. Sebastian received seven Latin Grammy Awards and five Grammy Awards, making him the most awarded Mexican artist in Grammy’s history. His biggest success was Secreto De Amor from 2000.
12. Ritchie Valens – La Bamba
“La Bamba” is a Mexican national anthem, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known for a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the American charts and one of the best rock and roll’s best known songs. Valens’ version of “La Bamba” is in place 345 on the list of Rolling Stone magazines of the 500 Best Songs of all time. It is the only song on the list that is sung in a language other than English.
11. Armando Manzanero – Somos novios
Armando Manzanero-Canché is a Mexican musician, singer and composer. He is widely regarded as the best post-war Mexican romantic composer and one of the most successful composers in Latin America. In 1970 his song “Somos Novios” was translated into English by Sid Wayne, composer for Elvis Presley. The English version, “It’s Impossible”, was performed by Perry Como and was nominated for a Grammy.
10. Soda Stereo – De Musica Ligera
“De Música Ligera” is a song from the Argentinian rock band Soda Stereo from their fifth studio album Canción Animal (1990). It is one of the most famous and symbolic songs of Soda Stereo, whose musical influence has been remarkable in the history of Latin Rock for more than two decades. Due to its popularity, the song is considered a hymn of rock and español.
9. Enrique Iglesias – Bailando
The Spanish Enrique Iglesias has scored hit after hit for years, his biggest (so far) is Bailando from 2015. The video clip of the song is one of the most watched YouTube videos ever.
8. Luis Miguel – El Dia Que Me Quieras
El día que me quieras (“The day you love me”) is a tango song by Carlos Gardel. It was originally heard in the film of the same name from 1935. It became the standard for tango. It was then covered by various artists such as Luis Miguel and Roberto Carlos.
7. Juanes – A Dios le Pido
“A Dios le Pido” is the biggest hit of Juanes. Released in 2002 in Spain and Latin America. In 2006 the song was re-released in some European countries, immediately following the success of “La Camisa Negra”, which charted in the top five in almost every European country.
6. Juan Gabriel – Querida ft. Juanes
Juan Gabriel was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Gabriel was popularly known as Juanga and El Divo de Juárez, Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke barriers on the Latin American music market. Widely regarded as one of the best and most productive Mexican composers and singers of all time, a true pop icon.
5. Tito Puente – Oye Como Va
4. Ricky Martin – Livin’ La Vida Loca
“Livin ‘la Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin is generally seen as the song that started the Latin pop explosion and paved the way for other Spanish-speaking artists (first Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony and later Shakira and Paulina Rubio). It is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
3. Ruben Blades – Pedro Navaja
Pedro Navaja is a salsa song written and performed by Rubén Blades from 1978. Inspired by the song Mack the Knife, it tells the story of the life of a panderer and his probable death. The song is recognized throughout Latin America because it describes scenes and stories that these countries have in common, even though the story is set in New York City. The song is about life, death and the unexpected with dark humor.
2. Perez Prado – Mambo No. 5
“Mambo No. 5” is a mambo and jazz dance song that was originally recorded and composed by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949. The popularity of the song was renewed by the sampling of German artist Lou Bega from the last 30 seconds of the original.
1. Gypsy Kings – Bamboleo
Bamboléo “is a Spanish song from the band Gipsy Kings from 1987 from their eponymous album. The song was written by band members Tonino Baliardo, Chico Bouchikhi and Nicolas Reyes. The now iconic song is a worldwide hit for the Gipsy Kings and is since then covered by many artists, both in Spanish and in other languages.
