Corazón culpable: The captioned video of this beautiful bachata includes home video of a young couple dancing at party. The dance in a suggestive manner, which might surprise your students. For the culture, however, this is not an extremely scandalous dance although it is provocative. Watch beforehand to verify that the dancing is appropriate.
Diez Perritos: This well-known children’s song has a dark, dark sense of humor. Listen to it and decide if it is right for your students.
Obsesión: This compelling song is sung from the perspective of a narrator that has an obsession with a younger, high-school age girl. In addition to the theme, phrases that may make you uncomfortable in class: “él no sabe complacerte como lo haría yo”, he wants to “devorarte”, “voy a hacerte caricias que no se han inventado”… and there is some weird breathing at the end. It was a really popular song in its time and is a great example of a popular bachata rhythm.
Se me perdió la cadenita: This famous, highly danceable song has a few things to unpack. (1) The narrator says that he has lost the chain with a Christ figure that his ex-girlfriend gave to him. If you teach in a public school and are uncomfortable with any religious references, there is no way to avoid the words “Christo” and “Nazareno”. (2) He refers to his ex as his “morenita consentida”, which would probably be best translated as “spoiled sweetheart”, but I have translated it as “spoiled, dark-skinned sweetheart”. Even though a girlfriend is sometimes called “morenita” regardless of her skin color, I want to make sure that my students are aware of the literal translation to avoid awkward usage. It is similar to the way that the phrase “mi negra” is used in some countries to refer to a wife regardless of skin color.
Sofia: Dancing in the video is suggestive, please preview to make sure it is appropriate for your school.