Amor

Cristian Castro recorded Amor in 1995 in New York, just as Latin pop was beginning to gain traction in the United States. He wasn’t aiming for massive success, but rather to capture in a song that mix of anxiety and hope that love brings. The lyrics don’t refer to a specific person, but instead invite the feeling itself to stay: “give me a chance.” The track has an acoustic feel but with a rhythm that doesn’t stand still, as if the time in the big apple — with its lights and fast pace — had left its mark on every chord. The single was released in November 1995 as a preview of El Deseo de Oír Tu Voz, an album that marked a turning point in his career.

By January 1996, the song was already topping the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for eleven consecutive weeks, even displacing Si Tú Te Vas by Enrique Iglesias. It wasn’t just a number one hit: in 1996, it ended as the second most-listened-to Latin song of the year in the U.S., and in 2014, Billboard magazine named it the best Spanish-language love song of all time. The video, filmed in Rome, reflects that contrast: Castro on a Vespa, juggling a hat, as if love could also be a game.