Spanish music "All-Time" Hit list

I have never been able to find a "All Time" hits list for Spanish music.

Does anbody have a list they can post of the best spanish songs for 50's thru today?

At my wedding last night I had a 50/50 crowd and none of them could spell the artists they wanted, so IT TOOK FOREVER TO FIND ANYTHING.

I have quite a few spanish artists, but being the whitest white guy in So-Cal (and not speaking spanish) is a challenge. I would love to have a goto list and save it in my playlist folder.

If you guys can start posting songs, we can create a resource list. It would be helpful if you could group them by genre and decade if you know them.

Problem is, No one list will please all spanish speaking people.. Within Mexico alone, there are over 13 or 14 different regional genres, and they do not all appeal to others. The other problem is, People make the mistaken assumption that Just because a song is in spanish, all spanish speaking folks will dig it. You'd better not think playing a cuban salsa is ok for puerto ricans, or mexicans, and you better not play a mexican song for dominican folks. Guatemalan folks will take offense to bolivian music, and panamanian dancers will walk off the floor if you play a tropical latin jam.

every little sub sector has it's own music, and unlike english speaking folks, they usually don't cross lines.

I do many latin events, and I can tell you... I don't know squat!

I ask for 20-30 songs on CD prior to the event, and listen to them, and categorize them in my system so I can make some sense of them later.

There's nothing worse than thinking pitbull will satisfy the latins , only to have them come up and yell at you that they're not puerto rican, or getting a request for a bachata, and not knowing what country they're from.

Compiling a top 50 for latin music could only be done if you were focusing on one single nationality, and region.

I guess we could compile a list by regions like you suggested. For a wedding, most of the family members would be from the same region (I assume).

I get generalized requests like play some salsa, merengue etc, and that's fine but I run out of steam after 60-90 minutes (scraping the bottom of the barrel at 90) .

My biggest issue is I don't know what to play for older folks. I would love to know what song a 60 yr old would have had memories of in high school.

I want to get a little deeper into the music knowledge than just knowing cumbia, bachata, etc. I want to know what songs from certain decades. I would love to be able to chronolgically group songs together, kind of like I do with my regular music sets.

I'm going to work on this and I'll post results in the music and videos forum.

You're going to have a difficult time of it without being able to speak Spanish. One thing you can do is export all your Latin music tags (artist/title) to an Excel spreadsheet and run them through a quickie translator. That would help you identify some of the titles if someone gives you the English translation. Some of the titles will be butchered, but it's better than trying to find the Spanish word if you don't have a clue how to pronounce or spell it.

Y'know, I'm surprised there's not some kind of iPhone app for something like that.

You can also check what's popping on the World Latin charts and I would think you could check old Billboard Latin Top 40 lists to start compiling lists of what was popular for different decades.
http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=34

For go-to songs, if it's a Puerto Rican group, you can't go wrong with anything by Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias seems to be universally liked.

Steve Lynch said:

Problem is, No one list will please all spanish speaking people.. Within Mexico alone, there are over 13 or 14 different regional genres, and they do not all appeal to others. The other problem is, People make the mistaken assumption that Just because a song is in spanish, all spanish speaking folks will dig it. You'd better not think playing a cuban salsa is ok for puerto ricans, or mexicans, and you better not play a mexican song for dominican folks. Guatemalan folks will take offense to bolivian music, and panamanian dancers will walk off the floor if you play a tropical latin jam.

every little sub sector has it's own music, and unlike english speaking folks, they usually don't cross lines.

I do many latin events, and I can tell you... I don't know squat!

I ask for 20-30 songs on CD prior to the event, and listen to them, and categorize them in my system so I can make some sense of them later.

There's nothing worse than thinking pitbull will satisfy the latins , only to have them come up and yell at you that they're not puerto rican, or getting a request for a bachata, and not knowing what country they're from.

Compiling a top 50 for latin music could only be done if you were focusing on one single nationality, and region.

Click to expand...

Steve FYI Pitbull is Cuban and Bachatas are only Dominican

What I'm trying to do is compile a list of spanish songs that were popular in the 50s-80s. Song title, artist, year and genre.

MonkeySan said:

I would think you could check old Billboard Latin Top 40 lists to start compiling lists of what was popular for different decades.

Click to expand...

Billboard didn't chart latin/spanish that far back.

Very true, latin music genre would take days, weeks, years to comply to every latin country. Just start off with some of the basics which is : Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Mexican Regional, Rock En Espanol, Bachata, Latin Pop, etc etc. Get minium 15 songs from each of these catagories. Then move down the latin map per genre per country. I'd say about 100 - 200 different types of genre in the latin world of music both old and new. What I do is always ask the type of spanish music genre requested per party, per family member. Ask what part of latin america they are from. What spanish radio stations do they listen to. So you can get an idea of what type of spanish music you can build your collection on.

Best thing to do is aslo check with radio station website. They usually have a top 10-20 list. From Regional to Oldies, that usually works for me..

