Listening to songs in Spanish is a fun way to practice listening skills and loosen your hips as you dance your way into fluency =)
Here’s a great song by Rubén Blades and Willie Colón. The song’s title is “Plástico” and it’s often known as “Chica Plástica”
Next, you’ll find a video where you can listen to the song as you read the lyrics, and if you struggle to understand a section of the song, you can pause the video and scroll down a little where you’ll find the song in Spanish with English translation in parenthesis so you can get unstuck and keep dancing!
Uno, dos, tres!
Here’s the first section of the lyrics in Spanish translated into English):
Ella era una chica plástica de esas que veo por ahí
(She was a plastic girl, of hose I see walking around)
De esas que cuando se agitan sudan chanel number three
(of those who sweat chanel number three when they get agitated)
Que sueñan casarse con un doctor
(That dream of marrying a doctor)
Pues él puede mantenerlas mejor
(because he can support them financially better than others)
No le hablan a nadie si no es su igual
(they don’t talk to anyone if they are not seen as an equal)
A menos que sea fulano de tal (unless it’s a certain fancy “John Doe”)
NOTE: “fulano de tal” is a way to say “a certain specific person with a specific name” like “John Doe”)
Son lindas delgadas de buen vestir
(they are pretty, thin and they like to dress well)
De mirada esquiva y falso reír
(they have an elusive gaze and they have a fake laugh)
El era un muchacho plástico de esos que veo por ahí
(He was a plastic boy, one of those I see walking around)
Con la peinilla en la mano y “cara de yo no fui”
(with a comb in his hand and a face conveying the idea of “it wasn’t me”)
De los que por tema en conversación
(Of those that as a conversation topic)
Discuten que marca de carro es mejor
(talk about what brand of car is the better)
De los que prefieren el no comer
(of those who prefer not to eat)
Por las apariencias que hay que tener
(in order to keep up appearances)
Pa andar elegantes y así poder una chica plástica recoger
(To look elegant and be able to pick up a plastic girl)
Qué fallo
(what a mistake)
Era una pareja plástica de esas que veo por ahí
(it was a plastic couple, of those I see walking around)
Él pensando solo en dinero
(him thinking only of money)
Ella en la moda en Paris
(her thinking about the fashion in Paris)
Aparentando lo que no son
(Appearing to be what they’re not)
Viviendo en un mundo de pura ilusión
(Living in a world of pure illusion)
Diciendo a su hijo de cinco años
(Telling his five year old boy)
No juegues con niños de color extraño
(Don’t play with kids of strange colors)
Ahogados en deudas para mantener
(Drowned in debt to maintain)
Su status social en boda o coctel
Their social status at weddings or cocktail parties)
Qué fallo
(What a mistake)
Era una ciudad de plástico de esas que no quiero ver
(It was a city of plastic, of those I don’t want to see)
De edificios cancerosos y un corazón de oropel
(Of cancerous buildings and a heart with a fake metallic cover that pretends to be gold)
Donde en vez de un sol amanece un dólar
(Where instead of a sun, a dollar comes up during sunrise)
Donde nadie ríe donde nadie llora
(Where nobody laughs where nobody cries)
Con gente de rostros de poliéster
(With people of polyester faces)
Que escuchan sin oír y miran sin ver
(Who hear without listening and look without seeing)
Gente que vendió por comodidad
(People who’ve sold for comfort)
Su razón de ser y su libertad
(Their reason for being alive and their freedom)
Oye latino oye hermano oye amigo
(Hey latino, listen brother, listen friend)
Nunca vendas tu destino por el oro ni la comodidad
(Don’t ever sell your destiny por gold or comfort)
Nunca descanses pues nos falta andar bastante
(Never rest because we’ve got a long way to go)
Vamos todos adelante para juntos terminar
(Let’s all keep going forward to finish together)
Con la ignorancia que nos trae sugestionados
(with the ignorance that’s got us brainwashed)
Con modelos importados que no son la solución
(with imported models / schemes that are not the solution)
No te dejes confundir
(Don’t allow yourself to be confused)
Busca el fondo y su razón
(Look for the root cause and it’s motivation)
Recuerda: se ven las caras
(Remember: you see the faces)
Pero nunca el corazón
(But you never see the heart)
Recuerda: Se ven las caras
(Remember: you see the faces)
Y jamás el corazón
(But you never see the heart)
Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, vaya,
(You see the faces, you see the faces, well)
Pero nunca el corazón
(But never the heart)
Del polvo venimos todos
(From the dust we come)
Y allí regresaremos, como dice la canción
(and to dust we’ll go back, as the song goes)
Recuerda que el plástico se derrite
(Remember, the plastic melts)
Si le da de lleno el sol
(If it’s hit directly by the sun)
Estudia, trabaja, sé gente primero
(Study, work, be a real person first)
Allí está la salvación
(That’s where salvation is)
Pero que mira, mira, no te dejes confundir
(But look, look, don’t let yourself be confused)
Busca el fondo y su razón
(Look for the root cause and its motivation)
Padelante (para adelante), Padelante, Padelante, Padelante, Padelante
(Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going)
Y así seguiremos unidos, y al final venceremos
And we’ll remain together, and in the end we’ll win
[Se ven las caras…]
(You see the faces….)
Pero señoras y señores, en medio del plástico
(But ladies and gentleman, among the plastic)
También se ven las caras de esperanza
(You can also see faces of hope)
Se ven las caras orgullosas
(You can see proud faces)
Que trabajan por una Latinoamerica unida
(that work for a united Latin America)
Y por un mañana de esperanza y de libertad
(and for a future of hope and freedom)
Se ven las caras de trabajo y de sudor
(you see the faces of work and sweat)
De gente de carne y hueso que no se vendió
(of real people made of flesh and bone who didn’t sell out)
De gente trabajando, buscando el nuevo camino
(of people working, looking for a new way)
Orgullosa de su herencia y de ser latino
(Proud of their heritage and of being Latino)
De una raza unida, la que Bolívar soñó.
(Of a united race, the one Bolivar dreamt of)
¡Siembra!
( sow / plant something / invest in the future)