Learn Spanish With Manuel Medrano with these 21 Song Recommendations (Full Translations Included!)

Manuel Medrano
LF Content Team | Updated on 2 February 2023
Learning Spanish with Manuel Medrano's music is fun, engaging, and includes a cultural aspect that is often missing from other language learning methods. It is also great way to supplement your learning and stay motivated to keep learning Spanish!
Below are 21 song recommendations by Manuel Medrano to get you started! Alongside each recommendation, you will find a snippet of the lyric translations with links to the full lyric translations and lessons for each of the songs!

Manuel Medrano is a talented Colombian singer, songwriter, and musician born in Cartagena in 1987. Starting his musical journey with a guitar he received as a consequence of failing a school year, Manuel began writing songs at the age of 16, blending romantic melodies with diverse Latin American influences.

Since his breakthrough with hits like "Afuera del planeta" and the viral "Bajo el agua," Manuel’s soulful pop music has captivated audiences across Colombia and beyond. Signed to Warner Music, he won two Latin Grammy Awards in 2016, including Best New Artist and Best Singer-Songwriter Album, confirming his place among Latin America’s most enchanting voices.

CONTENTS SUMMARY
Bajo El Agua (Underwater)
Quiero volar contigo
Muy alto en algún lugar
Quisiera estar contigo
Viendo las estrellas sobre el mar
I want to fly with you
Very high in some place
I would like to be with you
Watching the stars over the sea

This song by Colombian artist Manuel Medrano is a massive, heartfelt declaration of love. The singer starts by describing his life before meeting this special person: he was wandering the world "solo y sin amigos" (alone and without friends), going in circles with no purpose. But then, everything changed. This new person gave him "mucha más vida que el vino" (much more life than wine) and a reason to live.

Now, he's ready to make it official. He wants to "decirle al mundo que no somos amigos" (tell the world that we are not friends) and is moving forward with the "fuerza de un submarino" (strength of a submarine) to win her over completely. The whole song is a beautiful fantasy of escaping together, finding a new path, and watching the stars over the sea. It's about that moment when someone walks into your life and suddenly everything makes sense.

La Distancia (The Distance)
No me acordaba de lo rico que era tocar tu piel
De lo bien que se sentía abrazarte
Todo lo que me decías al mirarme
Y como tus manos sacudían todos esos problemas de mí
I didn't remember how good it was to touch your skin
How good it felt to hug you
Everything that you told me when looking at me
And how your hands shook all those problems off me

This song by Colombian artist Manuel Medrano is a beautiful, bittersweet look back at a past relationship. He starts by remembering all the little physical details he'd almost forgotten, like how good it felt to touch her skin and how her hands could make him forget "lo cruel que era el mundo" [how cruel the world was]. It's clear they aren't together anymore, as he remembers her kisses "aunque ya no estés aquí" [even though you're not here anymore].

But this isn't just a sad song about a breakup. It's full of hope. He begs her, "Ojalá que nunca se te olvide" [I hope you never forget] about their plan to meet again. He believes that the time and space between them, "la distancia" [the distance], will actually heal the hurt they caused each other. He's holding on to the idea that one day they'll look at each other again and know that their connection was too strong to ever really end.

Mojado (Wet)
Volví a empezar
Cogí mis maletas y me fui para el mar
A nada
A nada
I started over
I grabbed my suitcases and I went to the sea
For nothing
For nothing

Mojado paints the picture of a restless soul who grabs his suitcase and dives, quite literally, into the sea in search of a fresh start. Surrounded by mythical sirens and guarded tritons, the narrator becomes a curious hybrid: a man-fish who can breathe “afuera y adentro del mar”. This super-powerful image highlights his determination to live outside the rules, swim against the current, and carry nothing but “energía positiva.” Yet, the ocean also exposes his flaws. Branded dangerous, foolish and merciless, he realizes that breaking free from land does not free him from himself.