After working for years on the east coast and then moving to the great lakes, I have lost all remembrance of the stuff I would play regularly. Since we have very little call for it here, if I DO get the occasional request, the only tools in my bag that I choose are:

Proyecto Uno - El Tiburon
Elvis Crespo - Suavamente
C&C Music Factory - Boriqua Anthem (cuban I believe)

I only play songs with high energy and those 3 pretty much encapsulate that.

Hi Chris,

It's funny that you post this at this time. I'm in the process of putting together a presentation for fellow DJ's regarding Latin events, particularly Quinceañeros and wanted to get an idea of how well received it would be by fellow DJ's, perhaps at one of the conventions.

I know many times there is an anxiety barrier for non-Spanish speaking DJs in doing Latin events. I compare it to the way I use to feel in regards to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.

I agree with some of what Steve is saying, but from my perspective, being Hispanic with most of my experience coming from a huge and diverse Latin-American market, it may not be as cut-dry as you may think.

Although the nationalities and cultures are many within our group, we are united by language. Just as in English music, there have been particular genres that have been extremely popular for their respective times. Through my experience and looking through my music collection, I would like to compile such a list and make it part of my presentation.

A list like this would allow DJs to compile a decent music selection for any Latin event. Any other music of a particular country or culture, as Steve mentioned, could be requested prior to the event.

This could open doors for many fellow DJs, allowing them to increment their revenue and save themselves from a not very successful fiesta. What do you think?

ThunderstruckDJs said:

Proyecto Uno - El Tiburon
Elvis Crespo - Suavamente

Click to expand...

I use these two quite often along with:

Celia Cruz - La Vida Es Un Carnaval

For oldies, I've had great success with:

James & Bobby Purify - I'm Your Puppet
Jr. Walker & The All-Stars - Shotgun



I'm not near my system right now or I could look some more stuff up...

Check here, (you can have it translated in your browser), http://www.979laraza.com/

Merengue:
El Negro by Wilfredo Vargas
Mentiroso by Olga Tanon

Reggaeton:
Ahorra Es by Wisin Y Yandel
Dile by Don Omar
Lo Que Paso Paso by Daddy Yankee

Banda:
La Peinada by Chuy Lizarrage

Nortenas:
El Tucanazo by Los Tucanes de Tijuana
La Puerta Negra by Los Tigre Del Norte

Can anyone else add a few favorites by genre?

Latino Music

Good evening. I just registered today so I'd like to begin by introducing myself. My name is Ernesto Rebollar and I'm DJ & owner of Universal Sounds Entertainment based out of Austin, TX.

I was immediately drawn to this thread since I'm hispanic and am very familiar with all types of spanish music. Just from reading some of the replies, I believe many make the misconception that all latino music is alike. Well here in Texas you'll get booed off stage if you play the wrong music for the wrong hispanic crowd and you really have to know the people you're playing for.

Take for example the mexican culture...there are two main types here in Texas: there are Mexican nationals, which prefer a regional Mexican format, and then there are "chicanos" (Mexican-Americans) which prefer Tejano music aka "Tex-Mex". Both of these sub genres are so different and neither group cares for the others' music format.

Then you have your other hispanic groups which would be puerto ricans/dominicans/cubans/central&south americans. Salsa, merengue, bachata, vallenato, punta, reggaeton, spanish pop, etc would be their respective preferred genres.

(I hope I haven't offend anybody as I just wanted to give a simple generalized educated example of hispanic cultures & their music preferences)



With all this being said, I'll start by providing a popular list of mexican artists to be played for their respective sub genres:


Regional Mexican format (these sub genres belong to their respective regions of Mexico and may help you narrow down the style to play for your audience on any given night):


Banda (originated in the state of Sinaloa & neighboring states): La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, Banda El Recodo, Banda MS, Los Dareyes De La Sierra, Banda Cuisillos, Banda Pequeños Musical, Banda Los Recoditos, El Chapo De Sinaloa, Valentin Elizalde, Banda Machos, Julion Alvarez, Julio Preciado


Chihuahuense (originated in the state of Chihuahua): Los Rieleros Del Norte, Adolfo Urias y Su Lobo Norteño, Conjunto Primavera, Polo Urias y Su Máquina Norteña


Cumbia Colombiana/Mexicana (popularized in the city of Monterrey and surrounding areas): Aniceto Molina, Celso Piña, Chon Arauza, La Mission Colombiana, La Tropa Colombiana


Cumbia Comarka Lagunera (originated in the state of Coahuila): Chicos De Barrio, Massore, Los Capi, Poder Urbano, Sabor Kolombia, Los Colombinos


Cumbia Sonidera (popularized in southern regions like Mexico City, Puebla & neighboring states): Grupo Kual, Los De Akino, Super Grupo Colombia, Super Grupo G, Grupo Macao


Cumbias Sonora: (popularized in the state of Coahuila): La Sonora Dinamita, La Sonora De Margarita, Sonora Eskandalo


Duranguense: (originated in the state of Durango - popularized in Chicago, IL): El Trono De México, K-Paz De La Sierra, Alacranes Musical, Grupo Montéz De Durango, Los Horóscopos de Durango, La Apuesta


Gruperos Inmortales (popularized during 80's in the northeastern part of the country): Fito Olivares, JLB y Compañía, Renacimiento '74, Tropical Panama, Bronco, Grupo Pegasso, Los Hermanos Barron, Liberación, Toppaz


