Sajit posted earlier about a remarkable Spanish-Hindi fusion track called ‘Mírame’ (Look at Me). It’s by Daddy Yankee, who sings reggaeton, a popular genre of Latino hip-hop:
Daddy Yankee is reggaeton’s biggest crossover contender: He has already rhymed alongside Nas, Lil Jon and Terror Squad, and his brassy, slogan-strewn flow suggests both a quick-tongued thug and a Latin crunkster.
This pounding reggaeton song leads off with ‘Eli Re Eli’ from Yaadein, covered by Hindi singer Deevani. But not only is this a rare Hindi-Spanish mix, Deevani also sings in Spanish. Well.
The song innovates on several levels by merging similar sounds rather than contrasting ones. A lot of desi fusion has a low hip-hop beat, bass-heavy and distinct from a high-pitched tumbi or bhangra track which soars above. But in this song, the male reggaetonero is almost higher-pitched than the female Hindi singer. Which, to state the obvious, is insane. It’s playing chicken by shriekiness.
Desi remixes often use a smooth-voiced rapper or reggae artist; the rough edges are provided by the Hindi/Punjabi singer. In this song, the roles are flipped. Daddy Yankee’s style is aggressive and cants forward against the honey-voiced Hindi singer.
Remixes usually highlight the differences in pronunciation between the German-influenced English, with its hard, aspirated consonants, and the much softer Hindi/Punjabi. But in this track, Spanish and Hindi flow seamlessly into one another. It’s the same reason why Spanish teachers would always go nuts over desi kids’ Spanish accents. Years of trying to teach a soft language to American kids left them putty in my Hindi-speaking hands.
Remixes often mock the foreignness of the tweeter track. ‘Indian Flute’ by Timbaland & Magoo with Raje Shwari says, ‘Sing it to me, but I can’t understand a word you’re sayin’.’ ‘Rock The Party’ by Bombay Rockers says, ‘I don’t know what you’re sayin’, all I know’s that I came to party.’ But this song doesn’t take the easy out. Deevani sings in Spanish and pulls it off respectably.
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Hindi: Eli re eli Mere angraiyon Spanish: Mírame, mírame Me siento tan sola |
Friend, oh friend My stretching arms Look at me, look at me I feel so alone |
Lest we die from the preciousness of all this cross-cultural harmony, the lyrics also include a tasteless tsunami reference:
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Spanish: Tu acento es de la India? |
Your accent is from India? |
But this is still a singular single. It’s far more interesting than many of the rap songs lifting Bollywood melodies. I’ve heard some great Arabic-Hindi mixes (‘Kaho Na Kaho’ from Murder, and of course all the ‘Habibi’ mixes). I’ve also heard some excellent Arabic-Spanish mixes, such as ‘Salsa and Arabic Rai’ by Cheb Faudel and Yur, because of proximity, Moorish history, Shakira’s ancestry and spillover from the French Algerian scene. But I haven’t heard many Spanish-Hindi mashups. And I’m infamous for mixing those styles on the salsa floor :)
By the way, the melody from ‘Eli Re Eli’ sounds Tamil in origin. If I’m correct, it’s the usual Bollywood elision — Tamil songs redone in Hindi, and largely Hindi dialogue with bastardized idioms sprinkled in from a regional language.
Check out the Daddy Yankee album, Más Flow 2, here.
