Apparently Most People Don't Know What The Macarena Is Really About

Whether you were a kid in the ‘90s, or just happened to go to any wedding or DJ-hired event during the decade, chances are you’ve heard the song “Macarena”. There’s even a whole dance movement that went along with it. But while we were all screaming “Hey, Macarena. Aaay”, did anyone stop to figure out what the lyrics were actually saying outside those three words? I certainly didn’t. And since its 1994 release from the Spanish pop duo, Los del Rio, it doesn’t seem like many people have...until now.

Thanks to the folks over at Distractify, the “Macarena” has been revived, and this time to highlight what those lyrics in the catchy Spanish pop tune actually translate to. As it turns out, the song promotes a message, that maybe wasn’t all so appropriate to be playing at middle school dances. The video (which can be seen below) explains that “Macarena” was about a girl named Macarena. And Macarena was not exactly the best role model for young kids. The lyrics basically translate as a message to Macarena, telling her to give joy to her body and to do so, she should cheat on her boyfriend. One of the more eye-opening verses translates to (via Lyrics Translate):

The song continues to claim Macarena to be quite the popular women among the male variety, and even ends on her dreams of living in New York seducing a brand new boyfriend...Aaay! This may come as a total shock. And you aren’t alone. There aren’t many people who knew that this song was all about a promiscuous women. And apparently, the few who did, didn’t really bother sharing, because “Macarena” was everywhere in the ‘90s.

Maybe we’re better off just sticking to blissful ignorance. There’s no denying that “Macarena” was always one of the more fun songs to dance with. Who knows though, maybe the “Hokey Pokey” was really just some weird satanic ritual, that we all unknowingly participated in, too.