As the waves crash, so do his certainties. Running out of air, water and time, he understands that what truly sustained him was the love he left behind. The song’s chorus echoes both his resilience and his regret, turning “todo mojado” into a metaphor for being soaked in emotion, guilt and longing. By the end, the sea has washed away his bravado, leaving him face to face with God and begging forgiveness. Manuel Medrano uses this aquatic adventure to remind us that self-discovery often starts when we dare to leave, but it finds its depth when we admit what we have lost along the way.

Luna (Moon)
Despacio
Sin ruido
Sigo los sonidos de tus pasos con los míos
Y me siento en el vacío
Slowly
without noise
I follow the sounds of your steps with mine
and I feel in the void

Manuel Medrano, the soulful Colombian singer-songwriter, teams up with virtuoso pianist Arthur Hanlon to turn the night sky into a love letter in “Luna.” From the very first whisper of footsteps, the lyrics pull us into a quiet, moonlit chase where two people are magnetically drawn together. Medrano compares his partner’s gaze to the glow of the moon, her presence to an overwhelming storm, and her skin to an ocean he is thirsty to drink. These vivid images make the song feel like a cinematic stroll through dark streets lit only by silver moonbeams and pulsing heartbeats.

Beneath all the poetic scenery lies a refreshing message: neither lover “needs” the other to be complete, yet everything becomes richer when they are side by side. He admits he was once cold and erratic, while she already carries her own radiant sun, but together the “wine tastes better.” “Luna” celebrates love that is passionate and independent—the kind where two whole worlds choose to orbit each other simply because it feels dazzlingly right.

Si Pudiera (If I Could)
Ya no puedo más
Llevo tres días sin soñar
Ya cuatro noches sin cantar
Un buen tiempo sin alguien con quien hablar
I can't anymore
I've been three days without dreaming
Already four nights without singing
A good while without someone with whom to talk

Colombian artist Manuel Medrano kicks off this song by admitting he's in a bad place. He says, "Ya no puedo más / Llevo tres días sin soñar / Ya cuatro noches sin cantar" (I can't anymore / I've gone three days without dreaming / Four nights without singing). He's lonely and wondering if he can go back in time to a specific moment to be more honest and see what he missed. It's a song about that heavy feeling of regret, when you finally understand that someone made you incredibly happy, but only after they're gone.

The chorus is where he really lays it all out. He imagines traveling the entire planet just to find a perfect copy of his ex: "Si pudiera darle vueltas a la tierra una y otra vez / Yo buscaría de alguien con tus mismos ojos" (If I could go around the earth again and again / I would look for someone with your same eyes). Without her, he feels like his world has lost all its color and turned to black and white. He blames distance for making him blind to what he had, realizing all the moments he should have been there for her.

La Primera Vez (The First Time)
Cómo sonríes cuando me miras
Tú haces que en la vida brille todo
Lo más lindo es el color de tus labios
Y cuando nos sentamos juntos en el salón
How you smile when you look at me
You make it so that everything in life shines
The prettiest thing is the color of your lips
And when we sit together in the classroom

"La Primera Vez" (The First Time) captures the butterflies and electricity of crossing the line between friendship and romance. Colombian singer Manuel Medrano and Juliana trade verses describing how simple moments, like sharing a classroom seat or walking down the hall, suddenly sparkle when hidden feelings surface. Her smile makes the whole world shine, his eyes follow the rhythm of her skirt, and neither words nor glances are enough to describe the rush. The song paints a scene that is at once innocent and daring, portraying that instant when curiosity wins, the door closes, and the pair is ready to steal a first kiss and lose control like teenagers watching the sunrise.

Musically warm and lyrically playful, the track celebrates the irresistible pull of attraction: the way a single look can trap you, how shy friends turn into bold lovers, and how even a self-professed bad dancer wants to stay all night when the connection feels right. "La Primera Vez" is an ode to the sweet chaos of a first-time fling, reminding listeners that fogged-up windows, missed plans, and racing hearts are all part of discovering each other. For English learners, it is a melodic lesson in colloquial Spanish packed with vivid imagery and emotion.