Hyphy (popularized in the northern part of California, U.S.A.): Los Amos De Nuevo Leon, Los Inquietos De Nuevo Leon


Mariachi (popularized in the state of Guadalajara): Vicente Fernández, Pepe Aguilar, Pedro Fernandez, Alejandro Fernández


Norteño (popularized in the state Nuevo Leon & surrounding regions): Los Tigres del Norte, Ramón Ayala, Los Cadetes de Linares, Los Huracanes Del Norte, El Poder Del Norte, Los Cardenales de Nuevo Leon, Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon, Los Traileros del Norte, Pesado, Intocable


Tierra Caliente (popularized in the state of Guerrero & Michoacan): Beto y Sus Canarios, La Dinastia, Los Pajaritos, Los Player's, Tierra Cali, Triny Y La Leyenda, Josecito Leon Y Su Banda Roja


Pop/Rock En Español (popular on an international level): Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Alejandra Guzmán, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Camila, Enanitos Verdes, Gloria Trevi, Luis Miguel, Maná, Juanes, etc (too many to list)


There are also other dance crazes in the regional mexican category like "cumbias tribales" which have a tribal dance beat and are very popular at the moment: Hechizeros Band - "El Sonidito", Huichol Musical - "Cusinela", Los Karkis ft. DJ Chombo - "Arremangala Arrempujala (tribal remix)", etc.


As far as popular mexican line dances, there's the "Achy Breaky Heart" spanish version by Caballo Dorado - "No Rompas Mas" & always follow it with Caballo Dorado - "Payaso De Rodeo". Other crowd movers are "Sigue Al Lider" (Follow The Leader) by SBS, "1, 2, 3" - El Simbolo, Mach & Daddy "Pasame La Botella", Azul Azul - "La Bomba", Banda Blanca - "El Venado", Celia Cruz - "La Vida Es Un Carnaval", Pedro Fernández - "La Bala", Jean Carlos - "De Reversa", etc.


Well that's it for now and I will continue this in-depth thread at another time. I hope I have given some of you ideas that will help you with specific latino crowds. While Elvis Crespo's - "Suavemente" is a big hit, it's not the only song latinos like to hear, let alone the only merengue song out there. Latinos are very passionate about their music so if you want to 'hit'em in the heart', you have to have a good flow and know what you're working with.

Gracias Maestro Ernesto...

That's great!

Maybe it's just me, but this thread has "Sticky Worthy" written all over it.
Thanx guys. Invaluable info here. -Z-

Latino Music - Part II

In the first part of my response, I focused on the regional mexican format. Tonight I want to shed light on other latino genres and I actually have some good resources.

I'll start by sharing a website link that I always refer to when I need to brush up, especially on the CLASSICS! For those of you who aren't familiar with Digital Dream Door, this specific website has got to be one of, if not THE BEST, websites were DJs and music lovers can go onto in order to look up most of the top arstists/songs of their genres and eras.

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/music0.html

For the sake of this thread, we'll focus on spanish music so I'd like for you to take a look at the different charts under the "Latin" category. There you will find charts with the greatest latin rock, latin pop, and salsa songs/artists. There are also a few lists of greatest latin pop songs of the 80s, 90s & 00s eras which are always good to incorporate in your mix sets.


Another one of my favorites websites is: www.americasmusiccharts.com. They have a contemporary list of many of the latin american charts. You can refer to these charts to get familiar with what's currently popular on the radio or at the night clubs.




Top merengue songs of all-time: http://www.sabordominicano.com/merengues_del_siglo.htm




Top salsa songs of all-time:
http://www.sabordominicano.com/salsa/top100Salsa.htm





A great list of mainly classic salsa and cha cha songs from a "dancer's point-of-view": http://www.salsanewyork.com/guide/song_list.htm





I couldn't find a solid all-time bachata & reggaeton chart but could it be that these genres only became popular on an international level within this last decade??? Well, I hope part II has been helpful and please feel free share if you know of other links we can refer. Thanks!

Ernesto -
FABULOUS post on the various Latin genres ..... many kudos to you for posting your definitions and the audiences they fit. It would be really nice to have you around here as a reference since there truly are many Hispanics in numerous parts of the country. I'm in Maryland and would love to do more Latin based events. I'm sure you will be a tremendous asset here at MobileBeat.com

Big Thank You For The Education

Thanks for the great post Ernesto!

There is a DJ here in Phoenix currently writing a book to cover this exact topic as well as other hispanic traditions and things a DJ should know. Rick Canez of Luna Disc DJs. He spoke at one of our DJ meetings last year on this topic. I'm not sure of his progress but I'm anxiously awaiting it's completion.

I'll post something as soon as I find out more info.

Jeremy

A starting point maybe

http://latinmusic.about.com/od/cdtoppicks/tp/TP01MAMBOKNG.htm

I'm personally a fan of Tejano (being from Texas). Check this link when you get a minute it covers the top 10 male vocalists from the mid 70's to recent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoaF_wCeKkE

I'll keep trying to help put this list together.