Back to school season is now officially among us. Yes, public transportation is once again sardine-packed in the mornings, your favorite snacks in the delis may be gone by the time you get there, and it’s probably about that time to freshen up that music playlist you’ve been listening to all summer. Though school for many may not be the most pleasant: pop chick drops out because she’s bullied, and mass student mobilizations and riots are among the news outlets. Despite the good, the bad, and the ugly, school can mean so many things to so many different people around the globe.
The following 10-track compilation offers a good-humored listening upon your return to the ol’ escuela (or even if you’re not but just wanna hear some fun music). Songs are either old school kiddie tunes (like #10), songs about rebelling against the institution (#6), schools of thought (#1), college (and elementary?) sweethearts and crushes (#9 & #3), and alerting your fellow classmates there’s a bomb on your campus (#8). Of couse, there are tons more out there, but these are our top 10. Enjoy your recess, kids!
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10. “Twist del Colegio”
by Parchís
[Spain]
Before Timbiriche, before Menudo, before La Onda Vaselina, there was Parchís. Most of you kids might be too young to remember them, but in the early ’80s this quintet had a humongous impact in several Latin American countries, and of course in their homeland España, which set the base for all other created-for-TV children bands that came after. Their whole repertoire is packed in hilarious kitsch and bizarreness with songs like this one, suggesting that everybody in school, including the teachers, were taken over by the twist dance craze… twenty years too late. OK, maybe there was a twist revival going on in the ’80s, remember that Fat Boys collaboration with Chubby Checker? Oh, right, I forgot you were not even born. — JD
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09. “La de la mochila azul”
by Pedrito Fernandez
[Mexico]
Pedrito Fernandez was Mexico’s estuche de monerías child star singer/actor. You can’t help but ‘aaww’ at him every time you even look at this flick proudly wearing a big ol’ smile, and probably charming the old ladies with his missing front teeth. In 1979, Pedrito debuted La de la mochila azul, where his first single below also appeared. In this ranchera, this little guy obsesses over a classmate ‘with the sleepy eyes’ and cannot focus on his school work. I can’t help but aaww again. Our little Pedrito grew up to be one of Mexico’s important ranchera composers and singers of his generation. — IR
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08. “Hay una bomba en el colegio”
by Attaque 77
[Argentina]
Even though they’d eventually evolve into their own style and aesthetics, back when they started in the ’80s, Attaque 77 were simply an Argentine tribute band to The Ramones. And if The Ramones had their “Rock-n-Roll Highschool,” Attaque had to have their own high-school musical: “Hay una bomba en el colegio.” “There’s a bomb in the school, let’s get naked and fuck” is pretty much the whole message behind this early, utterly naive, punk en español classic. — JD
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07. “No me hallo”
by El Personal
[Mexico]
El Personal helped fuse rock en tu idioma, in a blithely yet haunting way. Lyrically, the group subjected themselves towards lots of debauchery and self indulgence in a sarcastic and ironic manner. Musically, and rising at the same time, the Guadalajara-based band paralleled with the sounds of their contemporaries like Caifanes and Maldita, but their expression made them unlike any other from their time. “No he hallo” off their 1988 debut, will perhaps encapsulate their personas. The song’s about not finding their purpose in life, neither through school, classes, work, drugs, etc. As quickly as they came to fame, these guys also burnt out like fire, most of them dying of AIDS and overdoses. — IR
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06. “La Guitarra”
by Los Auténticos Decadentes
[Argentina]
“I don’t wanna study, I don’t wanna work, I don’t wanna get married, I just wanna play my guitar day and night,” said Los Auténticos Decadentes in this immortal anthem to youth rebellion and self indulgence adopted as a credo by kids all over the continent since the mid-’90s. The lyrics were written by Jorge Serrano who had earlier penned the equally iconic andean-cumbia-punk “Gente que no” for Todos Tus Muertos, in which they sing “there’s people that tells you that you have to work, people that tells you that you have to study…” As you can see it’s kind of a recurring theme in his repertoire. — JD
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05. “Las Piedras Rodantes”
by El Tri
[Mexico]
The iconic band El Tri may be one of Mexico’s longest living rock bands around today (yes, this is pretty rare, well besides Santana) since the Mexican version of Woodstock, Avándaro took place in 1971. Though, back the group was called Three Souls in my Mind. Among the dozens of hits El Tri has released, “Las Piedras Rodantes” is definitely a national ode to vagabond and youth culture. The song talks about two rolling stone-like old friends who cross paths again after attending the same school. Lead singer Alex Lora reminisces how they were in their younger school days. — IR
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04. “El Estudiante”
by Los Twist
[Argentina]
Most Latinos are familiar with Argentina’s ’80s pop-rock thanks to the continental success of bands like Soda Stereo and Enanitos Verdes. Few outside Argentina, however, know of Los Twist who back in their country are considered one of the most epitomizing bands of that decade. Lead by weirdo/comedian Pipo Cipolatti, Los Twist left behind a remarkable number of party anthems, one of the most iconic ones being “El Estudiante,” an ironic ode to the good straight-A, teacher’s pet, students. — JD
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03. “Dos Imanes”
by Hombres G
[Spain]
So it is, Hombres G makes our list again… three times in a row! First it was with their breakup tune, then they made it with their song about boozing, and now it’s about their two- classmates-in-love track. This was not premeditated, but the Spanish group seriously has a track about any ‘listable’ subject faves of ours. “Dos Imanes” is off their 1986 sophomore album La cagaste…Burt Lancaster. The song sort of vibes in a similar spirit to the White Stripes’ “We’re going to be friends,” despite the college/elementary age difference. Guys, really, it somehow does. “Dos Imanes,” meaning two magnets, is about reminiscing the college days with the sweetheart, and going though those old text books and finding heart-around-name doodles scribbled all over them. — IR
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02. “Colegiala”
by Los Ilusionistas
[Peru]
Everybody knows this one. It’s one of the most popular cumbias ever, covered by an infinite list of artists across the continent. What few know is that the original version was a Peruvian chicha penned by Walter León of Los Ilusionistas in the ’70s. A popular coffee brand in Colombia made it its theme song for TV commercials in the ’80s and after conquering Colombia the next obvious step was Mexico where it’s one of the most beloved songs by the cumbieros thanks to covers by La Sonora Dinamita and pseudo-rapper Caló. Now, has anybody stopped to think about the actual message of a song? It’s about a grown-up man perving over a teenage school girl who walks by him every day on her way to class. That would certainly offend many PC advocates in this day and age. — JD
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01. “Escuela de Calor”
by Radio Futura
[Spain]
As of now, we’ve introduced to y’all our top tracks about school related stuff, in its “traditional” sense. Most other tunes deal with the drama, the nostalgia, the dislike, the experience, and what not. Well, this tune gives the escuela a little twist. Spain-based Radio Futura‘s “Escuela de calor” is your unconventional school — it’s about learning how to get pick up the chico/as. Well, come on! What else can you interpret from, “It takes courage, come to the school of heat, I know what I need to get, for you to be crazy about me….she flies over dangers because she learned from the school of heat.” Picture it as you may…. — IR
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Don’t agree and feel we missed a tune about school stuff? Sound off in the comments board below and let us know who we forgot to mention. Tell us your favorite too!