Tengo Que Llegar A Tiempo (I Have To Arrive On Time)
Hace tanto calor aquí
Pero no puedo parar
Para tomar la sombra
Tengo que llegar a tiempo
It's so hot in here
but i can't stop
to take the shade
I have to be on time

Get ready for a song about a race against time! In "Tengo Que Llegar A Tiempo," Colombian artist Manuel Medrano sings about a journey filled with urgency. He tells us, "Hace tanto calor aquí / Pero no puedo parar" (It's so hot here / But I can't stop). He's so determined to reach someone that he won't even stop for a break in the shade. The reason is simple and powerful: "Tengo que llegar a tiempo" (I have to arrive on time).

Why the rush? The lyrics reveal that this person is incredibly important. The singer feels that if this person isn't there, "Se detiene el tiempo" (Time stops). He's driven by a feeling so strong he says, "No sé cómo describir / Esto que siento" (I don't know how to describe / What I'm feeling). The song captures that desperate, powerful need to be with someone you can't stand to be without.

Regresa Por Favor (Please Come Back)
Bebé, contesta mi llamada
Asómate por la ventana, por favor
Yo quiero amarte como antes
Perderte ha sido un desastre y tú lo sabes
Baby answer my call
look out the window please
I want to love you like before
Losing you has been a disaster and you know it

Have you ever messed up so badly that you'd stand outside someone's window, begging them to answer your call? That's the exact situation Colombian singer Manuel Medrano describes in his song "Regresa Por Favor," which translates to "Come Back, Please."

The singer is in deep trouble. He admits he was a "cabrón" (a jerk) and that losing his love has been a complete "desastre" (disaster). He feels like he can't breathe without her and that his smiles will disappear if he doesn't see her again. He pleads for forgiveness and a second chance, promising to be her "amante bandido" (bandit lover) and accomplice. It's a raw, passionate, and desperate plea for reconciliation, fueled by an addiction to her kisses and a love that he's not ready to let go of.

Hace Tiempo (A Long Time Ago)
Hace tiempo que
Te quería decir que tu pelo
Causa todo en mí
Que tu risa me detiene
It's been a long time since
I wanted to tell you that your hair
cause everything in me
that your laughter stops me

Manuel Medrano's “Hace Tiempo” is a quiet confession that's been rehearsed for a while. He opens with the title line itself, “Hace tiempo que te quería decir” (“I've wanted to tell you for a long time”), then lists small, specific reasons rather than a grand declaration: her hair undoes him, her laugh stops him cold — “Que tu risa me detiene” (“Your laugh stops me”) — and her voice won't let him walk away. By the second verse the details shift from hair to hands, laugh to lips, and the song settles into its real request: to stay by her side for good and become one with her, “Y sentirnos uno” (“And feel like we're one”).

Esta Noche (This Night)
Esta noche es de los dos
Prepárate, porque vamos a bailar, ye-eh
Tu movimiento es el mejor y lo sabes
Tienes el primer lugar
Tonight belongs to both of us
Get ready, because we're going to dance, ye-eh
Your movement is the best and you know it
You have the first place

Get ready to dance! In "Esta Noche," Colombian artist Manuel Medrano sets the scene for a romantic and passionate evening just for two. The song is a celebration of a woman who has completely captured his attention on the dance floor. He's mesmerized by her movements, declaring them the "best" and telling her she holds "first place" in his eyes.

Medrano fills the song with vivid compliments, describing her in detail. He's captivated by everything from the "taste of [her] lips" to her "golden" skin and enchanting "green eyes." He finds her absolutely perfect, or "perfecta," especially in her "red dress" that makes him "heat up." The song is a pure expression of admiration and desire, an invitation to lose yourself in the music and the moment with someone special.

Donde Nadie Pueda Ir (Where No One Can Go)
Buscando en las estrellas encontré
Unos ojos tan brillantes como nada que conozcas
Más allá que el sol
Porque eres tan bella
Searching among the stars I found
Eyes as bright as nothing you know
Brighter than the sun
Because you're so beautiful

Manuel Medrano, a Colombian artist, brings us a song that's all about finding that one person who completely changes your world. He starts by saying he found "Unos ojos tan brillantes como nada que conozcas" [Eyes as bright as nothing you know] when searching the stars, immediately telling us this person is truly special.

