10 Songs That Don't Mean What You Think
7. Macarena (Los Del Rio)
What You Think It Means: A ritual excuse to pretend it's the mid-90s all over again and shake thine booty like you're on the school dance floor wearing jelly sandals. 'Macarena' has a lazy pulse to it that can't fail to get people's heads nodding and their feet tapping. It's a simple love-struck pop song, and nothing more.
What It's Actually About: Incredibly, the Los Del Rio hit has way more in common with the lives of the young people who were dancing away to it in the 90s than most would suspect. When the lyrics were translated from Spanish to English for worldwide release, those who took the time to study them found some eye-opening words.
Check this out.
"Macarena has a boyfriend (who is named) with the last name Vitorino, and while he was being sworn in as a conscript she's giving it to two friends".
What does that mean? Well, it means the titular girl Macarena was cheating on her solider boyfriend with two other dudes while he was away fighting in the army. Gives the whole tune a different atmosphere, doesn't it?