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 merengue king Elvis Crespo has one thing on his mind in this song, and it's a smile! He's completely captivated by someone and spends the whole track trying to figure out why. He keeps asking, "Algo en tu cara me fascina... ÂżSerá tu sonrisa?" (Something in your face fascinates me... Could it be your smile?). This isn't just a casual compliment; he says her smile literally gives him life and has a powerful physical effect on him, admitting, "Cuando tu sonrĂes, la piel se me eriza" (When you smile, I get goosebumps).
This song is also a direct plea for happiness. He begs her not to be sad, telling her, "No te me pongas seria que me desanimas" (Don't get serious on me, you bring me down). He sees her as an angel when she's happy and wants to protect that expression. It's a simple, joyful, and incredibly catchy song about how one person's smile can be the most important thing in the world to someone else.
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.