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Based on the answer given to my other question, I'd like to know if it's common to have completely nonsensical lyrics in Spanish music. I know English music has some ridiculous lyrics, but generally popular music tends to stay decipherable. But while trying to translate Sharkira's Rabiosa (YouTube link), I was completely lost. Reading a forum posting, it looks like the song is confusing for everyone.

My question: is this a style or genre in Spanish music, is the song actually decipherable, or is this just one case of a gibberish song?

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    Many English songs are completely confusing or nonsensical as well. If you don't believe me, just ask The Walrus.
    – Flimzy
    Commented Jan 1, 2012 at 2:10
  • Pop songs are all full of gibberish lyrics. People don't care. A lot of times it's just the rhythm and music that matters to them.
    – xji
    Commented Sep 17, 2016 at 7:03

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I wouldn't say nonsensical lyrics, but at least they make some grammatical sense, and may not make much sense in the semantic aspect.

But after all, song lyrics are a form of poetry, and I've seen poem verses that are just enumerations of nouns or adjectives, so it's not strange that some lyrics take also some liberties from the language.

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Shakira is known for having songs that are impossible to understand. I remember some comedy shows where they joked about how she might need a translator wherever she speaks to translate from "Shakirian" to Spanish.

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