Los Del Rio, Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 10^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” performed by Los Del Rio.

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 10^th  edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024) we dive into “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”,  the one hit wonder by Los Del Rio.

“Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena / Que tu cuerpo es pa’ darle alegría y cosa Buena / Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena / Hey Macarena! (Ay!).” Ay, indeed! Los Del Rio earned a once in a lifetime hit in 1996 with “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”.  “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” spent 14 weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, among the most dominant no. 1 hits of all time. As a child in 1996, I vividly remember how big this Latin pop song was. Everybody was doing the Macarena! Of course, this marked the sole hit for Spanish duo of Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones. Technically, Los Del Rio charted on the Billboard Hot 100 thrice.  However, all three entries have Macarena attached to their names. The main attraction, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.

While the chorus of “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” is in Spanish, the verses are written primarily in English, contrasting the original.  The first verse commences memorably with nameless female vocals: “When I dance they call me Macarena / And the boys they say ‘que estoy buena’ / They all want me, they can’t have me / So they all come and dance beside me.” Ooh-la-la! The lyrics are also sassy in the second verse, where she asserts: “Now don’t you worry about my boyfriend /… I don’t want him, can’t stand him / He was no good…” Of course, the main attraction is the chorus performed by Monge and Perdigones in all its infectious glory (excerpted earlier).  Also infectious is the instrumental. The beat is groovy AF, and the keyboards provide some decadent ear candy, at least in the context of 1990s music. No deep analysis necessary. “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” is the sugar honey iced tea approaching three decades later.

Los Del Rio // Fiesta Macarena // Serdisco // 1996

Los Del Rio, Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix): 1 Hit WONDERful No. 10 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Serdisco; Elias Souza from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]