If You Were A Teen In The 2000s, You Were Probably Obsessed With These Songs
These were the songs that were making the radio rounds back when we had to type the number 7 four times to get “S” on your Motorola Razr.
1. “Y Yo Sigo Aquí” by Paulina Rubio
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/PaulinaRubioVEVO
“Y mi corazón está, busca que te busca, y yo sigo aquí, esperándote”
You thought rappers made autotune cool? Pau was doing it before they were. This song that was the ~perfect ~ sing-along track for mentioning your crush in an illusive way on your MySpace profile song.
2. “La Tortura” by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/shakiraVEVO
“No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal”
Alejandro Sanz’s raspy voice was magic combined with Shakira’s strong tone. And can we talk about how hot the music video was?! Shakira brought back the belly dancing and she did it in the hottest way possible – covered in oil.
3. “The Ketchup Song” by Las Ketchup
Giphy/YouTube/AltraModaMusic
Favorite lyric (because who really remembers any of the other ones?): “Aserejé, ja deje tejebe tude jeberesebiunouba majabi an de bugui an de buididipí”
This was the original “Gangnam Style” of our childhood. Although we were obsessed with it, everybody over 40 (including our parents) were convinced it was a satanic song. Rumor says that when you listen to it backwards you can hear the devil speaking. We just loved it because we were addicted to the dance moves.
4. “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/lena4ka81
“A ella le gusta la gasolina (dame más gasolina!) Como le encanta la gasolina (dame más gasolina!)”
Daddy Yankee is basically responsible for bringing reggaeton to the States, and there was no college/high school dance party that you could attend in 2004 without hearing this song. 12 years later, and we are still debating on what ‘gasolina’ really means. Daddy Yankee says it’s a drink in Puerto Rico, Urban Dictionary says it’s something else.
5. “Andar Conmigo” by Julieta Venegas
Giphy/VideosMusicaVEVO/YouTube
“Hay tantos caminos por andar / Dime si tu quisieras andar conmigo / Cuéntame si quisieras andar conmigo”
This song just nails all the do-they-or-don’t-they-like-me feels. Julieta is a master when it comes to putting emotions to paper, and this song taught us to keep the faith in knowing someone had to be out there for us.
6. “The Anthem” by Pitbull
Giphy/YouTube/RadialbytheOrchard
“Mami el negro está rabioso y quiere tu azúcar y tú no se lo das”
This was one of the tunes that alwayysss got the party started – it didn’t matter if you were dancing at a Quinceañera party or a wedding. It was so good because it reminded us of the original. Dale!
7. “I’m Real” by JLo
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/JenniferLopezVEVO
“My life I live it to the limit and I love it / Now I can breathe again, baby, now I can breathe again”
Not only were we addicted to Jennifer Lopez’s sultry voice, but ugh the music video was so on point! The sparkly lipgloss and silver hoop earrings, her highlight – even before it was a thing.
8. “La Camisa Negra” by Juanes
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/JuanesVEVO
“Tengo la camisa negra porque negra tengo el alma yo por ti”
Finally someone made cumbias cool again. This song made us jump up and want to dance as soon as we heard the first chord. It was so sarcastic and dark, but we loved it. The infusion of electric chords and in-your-face breakup vengeance lyrics made this song an instant ’00s classic.
9. “Arrasando” by Thalía
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/THALIA
“Arrasando…………….Arrasando con la vida, cosechando la alegría, no hay obstáculo que me impida disfrutar de un nuevo día”
This was one of the last gems we got from Thalía. Gawd, this album was so good. In the mid-2000s, you wanted to be dancing alongside Thalía on a beach in Cancun getting your tan on with this song playing in the background. It basically was Spring Break in music.
10. “Mariposa Traicionera” by Maná
Giphy/YouTube/OficialMana
“Eres coma un mariposa / Vuelas y te posas vas de boca en boca”
A decade after releasing the hit that put them on the map “Oye Mi Amor,” Maná’s 2000s hits included more soulful ballads like “Mariposa” and “Labios Compartidos.” The lyrics were so real, we won’t judge if you have shed a tear or two listening to these songs.
11. “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/RickyMartinVEVO
“Cause she looks like a flower but she stings like a bee / Like every girl in history”
Ricky’s baaaack! This song was so good and so addicting that he helped a terrible singer become famous. William Huang, we’re looking at you.
12. “Duele el Amor” by Aleks Syntek feat. Ana Torroja
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/emimusic
“Duele el amor, sin ti, duele hasta matar”
In 2003, you could not sit in a chair at a hair salon or walk into a bionicos shop without hearing this ballad to lost love with the haunting vocals and Spanish lysp of Torroja. Thanks Syntek for expressing so eloquently how love can hurt sometimes ?.
13. “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias
Giphy/YouTube/EnriqueIglesiasVEVO
“I can be your hero, baby / I can kiss away the pain / I will stand by you forever / You can take my breath away”
It remains a mystery of why exactly Enrique Iglesias’ mole magically was removed (he claims his doctor warned against how it might be cancerous), but what was clear during the 2000s was his meteoric rise to the top of both English and Spanish pop charts. This song was so sappy AND so good. You can be our hero any day, Enrique!
14. “Y Tú Te Vas” by Chayanne
Giphy/YouTube/chayanneVEVO
“Acordándome la vida, agachando la mirada, y tú te vas, y yo que me pierdo entre la nada (y tú te vas)”
Another sad song we wouldn’t help but belt out to. This was our instant kitchen karaoke song… *grabs ketchup bottle* “yyyyy tú te vas.”
15. “Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar
Credit: Giphy/YouTube/DonOmarVEVO
“La mano arriba, cintura sola / Da media vuelta, Danza Kuduro”
This song closed out the decade with a bang, and it’s still going strong at clubs everywhere. It’s like the energizer bunny of dance playlists – it’s popularity just keeps going and going. And hey, we’re not complaining! We’ll keep putting our manos arriba when the beat drops.
Did we miss any of your favorite Latino ’00s hits? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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