Amarraditos is the diminutive form of amarrados, meaning "tied together" or "bound". The diminutive suffix "-itos" adds a sense of tenderness and intimacy, making it sound like "snuggled up" or "tightly embraced".
In the song, Ricky Martin sings, "Los dos amarraditos, tan cerca, tan solitos," which paints a sweet picture of two lovers intimately close, almost as if they are gently tied together by their affection. It's a charming and evocative word that captures the romantic essence of the lyrics.
Ricky Martin turns a party into a pickup line here. He opens by welcoming the room — "Hey bienvenidas, que suenen esas palmas por ser mis amigas" [Hey, welcome, let those hands clap for being my friends] — and admits straight away why he's there: "vengo con ganas de querer" [I've come wanting to fall in love], on the hunt for "un corazón que lata bien" [a heart that beats right].
Nothing here is subtle. He wants to dance salsa and Rock and Roll, land "los dos amarraditos, tan cerca, tan solitos" [the two of us tied together, so close, so alone], and get to the kissing — "los besos y abrazos van después" [the kisses and hugs come after] — as fast as the beat allows. It's a song built for the two minutes before you actually talk to someone, not the years after.
Ricky Martin was turned down by Menudo twice for being too short. The third audition worked, and in 1984 Enrique Martín Morales joined the Puerto Rican boy band at twelve, staying past his age-mandated retirement until July 1989. Two solo ballad albums followed, Ricky Martin (1991) and Me Amarás (1993), before he changed direction.
A Medio Vivir (1995) carried "María", his first hit well beyond Latin America, and Vuelve (1998) carried "La Copa de la Vida", the official song of that year's World Cup in France. He sang it at the 1999 Grammy Awards, where Vuelve took Best Latin Pop Performance, and that spring "Livin' la Vida Loca" spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as the lead single from his first English-language album. He has gone on recording in Spanish throughout: Almas del Silencio (2003), and A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015), which won Best Latin Pop Album. He came out publicly in 2010, and his foundation campaigns against human trafficking.