100 songs to learn Spanish

As a Portuguese person who studied English from childhood, I can say that, during the process of acclimation and language learning, music and cinema have always greatly aided in expanding my vocabulary and honing my ear to hear the natural way of speaking Portuguese. That’s why, through this humble blog, we want to offer all Portuguese speakers the possibility of learning Spanish through music, thanks to our playlist of 100 songs by artists who know how to vocalize to be understood without the need for lyrics right beside.

The main idea of this playlist is to provide 100 songs to learn Spanish the language without requiring a lot of prior knowledge of the language. It’s said that it’s easier for a Portuguese speaker to learn Spanish than for a Spanish speaker to learn Portuguese. I’m not sure how true that is, but we have commonalities that can help us from both sides. However, be careful with mixing languages; many beginners have turned “Portuñol” into an art form, which is not recommended. It’s better to take it slowly and complement listening to Spanish music with lessons and books. Everything adds up in this journey.

So, we can only wish you good luck and lots of motivation in your learning journey. I hope the Spotify playlist I created with 100 Spanish songs for learning Spanish helps you maintain your interest. And remember, apart from trying to follow a progression in terms of difficulty in the playlist order, we also wanted you to start with Spanish songs that are a bit more well-known internationally. Because, if I recall something from friends from other countries, it’s how it was usual to hear the band Héroes Del Silencio. Were we many Spaniards there? All thankful for the hospitality. Is this my way of repaying gratitude? It could be. Good work!

Learn Spanish with music: 100 songs to learn Spanish

Well, as you can see, as I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, here’s the Spotify playlist with lyrics for training Spanish that starts with Spanish music for beginners and gradually progresses to slightly more complex levels, designed for experts. In reality, all the songs are part of the same process. It’s a journey of almost 7 hours, and we wanted to highlight what we consider the best Spanish music for learning, including in this entry a top list that can also help you in case of doubts about the playlist.

Mediterráneo, by Joan Manuel Serrat

Besides being considered the best Spanish song in history according to a poll conducted a few years ago, the song “Mediterráneo” by Serrat stands out for the good vocalization of the Catalan singer and songwriter. Therefore, we believe it’s perfect as Spanish music for beginners.

Even though Portugal or Brazil don’t have access to the Mediterranean Sea from their borders, surely you’ll feel represented by the words Serrat presents here. Because we all enjoy the good life and because, although they’re different seas, many inhabitants grew up playing on their beaches, painting their long winter nights blue, with a deep and dark soul.

Entre Dos Tierras, by Héroes Del Silencio

As we practically said at the beginning of this article, we couldn’t ignore the presence of Héroes del Silencio. The band led by Enrique Bunbury triumphed far beyond Spanish borders. Besides the Spanish-speaking Latin American market, they also reached Germany or Portugal, even making their way to the former Yugoslavia as it started breaking into multiple countries, like Slovenia, where one morning the radio woke me up with the first chords of “Entre Dos Tierras.”

Who would’ve told them they’d be far beyond two lands during the duration of their career before they disbanded? Enjoy the power of musical lyrics, which say things like: “Let me, it’s not my fault to see you fall. You’re between two lands and you’re not leaving air to breathe.”

Como Una Ola, by Rocío Jurado

Known and remembered in Spain as “La Más Grande,” Rocío Jurado was a vocal and stage wonder. A good example of that is the song “Como Una Ola,” which, besides being perfect for representing Spanish music for learning to speak the language, its love lyrics, combined with the musical style used for interpretation, made her the last great star of Spanish “copla,” a genre largely forgotten in Spain, despite being quite similar to Portuguese fado in Portugal, though with logical differences, of course.

A Quién Le Importa, by Alaska Y Dinarama

But since we want to give a clear example of everything you can find in the list, first highlighting easy songs to learn Spanish, it’s now time to talk about an 80s classic. It’s Alaska Y Dinarama. The Mexican based in Spain joined various young punk and new wave enthusiasts to create their own version of these genres. Here, this movement was called “La Movida Madrileña,” although it also existed in other communities in the country, notably “La Movida Gallega,” for instance.

The fact is that in “A Quién Le Importa,” the vocal clarity is high, so we can’t help but recommend you enjoy it. If you hadn’t heard of her until now, think of Alaska as what Kate Bush was for many people back in the 80s. New sounds from abroad, but perfectly adapted to the idiosyncrasies of the country where they were actually showcased.

Azul, by Elefantes

In fifth place, we’re talking about “Azul,” the biggest hit by Elefantes. This group, unknown to the general public until then, arrived on this occasion accompanied by the aforementioned Bunbury, who sang the chorus and an occasional detached piece with them. Of course, despite having lyrics that are easy to understand and well-vocalized, it was the music video that attracted more people to keep listening to this song. It was the time of the highest MTV interest in Spain, and the fact that you made good videos gave much more visibility to anything.

Escuela De Calor, by Radio Futura

We close our selection of the best songs for learning Spanish with “Escuela De Calor,” one of the biggest hits by Rádio Futura. As you can see, apart from including easy-to-understand songs, we also wanted you to have some fun. We know that the Portuguese have a certain international reputation for being melancholic, but between some sad or love songs like Jurado’s, we also wanted to entertain you. Here, returning to “La Movida Madrileña,” but with a group we like much more, if possible.

Alphabet song in Spanish

Since the alphabet song in Spanish is a theme that has been conceived to make it easier for children to learn the 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet, it is logical to include a final section to talk about it and offer some option to start learning Spanish.

As I said at the beginning of the article, music and harmony help the little ones to remember letters and words and make it easier to memorize them. Therefore, I hope that this musical supplement will facilitate language learning for students of any age.