This song is a declaration of intense adoration! He's so smitten that she's the "única que me pone a bailar, Que me pone a sudar" [only one who makes me dance, who makes me sweat], and even makes his "corazón a palpitar de una manera agradable" [heart beat in a pleasant way]. He wants to be with her always, promising to be her "almohada y ser tu abrigo" [pillow and your blanket] and to be "Escondidos hasta el fin, ¡Juntos! Donde nadie pueda ir" [Hidden until the end, together! Where no one can go]. It's a sweet, passionate promise to escape the world with the one he loves.

Una Y Otra Vez (Again and Again)
Siento
Que no te he dejado de pensar
Desde ese momento
Que contigo estaría bien
I feel
That I haven't stopped thinking about you
Since that moment
That being with you would be good

Manuel Medrano, the amazing Colombian artist, brings us a song that's all about that exhilarating feeling when you just can't stop thinking about someone! He sings, "Siento que no te he dejado de pensar" [I feel like I haven't stopped thinking about you] ever since that first moment. It's that sweet spot where you know, deep down, that being with this person would just feel right.

He's totally smitten, especially by their eyes, calling them "perfectos" [perfect]. It's clear he's ready to take things to the next level, thinking "ya es hora de empezar algo en serio" [it's time to start something serious]. And what does he want? Well, he's not shy about it! He dreams of kissing, making love, and touching "una y otra vez" [again and again], wanting to feel their skin next to his over and over. It's a beautiful, passionate declaration of wanting to be with someone completely and endlessly.

Nenita (Little Girl)
Nenita
Préstame tu boquita una vez más
Ten calma
Que todo se va a solucionar
little girl
Lend me your little mouth one more time
Be calm
That everything will be solved

"Nenita" is Manuel Medrano's pet-name love song, and it opens playful before it turns devotional. He starts with a small, physical ask — "Préstame tu boquita una vez más" ("Lend me your little mouth one more time") — then keeps circling back to tiny domestic details: putting sunscreen on her face, wanting to live in her belly button, being the one she calls for a hug or someone to hear her sing.

By the chorus the scale changes. "Mi alma gemela en todas las vidas" ("My soulmate in every lifetime") and "Quiero estar contigo por toda la eternidad" ("I want to be with you for all of eternity") turn the song from a crush into a vow, and the bridge pushes that vow past this life entirely: "Y los que no pueda te los voy a dar en mi otra vida" ("And the ones I can't, I'll give you in my next life"). It's a song about loving someone in the small stuff and the forever stuff at once.

Hay Una Luz Dentro De Ti (There Is A Light Inside You)
Hay una luz dentro de ti
Que no la apaga nada, nada, nada
Hay tantas cosas en tu corazón
Y no las vence nada
There's a light inside of you
That nothing turns it off, nothing, nothing
There are so many things in your heart
And nothing beats them

Get ready to fall in love with "Hay Una Luz Dentro De Ti" by the amazing Colombian artist Manuel Medrano! This song is a beautiful, passionate declaration of love that just sweeps you off your feet. Manuel sings about a powerful inner light in his beloved, saying, "Hay una luz dentro de ti Que no la apaga nada, nada, nada" [There's a light inside you That nothing, nothing, nothing can extinguish]. He's completely captivated by everything about this person, from their heart to their touch.

He's so smitten that he can't resist their kiss and how well they touch him. He even says, "Eres mi mayor antojo" [You are my greatest craving] and admits, "Contigo pierdo la mente y me vuelvo loco" [With you I lose my mind and go crazy]. It's a fun, over-the-top expression of devotion where he gives his love everything, even his "casa y mi carro nuevo" [house and my new car]. He loves her more than action movies and wants his fingers to smell like her magic – it's a truly charming and heartfelt serenade!

Intensos (Intense Ones)
Es intenso esto que yo siento por ti
Dime cuál es tu secreto
Tu forma de moverte hace que me ponga así
Como un perro hambriento
This is intense that I feel for you
Tell me what is your secret
The way you move makes me feel like this
like a hungry dog

Get ready to dive into the passionate world of Manuel Medrano and Duplat's "Intensos"! This song is all about that overwhelming, can't-hide-it kind of love. Our singer is completely smitten, confessing, "Es intenso esto que yo siento por ti" [What I feel for you is intense]. He's so captivated, he even compares himself to "un perro hambriento" [a hungry dog] because of the way his love interest moves! It's clear he's past the point of playing it cool, declaring, "Ya no puedo disimular" [I can't pretend anymore] about how amazing this person makes him feel.

