Wow! The last week has been kind of a blur! What day is it, again? Oh, that’s right – it’s Monday! I’ll fill you in on the whirlwind week tomorrow, but for today, let’s soak up some tunes, since Monday means music! This week is a freebie, so grab your favorite tune and dance along with us, won’t you? Let’s do this!

Let’s start with a tune that surely will have you dancing right off the bat! It’s a Latin pop/reggaetón song that was penned by this artist with the intention of creating a fun tune that would make people want to dance. He was quoted as saying:

“The song grew in a very natural way, it really snowballed into this final version. [The song] started with a melody hook that I had with my guitar only. The beat for this track came after I wrote the lyrics, which I wrote as if I was writing a ballad. I sat with my guitar and started this cumbia pattern with my guitar.

After we wrote it, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave it as a cumbia/pop song or to give it this urban injection. I also don’t consider it a reggaetón song but it does have that reggaetón energy and to me that’s the new pop. A mix between a pop melody and a subtle urban beat to create the best of both worlds.”

“The video was filmed in Puerto Rico, where I’m from, and it celebrates our Latin culture and who we are; movement, dancing and rhythm are engraved in my bones. The genre I listen to the most is salsa, so people look at me and see this guy who’s done mostly romantic ballads, but there’s always been this other side. It captures the best of both worlds, and I think that’s helped the success of the song.”

This was the first ever Spanish Language song to spend ten consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Global Spotify Chart. This was also the first time in 21 years that a primarily Spanish-language song topped the Hot 100. The previous one to do so was Los Del Rio’s “Macarena,” which spent 14 weeks on the summit in 1996.

I can’t understand a word they’re singing, but it’s sure fun to dance to! Here’s the hot hot hot Luis Fonsi, along with Daddy Yankee with “Despacito”:

Edited to add: oops! I had the wrong video – that was the Justin Bieber version (below), so here’s the ‘right’ one:

And here’s the partial English version that was remixed by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and featuring Justin Bieber (I’m not a fan, but I have to admit, he does a great job on this) with “Despacito”:

Next up is a new song from this artist – first new one since 2015. On this one she collaborates with a Norwegian DJ. The song finds the artist having lost patience with her lover staying out drinking all night.

Who’s gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning? / Who’s gonna rock you when the sun won’t let you sleep? / Who’s waking up to drive you home when you’re drunk and all alone? / Who’s gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning? / It ain’t me.

Give a listen to Selena Gomez and Kygo with “It Ain’t Me”:

Next up is a new (to me) artist whose debut album was released last year. This particular song caught my ear when he was a guest on The Bachelorette (yes, one of my guilty pleasures) and sang this song. Of course I had to hunt him down – er, um, I mean the song – and share with you.

The song was written long before he found success as a singer-songwriter, it was inspired by his relationship with and love for his wife Kailey, This song is an honest glimpse into how he really feels about his adoring spouse. 

He describes the song in his own words best:

“I wrote it with two great friends of mine from Belmont College. We just wanted to write a true, honest love song. I had the idea, called “Yours”: I was this before, but now I’m yours. [My co-writers have] seen my relationship [with my wife] from Day 1, so I think that’s why it was so cool and so real and so, just, raw, and it just connects. It’s like, “Hey, I sucked before I met you. I was an a-hole, but you make me a better man.”

We were already married [when I wrote it]. I wish I had it to sing at our wedding. I get so many wedding invites that I wish we could have sung it at mine.

[For the music video], I had my SUV, the hatch opened in the back, and [my wife] was sitting in there with the tripod and the camera. The car was driving, and I was walking behind the car. We were just shooting test footage … I [had envisioned] a guy walking down the road and singing to the camera. But then this giant storm rolled in.

We weren’t like, “Oh, weather forecast is storm. Let’s go chase.” I mean, literally, we got out there, and we thought, “That’s a really dark cloud,” and it was moving perfectly in the background, and then the lightning flashed right behind my head. It gives me chills just talking about it.

All of it is real. And then, we got five or six takes of pre-storm, and then it just unloaded and we just kept going, kept going, kept going.”

Get ready for some goosebumps, here’s Russell Dickerson with “Yours”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a song both myself and Princess Nagger have been cranking up every time it comes on the radio. Throughout his life, this group’s front-man has struggled with depression, along with ADD, anxiety issues and a chronic inflammatory condition called ankylosing spondylitis. For this, the first song from the band’s third album, he sings about dealing with his emotional problems.

Singing from heart ache from the pain / Take up my message from the veins / Speaking my lesson from the brain / Seeing the beauty through the… pain!

He was quoted as saying:

“This last year has really been the most centered and positive of my life. This song explains my realization that the emotional pain I faced the last few years actually helped me progress to this healthier mental space – that adversity truly is what helps you become a believer in yourself.”

He expanded on the track’s background:

“The meaning of the song is really reflecting on specific things in my life that were painful. Whether it was anxiety and dealing with crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease, going through depression – anything that was a source of pain in my life. And just rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be appreciative of the pain in my life and make it my greatest strength.”

Without further ado, here’s the inimitable Imagine Dragons with “Believer”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! 

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   PhotobucketI have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, Callie from JAmericanSpice, and our awesome friend Cathy, from Curious as a Cathy has returned full force as a co-host.

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!



9 Comments

  1. No, i don’t understand most of what they are singing, either, without translation. It’s amazing how little i still know of Spanish in spite of studying it for a long time.

    Great choices!

  2. Stacy,

    I think I blinked coz June is just about over. Can you tell me how to keep from blinking? 🙂 I love all of your new-to-me tunes, especially your first pick – Despacito. Both versions was good but I may the Spanish rendition the best. Thanks for the intro, my friend. Have a songtastic day!

  3. Wonderful songs! Thank you for the introduction to Mr Dickerson. He is a beautiful man with a beautiful voice. This was a great way to start off my week.

  4. I realize I had to get caught up on this despacito music. haha. I just realize it was a topic and I was clueless. Thanks for sharing and making it known to me 🙂
    Love your selections, Stacy.
    So nice to dance with you!

  5. Girlfriend, you have rocked the house once again! Thanks for all the introductions to some great songs. YOU DEFINITELY ROCK! BIG HUGS

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