Spanglish music is making its mark on modern day society through the pop music industry. It is hard to listen to the radio today without hearing lyrics sung in Spanish. Singers like Shakira, Pitbull, and Enrique Inglesias have paved the way for many other hispanic artists to create art that is true and authentic to who they are. This Latin influence in music has resulted in a myriad of hit Spanglish songs like “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Despacito,” “Mi Gente,” and “Contigo.” Through different practices like code-switching, many hispanic artists are able to create songs that appeal to both English and Spanish speaking fans nationwide.
Spanglish, while it is not its own language, is most often spoken in places with large Latino populations like Puerto Rico and Southern California. These are often noted as the “Spanglish hotbeds.” There are no specific grammar rules or lists of vocabulary words specifically unique to Spanglish, it is instead it is a hybrid of both English and Spanish. While it is typically spoken by people who are fluent in both languages, it is more than just an effect of being bilingual.
One of the most notable features of Spanglish is code-switching. Code-switching allows speakers to use English and Spanish words interchangeably, keeping the structure of the respective language throughout a conversation. Shakira’s hit song, “Hips Don’t Lie” has multiple examples of this phenomenon. A perfect example of this is the phrase “don’t you see baby así es perfecto.” While the line starts off in English, it changes to Spanish at the end, resulting in Spanglish.
The success of songs like this have had an influence on the current popular music industry. Songs like “Despacito” topped the Billboard Hot 100s charts for an astounding 44 weeks in 2017. This proves that Spanglish was not a fad, and that people around the world are connecting with it.
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| Jennifer Lopez and Shakira on stage at NFL Super Bowl LIV |
As seen in the image above, blobal superstars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed together during the halftime show of the NFL’s Super Bowl LIV. These are two women who helped to build the demand for Latin pop in the US mainstream, so them teaming up created quite the moment. They performed a number of their greatest hits, many of which featured Spanglish lyrics. Two artists whom Lopez and Shakira paved the way for in the industry, J Balvin and Bad Bunny, were brought up to join them on stage in their performance. In addition to the music, these performers included more cultural rituals through dance. By remaining authentic and true to their roots, Shakira and Lopez are showing how the US is constantly evolving and expanding on their cultural acceptance and inclusion.
While Spanglish today can be seen across different forms of media including advertisements, TV shows, musicals, and songs, this was not always the case. People used to look down upon Spanglish and view it as an underground form of communication. In 1999, Latino/a artists used have to produce English-only songs in order to attain commercial success in the US. This is not the case for artists in 2020. The US has shown a great deal of cultural acceptance and empowerment. Diversity in music is encouraged today and there are many predominantly Spanish songs that top the charts in pop music. Music has really helped bridge the gap between Spanish and English and encourage the use of Spanglish in the modern world.
Hi Erin!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post because I wrote something similar; however, your writing gave me a different perspective in terms of present day music featuring Spanglish lyrics. I definitely think that Spanglish has grown more popular over the last few years and more people are beginning to interact with it, whether that be through mass media or with other people. I was shocked to learn that Despacito topped the charts for 44 weeks - that is absolutely insane! I remember when that song came out and everyone immediately started singing along even if they did not know what was being said. I feel like after that song hit it big, the diversity in music began to develop even more and artists of any and all genres have taken to incorporating Latin American vibes to their songs either through lyrics or rhythm.
Hi Erin!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post because I was able to relate to it in a way. You mention Shakira's song "Hips Don't Lie" and the use of Spanglish in it. To be honest, when I used to listen to that song I did not realize that she was using Spanglish because I did not think to analyze it, like you did! I found it interesting that you mentioned the Superbowl and how Shakira and Jennifer Lopez sang together during the halftime show because they both are of Latina cultures. Spanglish is becoming more prevalent in the media like you said and I totally agree because I sometimes see signs that are written in Spanglish and even commercials. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post because I was able to fully grasp the material and relate to it.
Hi Erin!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and going through the modern day pop examples you mentioned within it. I think we can all agree that Spanglish is relevant in so many modern day outlets such as music, television, movies and more. I think it definitely helped to strengthen your argument of Spanglish being more than just a fad to include research of how long songs like "Despacito" were on the charts in the US, indicating that many people hear it and connect to it regardless of what language they speak. Overall this was a fun and informative blog post!
Hi Erin! I think you are right when you said that music helped bridge the gap between Spanish and English since music opened the public up to songs that were more diverse. Nowadays, people are more accepting of music that has Spanglish in it. I liked "Hips Don't Lie" when I heard it for the first time, and your post reminded me of another song called "Bailando." Enrique Iglesias sings this song, and there is a Spanish and English version of it. The English version goes back and forth between Spanish and English, and I think the world will continue to accept Spanglish in music since it already topped music charts. Your post was really interesting, and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteHi Erin!
ReplyDeleteI liked your post a lot! It was very similar to mine since we both looked at Shakira and her song "Hips Don't Lie", but I really liked how you went on to show how other Spanglish singers have been able to increase in popularity due to influence like Shakira and Jennifer Lopez's. You are absolutely right when you say that artist like them are showing how the US is constantly expanding and evolving in terms of cultural acceptance, and how that acceptance will only grow with more exposure from Spanglish artists. Overall I really liked your post, Great job!