From the very first kiss, these two have been inseparable, like "unos intensos sin solución, condenados a enredarnos" [intense people without a solution, condemned to get tangled up]. He sees his love as something truly out of this world, calling them "un cuerpo celestial" [a celestial body] and even "un agujero negro del que no quiero escapar" [a black hole I don't want to escape from]. Talk about intense! This song perfectly captures that feeling of being completely consumed by love, where every smile and every moment together is pure magic.

Junto A Mí (Next To Me)
Debo confesar que siempre
Lo supe
Tu sonrisa y tu pelo
Volví a caer
I must confess that always
I knew it
Your smile and your hair
I fell again

Manuel Medrano's "Junto A Mí" is a really fun song about falling head over heels for someone, even when you know it might be a little dangerous! He starts by confessing, "Debo confesar que siempre / Lo supe" [I must confess that I always / Knew it], admitting he was drawn in by her smile and hair. He's totally smitten, saying, "Me enamoré de ti / De tu mirada que me mata" [I fell in love with you / With your gaze that kills me]. He even calls her "una adulta" [an adult] who's going to "consumir" [consume] him, but he can't help but want her to "Quédate junto a mí" [Stay next to me].

He describes her as a "criatura / De otra ciudad" [creature / From another city] with the Caribbean in her, and then calls her "dinamita" [dynamite] that explodes! He knows she "me lastimas / De la manera que me gusta" [hurts me / In the way that I like], and he can't stop thinking about her. It's a crazy, passionate feeling, and he just wants to kiss her. The repeated line, "Cuando te fuiste / Yo nunca me fui" [When you left / I never left], shows that even when she's gone, he's still right there, completely devoted.

Ángel (Angel)
La espera terminó
Llegó nuestro momento
Te estuve esperando por tanto tiempo
Me llevaste al cielo con tus labios
The wait is over
Our time has come
I've been waiting for you for so long
You took me to heaven with your lips

Get ready to fall in love with Manuel Medrano's "Ángel"! This song is all about that incredible moment when you finally find the person you've been dreaming of. Medrano sings, "La espera terminó, Llegó nuestro momento" [The wait is over, Our moment has arrived], perfectly capturing that feeling of destiny. He's been waiting for so long, and now that this person is here, it's like a dream come true.

He describes being completely swept away, saying, "Me llevaste al cielo con tus labios" [You took me to heaven with your lips]. It's clear this person is everything he imagined and more, as he repeats, "Eres como lo soñaba" [You are as I dreamed]. He even searched "en todas las galaxias" [in all the galaxies] for them! He wants to be everything for them, declaring, "Por ti sería el cielo y el mar, Por ti sería todo lo que me pidas" [For you I would be the sky and the sea, For you I would be everything you ask of me]. It's such a sweet and devoted song about finding that perfect, long-awaited love.

Libérame (Free Me)
¿Quién sabe cómo arreglar un corazón?
Cuando todo cae y es difícil ver la solución
Ni siquiera el canto de las aves
Ni siquiera el perfume de una flor
Who knows how to fix a heart?
When everything falls and it's hard to see the solution
Not even the song of the birds
Not even the scent of a flower

Manuel Medrano and Leo Rizzi open with a real question, not a metaphor: "¿Quién sabe cómo arreglar un corazón?" [Who knows how to fix a heart?]. That line is basically the whole song: a guy who's out of ideas for repairing what a bad relationship broke, so instead of forcing an answer, he just asks to be let go. He rules out anything gentle working, not birdsong, not the smell of a flower, and gets specific about the betrayal too: "Tú borraste todos nuestros planes y yo como un idiota soñando con vos" [You erased all our plans, and I, like an idiot, dreaming of you]. She moved on while he was still building a future around her.

