Hechiza comes from the verb hechizar, which means 'to bewitch' or 'to cast a spell on'. It's a word straight out of a fairy tale, used to describe an irresistible, magical charm.
In the song, Elvis Crespo sings, "Esa sonrisa es la que a mi me hechiza" (That smile is the one that bewitches me). He's not just saying the smile is beautiful; he's saying it has a magical power over him that he can't resist. This poetic word perfectly captures the feeling of being completely enchanted by someone.
Puerto Rican singer Elvis Crespo brings pure merengue joy to life in this track, and he is obsessed with one detail: a person's smile. From the opening beat, he cannot stop repeating "Algo en tu cara me fascina, algo en tu cara me da vida / ÂżSerá tu sonrisa?" ("Something on your face fascinates me, something on your face gives me life / Could it be your smile?"). It is playful, shamelessly direct, and completely swept up in the sight of someone looking happy. He even admits that her expression gives him goosebumps, singing "Cuando tĂş sonrĂes, la piel se me eriza" ("When you smile, my skin gets goosebumps").
Beyond just admiring her, he practically begs her to keep that grin on her face. Lines like "SonrĂe mi bonita no te me pongas triste" ("Smile my pretty girl, don't get sad on me") and "No te me pongas seria que me desanimas" ("Don't get serious on me because it discourages me") show how her mood dictates his whole world. He even compares her to an angel whenever she smiles ("Te ves como un ángel con tu linda sonrisa" ["You look like an angel with your pretty smile"]). Mid-track, he tosses in classic high-energy dance shouts like "RĂ©malo suavecito, y que no se hunda" ("Row it softly, and don't let it sink"), treating the dance floor like a boat you have to keep steady while you move.
Elvis Crespo was named after Elvis Presley, born in New York City in 1971 and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He spent the mid-1990s singing with Grupo ManĂa, where he wrote "Linda Eh" for them, and left in 1997 to make his own record.
That record was Suavemente, and its title track held number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks for six weeks in 1998, only the second merengue song ever to top that chart. "Tu Sonrisa" went to number one after it, and the album has sold over four million copies. The follow-up, PĂntame, won the first Grammy for Best Merengue Performance in 2000, and SaborĂ©alo took the Latin Grammy for Best Merengue Album in 2005. He kept the pace up on Wow Flash! and RegresĂł el Jefe, and in 2016 his voice carried Deorro's merengue-house track "Bailar" to the top of the US Tropical chart.