By now it’s no secret that listening to music is get great aid to your language learning; through the strengthening of associations in your brain, just as you remember musical melodies from when you were a child, or those pesky tunes that replay over and over in your head even when you want them gone; music’s effect on language can be of the same memory boosting ability.

So let’s look at a few of the bands best suited to get you singing along in Spanish.

1. Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota — From Buenos Aires, Argentina and making it big in the 1980’s. Los Redonditos found a cult following by using lyrics infused with politics, drugs, sex and alcohol, all the while drawing heavily on the 80’s glam rock style. Pick up something from their early years, such as ‘Gulp’ or ‘Oktubre.’
2. Manu Chao – We are talking about learning Spanish here, but for anybody that’s into other languages too, Manu Chao sings not only in English and Spanish, but in French, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese! What’s more, he blends many styles together in his music, pop, salsa, reggae and more; you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something to sing along to.
3. Chavela Vargas – A Costa-Rican singer whom fled to Mexico at age 14, to involve herself in the music scene. She plays many Mexican rancheras, and been called “la voz áspera de la tenura,” ‘the rough voice of tenderness.’ Her voice has a bluesy, whisky drenched appeal to it, so I recommend singing along with a glass of your finest in one hand, and your Spanish-English dictionary in the other.
4. Charly Garcia – Another Argentine, another rocker. Considered by many as a musical genius, he has been involved in successful rock groups such as Serú Girán, but also boasts a prolific solo repertoire. He has a thing known as ‘absolute pitch,’ which is the ability to recognize a musical note without any reference note. I recommend the track Seminare.
5. Silvio Rodríguez – Cubans best folk singer who’s sometimes referred to as “Cuba’s John Lennon.” His lyrics, while often very political, are notably introspective, ambiguous and eloquent; he helped lead the ‘Nueva Trova’ music movement, which was heavily influenced by the Cuban Revolution.

There you have it, 5 rockin’ artists to get you grooving to. In case you don’t quite possess the required Spanish vocabulary to grasp what you’re singing about, check out these classes, or inquire here for more information.