The chorus is a plea, not a demand: "Libérame, libérame... No me confundas con tus labios" [Free me, free me... Don't confuse me with your lips]. He knows one more kiss undoes whatever progress he's made, so he's asking her to stop being kind to him on the way out. By the second verse he's rehearsing the goodbye speech and still can't find the words, and the song keeps circling back to that same one-word chorus, "Libérame," because apparently saying it once wasn't enough.

Auténtica (Authentic)
En la sombras
Como una estrella en el cielo
Un estrella en el cielo
Eres mi compañera fiel
in the shadows
Like a star in the sky
a star in the sky
You are my faithful companion

Manuel Medrano's "Auténtica" is a beautiful ode to a woman who is truly one-of-a-kind. He sees her "como una estrella en el cielo" [like a star in the sky], a constant and faithful companion who knows how to love him. She's not just pretty; she's "fantástica" and "dulce como la miel" [sweet like honey], a guiding light, a piece of heaven that inspires him to dream.

He describes her as "idéntica a todo lo que quería encontrarme" [identical to everything I wanted to find], suggesting she's the perfect match he's always searched for. She's "auténtica, poética" [authentic, poetic], moving with the rhythm of the waves, always coming and going, and as elusive as "una pregunta al aire" [a question in the air]. Yet, she's also a captivating "diamante" [diamond] who drives him crazy with just a look. He even says, "Yo por ti soporto el peso de la vida" [For you, I bear the weight of life], showing the immense impact she has on him. The song perfectly captures the intense highs and lows of love, with Medrano feeling "en el cielo cuando estoy contigo" [in heaven when I'm with you] and "en el infierno cuando estoy sin ti" [in hell when I'm without you].

Los Aretes De La Luna (The Moon's Earrings)
Los aretes que le faltan a la luna
Los tengo guardados para hacerte un collar
Los hallé una mañana en la bruma
Cuando caminaba junto al inmenso mar
The earrings that the moon is missing
I have them saved to make you a necklace
I found them one morning in the mist
When I walked next to the immense sea

Manuel Medrano, a fantastic artist from Colombia, brings us a song that's all about finding something incredibly precious and wanting to share it with someone special. Imagine walking along the sea one misty morning and finding something truly magical: the moon's missing earrings!

He sings, "Los aretes que le faltan a la luna, Los tengo guardados para hacerte un collar" [The earrings that are missing from the moon, I have them saved to make you a necklace]. He feels so lucky, saying it's a "Privilegio que agradezco al cielo, Porque ningún poeta los pudo encontrar" [A privilege I thank heaven for, Because no poet could find them]. These aren't just any earrings; they're his "única fortuna" [only fortune], and he's ready to give them all to the person he loves. It's such a sweet and imaginative way to express deep affection!

No Sé Si Salga El Sol [Remix] (I Don't Know If The Sun Will Rise [Remix])
He perdido mi capacidad de actuar
De redactar
Estoy perdiendo la sensibilidad
Y el don de amar
I have lost my ability to act
to write
I'm losing sensitivity
and the gift of loving

Manuel Medrano and Rawayana team up for "No Sé Si Salga El Sol [Remix]," a song that really gets into that feeling of being completely lost without someone you care about. Medrano sings about losing his ability to act and write, even his "sensibilidad y el don de amar" [sensitivity and the gift of love] because of this person. He admits, "no me amarra la mirada de nadie más" [no one else's gaze ties me down], showing how deeply he's affected.

The lyrics paint a picture of restless nights, "sudo por las noches mientras duermo" [I sweat at night while I sleep], and a world that feels off-kilter when this person isn't around. He even says, "ni siquiera tengo ganas de cantar" [I don't even feel like singing]! But even with all that uncertainty about the future—"No sé si en la mañana saldrá el sol" [I don't know if the sun will rise in the morning]—there's a beautiful promise. He knows that "siempre que llueva escampará" [whenever it rains, it will clear up] and "cuando haga frío tú me abrazarás" [when it's cold, you will hug me]. It's about learning to be there for each other, through thick and thin, even suggesting spontaneous trips to the airport "sin destino" [without a destination]. It's a sweet, reassuring take on commitment.

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