Words & Music @ the LX Halftime Show
eAccording to the U.S. Census office, by 2050, 30% percent of Americans will be Hispanic and 50% will speak Spanish, making the U.S.A. the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. It seems short-sighted to protest the performance by an Hispanic citizen in Spanish at an event that is, at the end of the day, all about the money. Investopedia says Hispanic households make 1.2 trillion and pay 305 billion in taxes. Fifteen percent of U.S. consumer spending comes from those same households. Imagine what those numbers are going to be in 2050. NFL streaming already offers simulcasts en espanol. Imagine the impact this year's Superbowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny had on that population.
Did I get your attention with the fiduciary power of Brown America?
Let's talk about a larger truth.
Sometimes we forget that indigenous America does not stop at the Navajo res lines. Yaqui, Nahua, Maya, and Lenca are among the many peoples that populated the warmer parts of this hemisphere centuries before Whitey brought horses, missions, and Western Swing. Just as we balkanize the history of people who came here or were brought here, we forget that their story is our story, too. Their music is ours to enjoy as well. What happened last night between the second and third quarters of Superbowl LX was nothing short of a gift to the American people.
Do you speak Spanish? No? Does it really matter? Pop radio has had its share of songs in Spanish over the years. Jose Feliciano's cover of Feliz Navidad is a holiday classic that often gets as much play as Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You. There are also all those versions of La Bamba floating around the airwaves for the last forty years.
This version from Playing For Change features Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, the voice of Richie Valens in the movie of the same name. Tell me this isn't gorgeous and you don't want to sing along even if you don't hablas una palabra en espanol.
Did I get your attention with the fiduciary power of Brown America?
Let's talk about a larger truth.
Sometimes we forget that indigenous America does not stop at the Navajo res lines. Yaqui, Nahua, Maya, and Lenca are among the many peoples that populated the warmer parts of this hemisphere centuries before Whitey brought horses, missions, and Western Swing. Just as we balkanize the history of people who came here or were brought here, we forget that their story is our story, too. Their music is ours to enjoy as well. What happened last night between the second and third quarters of Superbowl LX was nothing short of a gift to the American people.
Do you speak Spanish? No? Does it really matter? Pop radio has had its share of songs in Spanish over the years. Jose Feliciano's cover of Feliz Navidad is a holiday classic that often gets as much play as Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You. There are also all those versions of La Bamba floating around the airwaves for the last forty years.
This version from Playing For Change features Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, the voice of Richie Valens in the movie of the same name. Tell me this isn't gorgeous and you don't want to sing along even if you don't hablas una palabra en espanol.
Still with me? That was fun, wasn't it? Okay, you don't have to admit it. Let's try another song. This one comes from Dan Storper's excellent label, Putumayo World Music. If you want to hear more of this sort of thing, the title of the disc is Cover the World. Hang on. We're going to rap in French. It's fun. I promise.
Take a listen to this track from the 80s by Cocteau Twins.
Did you find that lovely, melodic, maybe even a little dreamy? They weren't singing a darned thing. Not one intelligible word. This Scots Goth-Rock outfit released nine albums over eighteen years. They never sang a word.
You still want good American music in clear, understanable English? Americana if I can manage it? Oh, all right.
You still want good American music in clear, understanable English? Americana if I can manage it? Oh, all right.
Header image of Brown Bunny property of NME 2026
All music videos posted here are property of their respective artists and publishers.
All music videos posted here are property of their respective artists and publishers.