BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

There Have Now Been Just Three Spanish No. 1 Hits In American History

Following
This article is more than 6 years old.

This week, many Americans might not recognize the No. 1 song in their country, as it is primarily sung in another language. For the first time in decades, a song featuring lyrics mostly in Spanish is leading the charge on the singles tally, and in doing so, the smash hit, which is actually still growing here in the States (despite the fact that it can’t climb any higher) has joined a truly tiny club of singles that have managed this incredible feat.

There have now been almost 1,100 No. 1 songs in America since Billboard started reporting of the Hot 100 back in the 1950’s, and only three of them are mostly Spanish, and each one has an incredible story of how it conquered the charts in the toughest market in the world.

Los Lobos - "La Bamba"

The first Spanish song to hit No. 1 on the all-encompassing singles listing was “La Bamba” by Los Lobos, and it changed history when it was named the highest-charting song in the country back in 1987. While the version released by Los Lobos was the one that enjoyed a stint at the summit, it is not the original version, which was also beloved in its time. The piece is actually an old folk song from Mexico, and it was initially brought to America in a major way by Ritchie Valens way back in 1958. That version only managed to peak at No. 22 at the time, but clearly, the masses weren’t done with the incredibly catchy tune.

In addition to being one of the three biggest Spanish-language songs in U.S. history, “La Bamba” remains the only one that has managed to top the Hot 100 without a single English word. The other two titles on this list are primarily in Spanish, but not entirely, a fact which likely helped them rise all the way to the peak.

Los del Rio - “Macarena”

The second mostly Spanish song to hit No. 1 was the “Macarena,” which was initially a success, but which still needed some help rising all the way. The original version of “Macarena” did place on the Hot 100, but it wasn’t until the Bayside Boys released their partially-English, more dance-focused take that the song really took off. Once people started hearing the updated cut, they couldn’t get enough of it, and the Bayside Boys’ remix ended up ruling the Hot 100 for 14 weeks in 1996.

Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - “Despacito (ft. Justin Bieber)”

Just as was the case with “Macarena,” it wasn’t until a new talent jumped on board and contributed at least a few English lyrics that America truly accepted “Despacito” in a major way. The song, which was fronted by two of Latin music’s biggest stars from the beginning, was performing very well on the Hot 100 on its own, which means it was coming close to passing the top 40 benchmark. When a new version of the all-Spanish track was released featuring English singing (and a bit of Spanish as well) by none other than Justin Bieber, “Despacito” bolted into the top 10, and it only took a few weeks before it eventually hit No. 1, making history in the process.