20 Top Latin Songs for Father’s Day: ‘Cuando Yo Quería Ser Grande,’ ‘Mi Viejo’ & More
Entertainment
Listen to songs from Alejandro Fernández, Kany García, Enrique Iglesias and more.
Vicente Fernández and his son Alejandro Fernández performing during his last live concert of artistic career at ‘Estadio Azteca’, on April 16, 2016 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Medios y Media/Getty Images
Español
With Father’s Day just around the corner on Sunday (June 16), Billboard put together a list of heartfelt dad-related Latin songs, ranging from regional Mexican to tropical to urban to pop.
On the list is Ángela Aguilar’s “Tu Sangre en Mi Cuerpo” (Your Blood in My Body), in collaboration with her father Pepe Aguilar, where the talented pair interchange verses from a father who’s watching his little girl grow up before his eyes and a young lady who’s grateful for her father’s guidance.
Ozuna’s “Mi Niña” (My Girl) also forms part of the list, a sweet urban-pop track where the Puerto Rican singer details what it’s like being the father to a beautiful girl. The reggaetón bop features voice notes from his daughter, reminding him how much she loves him. “So beautiful, I never imagined having someone like her/ So beautiful, I saw her be born, I also saw her grow up/ So beautiful, I never imagined having someone like/ So beautiful, she came out like her mother,” the Puerto Rican artist chants.
We also highlight Victor Manuelle’s “Algo Le Pasa A Héroe” (Something’s Wrong With My Hero), a nostalgic ballad dedicated to his father who suffered and passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2018. A new version dropped in 2020 and features Kany García, Tommy Torres, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pedro Capó and Noel Schajris.
From Alejandro Sanz’s “Ese Que Me Dio La Vida” (That who gave me life) to Vicente Fernández’s “El Hombre Que Más Te Amo,” and beyond, check out 20 songs you can dedicate to a father figure in your life on this special occasion.
Alejandro Fernández, “Cuando Yo Quería Ser Grande”
Alejandro Fernández covered this gorgeous mariachi song once sung by his own father, the great Vicente Fernández. Penned by Manuel Monterrosas, Alejandro sings with pathos about his father growing old, wishing time would stop. “My father was strong, intelligent, better than any other/ Today, I don’t want the years to pass, because my father is old, his hands covered with wrinkles and his hair covered with snow.”
Listen to the song here
Alejandro Sanz, “Ese Que Me Dio La Vida”
Image Credit: Medios y Media/Getty Images
In the 1995 song, the singer-songwriter expresses the feelings of a son who, growing up, can appreciate the sacrifices made by his father. “Today I have finally realized, that you added me from your subtraction,” he sings. It is a memorable ballad for those who identify with the artist’s desire to reciprocate a father’s efforts: “And let me, for tonight, be the hands that wrap you up, and let me give you a new coat in good condition/ And let me shout how proud I am of you, and that you are that friend who gave me life.”
Listen to the song here
Alex Zurdo, “Toca La Guitarra Viejo”
With a bolero with deeply moving rap rhymes, the Puerto Rican artists writes to his father — who suffers from Alzheimer’s, a disease that has taken away some memories, but not the ability to remember music and play the guitar. “Because today I see your eyes and I contemplate your look, that you want to tell me something, but you don’t tell me anything/ Sometimes I feel that you are leaving and that you have lost track, but you come back, again, and we sing another song.” At the end of the video, you can see an emotional clip of his father listening to the song and recognizing that it belongs to his son.
Listen to the song here
Ángela Aguilar feat. Pepe Aguilar, “Tu Sangre En Mi Cuerpo”
Image Credit: Mindy Small/Getty Images
The bond between a father and daughter is a special kind of love, and it’s beautifully depicted in this song. The Aguilars combine traditional mariachi music with the harmony of Ángela and Pepe’s potent vocals, creating a heartfelt tribute to this everlasting connection.
Listen to the song here
Antonio Aguilar, “Qué Falta Me Hace Mi Padre”
Multiple artists have recorded this classic by songwriter Raúl Osuna Pérez, including Banda Camino and the “Puma” from Sinaloa. But the most popular version is undoubtedly by Antonio Aguilar, included on multiple greatest hit albums and compilations. “How I miss my father/ With each step I take/ How lonely my mother is/ Now my God took him away,” goes the sad, heartfelt Mexican ballad, which pays homage to a late father and the teachings he left behind. More recently, Chuy Lizárraga performed it in a tribute to Aguilar, who died in 2007.
Listen to the song here
Becky G, “Querido Abuelo”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Univision
Powered by a nostalgic requinto, Becky G’s tribute to her grandfather “Querido Abuelo” is a tearjerking track that can be described as an open letter to Becky’s late abuelito, as she honors his existence and the influence he had on her ever since she was little. “Querido abuelo,” she sings emotionally, “Your memory in my soul is always present/ I would give anything to hug you once more.”
Listen to the song here
Edén Muñoz, “Viejo”
In a nostalgic music video filled with printed images, Edén Muñoz fondly remembers some of the best moments of his childhood and expresses gratitude towards his father. He even wishes that there is another life so that his father can be with him again — as he mentions in the song “Ahí te va Rodolfo.”
Listen to the song here
Enrique Iglesias, “Quizás”
Image Credit: Steve Marcus/Getty Images
In a heartfelt pop ballad titled “Quizás” (Perhaps), Enrique Iglesias sings about losing touch with his father over the years but never forgetting about him. He narrates how he’s been working hard but feels alone nonetheless. “Perhaps life separates us more each day more/ Perhaps life distances us from reality/ Perhaps you’re looking for a desert and I’m looking for an ocean/ Perhaps, thanks to life, I love you more,” he chants.
