25 years after its release, the 'Macarena' still gets people dancing

FEW songs are as easily recognizable as "Macarena." Los Del Río's hit song continues to get people dancing, even more than two decades after its release. A look back at one of the most emblematic songs of the 20th century.

To this day Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones still struggle to put words to the worldwide success that "Macarena" brought them, even 25 years after its release in the United States. It must be said that there was nothing in particular about how the song came about that hinted that it would become one of the most popular hits of the 20th century. Antonio Romero Monge, now 73, was at a party in Caracas, Venezuela, when a dancer inspired him to write the lyrics "Dale alegria a tu cuerpo" ("Give joy to your body" in English). Thirty minutes later, the Spanish singer-songwriter had composed what was set to become Los Del Rio's biggest hit.

From Bayside Boys to TikTok

While Los Del Río first released the song "Macarena" in 1993 with the album "A mí me gusta," it was the 1995 Bayside Boys Remix (which added some English lyrics) that really made this party anthem take off in music charts around the world. It reached number one in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the United States and, of course, in the duo's native Spain. Many other covers have followed over the years, making "Macarena" enter the pantheon of popular song.

"To my knowledge, there are more than 5,000 different covers of 'Macarena.' Versions in French, Filipino and, most recently, one in English with rapper Tyga. That's what 'Macarena' is. It's a song that goes beyond us, and it's not going to die with us. Children are still singing 'dale a tu cuerpo alegria, Macarena' today. They weren't even born when the song came out," says Rafael Ruiz Perdigones.

Some of them even turn to TikTok to discuss the lyrics they danced to during their childhood with other music fans. That's the case of TikToker @peakay81, who recently expressed his shock at the suggestive lyrics of "Macarena." And he doesn't seem to be the only one, as his video has been viewed more than 1.8 million times to date.

"When you write a song, you do it with the belief that it will become very popular and many people will listen to it. And that it will touch the hearts of the whole world. When you write a song, you always do it with this idea in mind. But you never imagine that it can actually happen, and that your song is going to become one of the most listened-to songs of the last 25 years," he says.