Last May, as we left Blink-182’s incredible concert at D.C.’s Capital One Arena, mi comadre Mari and I talked about how lucky we were to go from rocking out to Blink’s “Dammit,” to jamming on the drive back to Maryland to Aterciopelados’ classic, “Caribe atómico.” We agreed that therein lies the beauty of growing up Latina in the United States, specifically during the ‘90s, as we did: musically, we had the best of both worlds.

It’s one thing for the non-Spanish-speaking world to now enjoy Bad Bunny’s music without understanding everything he’s saying (more on his crossover below), but it’s a whole different beast to be able to comprehend each word and related emotion in a Spanish-language song. For instance, take Calle 13’s lyrics in their song, “Digo Lo Que Pienso” – “Conformarse y dejar de insistir es como ver a alguien ahogandose y dejarlo morir.” That line alone is worth taking a Spanish lesson or two.

But besides fully understanding the lyrics, the real magic comes not just from being able to seamlessly transition to different languages, but to diverse genres as well. I mean, to be able to jump around to Korn’s “Freak On A Leash” and then Salsa your way into DLG’s “No Morira”? Yea, you’re just #blessed at that point. That’s pretty much how it was for me as I came of age in a bilingual household in the ‘90s – namely, I went from watching Onda Max each Saturday to calling in to Total Request Live after school to vote for the day’s top music video (I actually got through to vote for Ricky Martin once). Musically, no decade hit harder than the ‘90s – in Spanish or English. (Side note: does anyone else remember Onda Max? It was so good, huh? I always thought that one of the hosts, Antonella, was just the coolest girl ever).

Proof that ‘90s music is unmatched

When my 11-year-old son asked me why I thought ‘90s music reigns supreme, I found it hard to explain, and I kept thinking about that line by Travis in Clueless, “Okay, like, the way I feel about the Rolling Stones is the way my kids are gonna feel about Nine Inch Nails, so I really shouldn’t torment my mom anymore, huh?”

That is, we often prefer music from our youth over anything else because it takes us back to a moment in time when anything felt possible and emotions ran high (like when you finally talked to that cute guy in English class, or when you actually played well during a soccer game).

Anyway, just for fun, here’s a list of some of the songs that helped shape my teenaged years.

  • If you get a chance to see Blink live, do it. Kicking off this list (though the songs are in no particular order) is the band’s “What’s My Age Again?” Mark Hoppus’ voice is so sweet and the song is pure fun from the start. “Dammit” remains my favorite though.
  • Puerto Rican Salsa singer Jerry Rivera was my first celebrity crush, and his song, “Te Recordaré,” is the best ever.
  • “Don’t Speak” is the quintessential break-up song, which I belted out as a kid even though I hadn’t yet experienced heartbreak. Dear No Doubt: please make new music together soon. Love, Everyone.
  • Café Tacvba’s “La Ingrata” gets me amped all day, any day. I can’t wait to see this group live in concert again one day.
  • I will forever love Ms. Britney Jean Spears; “From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart” has all the feels.
  • Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ “Matador” is such a banger. Period.
  • Another favorite is “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” from the Backstreet Boys, aka the best boy band (except for 2gether, which IYKYK lol).
  • Merengue needs a comeback, amirite? Oro Solido’s “Ta Encendio” is as good as any from so many solid ‘90s merengue songs.
  • Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie” – I remember thinking that that music video was so cool. Still do.
  • Fey and such hits as her “Media Naranja” just scream ‘90s, and I love it.
  • “Shoop” by Salt-N-Pepa is so fun, but my favorite part about it now is that it was included in “Benji’s Cool Times Summer Jamz Mix” on Parks and Rec.
  • Luis Miguel has so many beautiful songs, but my favorite is “La Media Vuelta.” *swoon*
  • Won’t ever leave out “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
  • One of the few things that I remember fondly about high school is how much I played Big Boy’s “Mis Ojos Lloran Por Ti” lol. “GIRL!”
  • JAY-Z’s “Can I Get A…” is very much played to this day. (To be honest though, the album I listen to the most from him is “The Blueprint,” which wasn’t released until 2001. And, if I’m being super honest, my favorite remains “Jay-Z Unplugged” – listening to that album just takes me back to my time at Maryland in the early 2000s. Go Terps, huh, Mari ?)
  • “Donde Quiera Que Estés” by the late, great Selena and New York’s finest, Barrio Boyzz, can’t be ignored; their voices together are just perfect.
  • To avoid making this article even longer, I’ll add just one more: “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind. Best opener ever: “I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend!”

Beyond the ‘90s: The second coming of the “Latin Music Explosion” via one Bad Bunny

The late ‘90s saw an advent of Latin artists on the English-language music scene, beginning with Ricky Martin and “The Cup of Life,” which is undoubtedly the best song for any World Cup, not just the 1998 World Cup, and I’ll never understand why FIFA just won’t keep it as its forever anthem.

Another hit by Ricky, “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” also helped usher in the tidal wave of Latin music in the latter part of the decade. For instance, there was Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailamos.” We also had Marc Anthony’s “I Need To Know.” And, last but not least, Jennifer Lopez danced from the Bronx into our hearts with “If You Had My Love,” which I still jam out to in my #VeryCoolMinivan.

With the exception of J.Lo. – who hadn’t released musica en español before dropping her first album, “On the 6” – what these artists all had in common was singing in English in efforts to make their mainstream crossover a success. A couple of years later, Shakira did that as well with her album, “Laundry Service.”

At the time, the press went on and on about this Latin Music Explosion, but for those of us who had grown up listening to most of these artists’ popular – and in many ways, much better – music in Spanish, it was like, to paraphrase my sister, Jess: “Y’all are just now seeing how awesome they are? Oh, honey.” I mean, you can’t tell me that Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever” is better than her “Inevitable.” It’s so not. Or that Ricky’s “She Bangs” is better than his “La Bomba.” It’s just not, dammit. Respectfully.

Which brings me to Benito’s arguably unprecedented crossover. The fact that Bad Bunny was able to catapult his way into global superstardom without really performing in English is truly admirable, as well as a testament to his talent and charm. Seeing him perform in Spanish on Saturday Night Live now – years after the media’s so-called Latin Music Explosion well, imploded, more or less – is just *chef’s kiss.*

Similarly, Karol G., has proven that you don’t need to do an English-language album to fully cross over, as she keeps growing in popularity worldwide, seemingly by the second. Hits like “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” and her collab with Shakira, “TQG,” are reasons enough to love this Colombian powerhouse and to embrace her as a voice to be reckoned with – after all, hay que empoderarse, chuladas!

Teenaged me: We’re listening to who now?!

One last note: Some ‘90s artists could have really benefited from today’s social media landscape, which has leveled the playing field in regards to certain songs’ rapid rise in popularity.

Instagram, for example, has allowed me to appreciate genres that I have overlooked in the past, simply by listening to snippets of songs that have gone viral on that platform. For instance, I didn’t grow up listening to Musica Regional Mexicana, but these days, thanks in large part to social media, I have a whole playlist featuring such bands as Grupo Frontera (their song, “Le Va Doler,” is my jam, y’all). Same goes for “Según Quién” by Maluma and Carin Leon, as all it took was me hearing that song on an Evettexo TikTok (through Instagram lol) for it to be on heavy rotation on my Apple Music.

Suffice it to say that teenaged me would be shocked to hear that, as she switched it up from Magneto to No Mercy on her Sony Discman. “Where do you go,” indeed ?.

Photo credit: Cori