So, you want to learn Spanish, do you? You could sit down with a dull-as-ditchwater text book or trudge to night college classes once a week, I guess.
Hey, I’ve got a better idea for you. Why not play these fantastic Spanish songs? You could learn while you tap your feet and move those hips? Yeah, that ought to be fun.
Gipsy Kings – Hotel California
If you have never listened to the Gipsy Kings’ music then there is a massive gaping hole in your life right there. These guys were actually born in France but they are from Spanish gypsy families and sing in Spanish. This is one of their most famous songs. Maybe you heard it in a film about a dude once. Parts are in English and parts are in Spanish with the lyrics translated pretty much directly from the original song by The Eagles.
Jose Luis Perales – ¿Y Como Es El?
I am sure that you had heard of the Gipsy Kings before. But, who in the heck is Jose Luis Perales? He is a singer from Spain who has just about the clearest singing voice you could imagine. You’ll pick up every single word as he tells you all about the bad luck he always seems to suffer in his love life.
Eros Ramazzotti – Cosas de la Vida
Here’s a great tip for you if you want to find the best songs to learn Spanish with: find singers who don’t speak Spanish as a first language. Now, you might want to give Nat King Cole’s slightly tortured version of Quizás, Quizás, Quizás a try. Personally, I would go with this Italian top song. The hard rocking guitar is fantastic in this one and there is even a version with Tina Turner crooning along in English too, if you like that kind of thing.
Joaquín Sabina – Y Sin Embargo
If you want clever lyrics and memorable turns of phrase then Joaquín is your man. This guy writes brilliant lyrics and has some songs that are completely unmissable for anyone learning the language. His use of complex wordplay means that this isn’t for beginners. Once you feel confident, he’ll have you singing along happily.
Marcelo Morelo – La Fuerza del Engaño
There are a lot of brilliant Argentine songs to learn Spanish with. Fito Paez bashes his piano like a maniac, Leo Dan sings amazingly clear, and Andrés Calamaro is so cool you could chill a beer on his head on a balmy day in Buenos Aires. However, if you want some classy native instrumentation then this lady has some great songs with panpipes, charangos and other instruments you may have never heard before. Best of all, her songs sounds like modern, top class pop and rock efforts.
Gloria Estefan – Hoy
Gloria has a wonderful voice when she sings in English. She sounds even better in Spanish. Hoy was actually written about the beauty about Peru, by a Peruvian writer (which is why the video is filmed in Machu Picchu). However, Gloria gives it a new breathe of life and her version of it will have you looking up some new words in order to better understand this glorious song. There’s an English version of this song called Wrapped. The Spanish version is much more interesting in my opinion.