Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Elia Pekica Pagon
If every summer had a name, and if that name was to be the name of the most popular song of that summer, then the summer of 2017 would surely be named, you guessed it, Despacito. There’s not a single person on the planet who has not heard the song in the last few months – on the radio, on the street, in a store, in a cosmetic or hairdresser’s salon, in a cafe or nightclub, at a neighbor’s or friend’s place, on television or online. The song and its music video easily broke all possible records for views, listening and clicks. It has stormed to the top of the charts around the world, and became the most widely-heard song in internet history, scoring billions of views on YouTube and other digital platforms.
The enormous popularity of this song made it possible for the authors, Luis Fonsi, Erika Ender and Daddy Yankee, and producers Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, to predictably earn something from it, and this is exactly what idle minds are dwelling on. Ironically, some of them are wondering when the song will vanish, while others haughtily exclaim they can’t bear to listen to the song any more. Even some columnists specializing in pop culture have focused on percentages of views of the Despacito song on the Internet, trying to use statistics to calculate the exact earnings which the amiable Luis Fonsi and other authors and producers of this summer hit made, from streaming, from downloads, from sale of various sound carriers and ringtones. The algorithm of Despacito’s is therefore reduced to numbers.
Today everything is reduced to numbers. Although we are aware of the numerical reality in which we live, we are still disappointed that in this whole story people are talking more about other peoples earnings(it is said that Despacito’s authors have so far earned over $100 million) instead of thinking about the real reason for such great popularity of this carefree, catchy song that is sung and rapped in Spanish. A song that so easily overwhelms our hearts and calls people to get closer to each other and dance. A song that inspired so many covers in so many countries of the world.
There are countless entertaining memes and parodies of Despacito, from East to West, from the Chinese and Japanese versions, over the English, Italian, German and French versions, and on to Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian, Turkish, Russian, Greek, Macedonian and all other versions in almost every language, with humorous homemade video productions and incredible video editing like the one featuring US President Donald Trump, who sings Despacito in English, or Russian President Vladimir Putin, who plays the familiar melody on the piano, or the thematic versions of this famous song by many famous performers in various music genres around the world. There’s also the inspired parody entitled El Patito, recently launched by one of the most famous children’s shows, Sesame Street, combining English and Spanish in their performance in an effort to bring people around the world closer, with their recognizable message: Spread Kindness # Share the Laughter.
Puerto Rico has also profited thanks to Despacito and its music video, which in addition to performers, great dancers and people of Puerto Rico, also features Zuleyka Rivera, the Miss Universe of Puerto Rico and the Miss Universe of the world of 2006. Today she is a famous TV host and actress. Notably, there is rising interest among tourists for Puerto Rico and the attractive locations that are featured in this most popular song of all time. Recently the media reported that the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, named Luis Fonsi as ambassador of Puerto Rican tourism, which Fonsi gladly accepted.
People are eager to get closer to other people. They are eager to dance to the swaying Latin rhythms on exotic beaches. They are eager for the sensual reggae rhythm and traditional guitars. They are eager for the simple life. They’re eager for love in a slight breeze, with the sound of waves breaking against the rocks. Walls can be destroyed very quickly, and everything is really very simple if we are able to see what the world’s powerful don’t want us to see, if we are able to hear what they don’t want us to hear, and if we are able to feel what they don’t want us to feel – closeness to other people regardless of color or language.
The solution for obstacles and walls is closer than we think. There is no great secret or mystery about what people really want. The global political scene has complicated our life with fences and walls, terrorism and new saber rattling with stupid weapons. But all it takes is to listen to the Despacito song, and give in to the appealing rhythm of the song together with the rest of the world, to realize that life is actually very simple, and amazing, and that to be on a Puerto Rican beach, enchanted by love and passion, is something far more exalted than the daily politics into which politicians, modern-day powermongers, and media loyal to them are immersing us in.
When asked about the secret of success of Despacito, Luis Fonsi told BBC, CNN and other world media that the success surprised even him, but it also woke in him the hope of a better world and a better socio-political climate than we are living in now. But he also said the song had no political connotations. He just wanted to write an excellent song. “We’re living in an interesting time right now when people want to divide us. They want to build walls. And for a song to bring people and cultures together, that’s what makes me proud,” Fonsi said.
We all know that the majority aren’t always right. Beacuse there is a lot interest in content it does not necessarily mean that that particular content is valuable or of good quality. But in the case of the Despacito, through its high figures of internet reviews and high rankings at the top of the charts, we have once again discovered the unique language spoken by all people of the world, which is the language of love.
It’s good to know that love as a brand still sells much better than the brand of universal hatred, and that the equality of all cultures and civilizations of the world is perfectly possible.