Listen to the song here
Fuerza Regida & Peso Pluma, “Igualito A Mi Apá”
Música Mexicana hitmakers Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma join forces to deliver an impassioned ode to their father, “Igualito a Mi Apá.” Leading with brassy melodies and whirling requinto interplay, the two regional acts pay respect to their own fathers, while embracing the tradition of the ever-expanding genre. Although they boast about a life of luxury (“The jacket is Paz/ And the sunglasses are Prada”), Fuerza and Peso sing about being proud to be like their father as they take after his footsteps. The single peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Listen to the song here
Kany García, “Confieso”
Image Credit: Rich Polk/Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy
In “Confieso,” García opens up about her loving relationship with her late father, who passed away in 2017. “He was the closest person to me,” she previously said to Billboard . “When he was first diagnosed with cancer, I wrote him a song called ‘Demasiado Bueno,’ and I was with him until his last breath. I was lucky enough that he heard 90 percent of the songs on this album.”
Listen to the song here
Laura Pausini, “La Meta de mi Viaje”
Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini gets personal with “La Meta de Mi Viaje,” a stripped-down ballad in which she pays tribute to that father figure. “With your kisses we woke up/ You slept while Silvia and I went to that school/ You told us, ‘You go to learn.’/ And you taught us how to live every day more and more/ With your eyes full of that love for two daughters, crazy with hope,” Pausini sings.
Listen to the song here
Maná, “El Reloj Cucú”
Image Credit: Santiago Covarrubias/OCESA
One of the most beautiful songs in Maná’s catalog, “El Reloj Cucú” is an emotional track about the grief that comes after losing a father. Part of their 1995 Cuando Los Ángeles Lloran album, lead vocalist Fher Olvera sings, “This love song is for my papa, who left to be part of the wind, he left us alone.”
Listen to the song here
Mario Bautista, “Pa’l Viejo”
Last year, Mexican artist Mario Bautista premiered “Pa’l Viejo” just in time for Father’s Day. The song is an emotional bolero ballad dedicated to Mario’s dad, Carlos Daniel Bautista, whom he honors for showing him pure love and teaching him not to fear anything in life.
Listen to the song here
Mati Gómez, “Mi Viejo”
Not precisely a song from son to father or father to son, but in “Mi Viejo,” Chilean newcomer Mati Gómez tells the story of the best dating advice he’s received from his dad. “One day my old man told me/that just as you win you also lose sometimes/ To not give my heart to those who do not deserve/ To not fall in love with all the ones I kiss,” he sings in the pop-reggaetón track.
Listen to the song here
Ozuna, “Mi Niña”
Image Credit: Reggie Vázquez
In the midst of the global pandemic, on Father’s Day 2020, Ozuna dropped “Mi Niña,” a sweet reggaetón track that was released as “a gift to my daughter primarily and for all of you. Congratulations to all the fathers of the world on their week and always,” he expressed in the caption of his YouTube video. The music video features the Puerto Rican artist and his baby girl.
Listen to the song here
Piero, “Mi Viejo”
An all-time classic, this 1960s ballad was originally released by Italian-Argentine artist Piero and is dedicated to his father — or as the title indicates, “my old man.” The timeless Father’s Day anthem tells a story about an older gentleman whose years have finally caught up to him, and whose son is his very own reflection. “Mi Viejo” has been covered by many artists, including Vicente Fernández, Leo Dan, Elefante and Antony Santos.
Listen to the song here
Roberto Carlos, “Amigo”
Roberto Carlos created a true classic in this song about friendship that is perfect to dedicate to a close and loving father: “You are my soul friend every day/ A smile and a festive hug at each arrival/ You tell me such great truths with open phrases/ You are really the most certain thing in uncertain hours,” goes part of the lyrics. Co-written by Roberto Carlos and his frequent collaborator Erasmo Carlos, to whom the singer dedicated the song, “Amigo” originally debuted in Portuguese as part of his self-titled album in 1977. Two years later, its popularity got a boost when a children’s choir sang it for Pope John Paul II during his visit to Mexico.
Listen to the song here
Santa Fe Klan, “Luka”
Image Credit: Pedro Mera/Getty Images for Estrella Media
On his song “Luka” from his 2022 album Mundo, Santa Fe Klan pours his heart out, smoothing his usual hard-hitting bars to a more melodic approach. “Let’s walk the world together/ Ask the moon how much I love you/ This is true love and the love is so true,” sings the Mexican rapper in Spanish against the tender, stripped-down piano ballad. “The song ‘Luka’ was written for my unborn son at the time […] I also have his name on my fingers,” he told Billboard Español in March.
Listen to the song here
Vicente Fernández, “El Hombre Que Más Te Amó”
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for LARAS
The Mexican ranchera star has many anthems that could be sung on many occasions. But a must for Father’s Day is his nostalgic “El Hombre Que Más te Amó (The Man That Loved You the Most)” sung from a father’s perspective dedicated to his kids. “When you miss your father, who’s gone to heaven with God/ If you want to hug him or show him your love, the kisses that you give your children/ I will receive them also.”
Listen to the song here
Víctor Manuelle, “Algo Le Pasa A Mi Héroe”
Víctor Manuelle opened his heart in 2015 with the emotional “Algo Le Pasa A Mi Héroe,” a song dedicated to his father in which he addressed the disease that was afflicting him: Alzheimer’s. “Something’s wrong with my hero, something’s wrong with him/ I only see a void in his gaze/ Something’s wrong with my hero, he doesn’t say anything/ He doesn’t repeat the stories he used to tell me,” begins the moving track. In 2020, two years after the death of his dad, the salsa star released a new version of the song with Tommy Torres, Kany García, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pedro Capó, and Noel Schajris to benefit the Association of Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders of Puerto Rico.
Listen to the song here
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Sign Up