This one will probably divide opinion. It's an old bachata classic from 1999, originally sung by Monchy and Alexandra. Bachata is a Dominican song-style, with an accompanying dance (like salsa, or merengue). It was a rural peasants' dance, which has become enormously popular in Latin America in the last 10 years thanks to the US-based bachata supergroup Aventura.
The basic steps are very simple, and is danced with the partners in close approximation: it's been said that if salsa is the embodiment of flirting, then bachata is sex. And it's probably the sexiest dance I've ever seen: watch a video if you don't believe me.... It's incredibly popular in my beloved Nicaragua, where everyone knows how to dance it, and the clubs are a seething mass of entwined bodies, windows open to the hot night air.
What I love about bachata are the gorgeous mournful tunes, and the hopelessly romantic lyrics. Most of the songs are about lost or unrequited love: I love the contrast between the sexed-up dance and the romantic lyrics.
The lyrics for this one are particularly good: it's a duet between a man who left his town looking for work, and the girl he left behind. He never told her whether he would return, but he's now come back to the town, saying he was never able to forget her, only to find that she's married someone else. The chorus is the killer:
Monchy: "Y vuela, vuela, por otro rumbo, ve y suena suena que el mundo es tuyo"
Alexandra: "Ya no puedes, volar conmigo, aunque mis suenos se iran contigo"
Monchy: "And fly, fly, on another path, go and dream that the world is yours"
Alexandra: "It's too late for you to come with me, although my dreams will go with you"
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