Educational Spanish rap/chant from middle school. How does it go?

June 24, 2008 9:42 AM

In 7th grade (1990-ish) Spanish class, in Dallas, TX, we "memorized" the capitols of the countries in Central (and maybe South) America, using a cheesy yet hypnotic rap/chant that our teacher played from a cassette tape. Can someone tell me how it went? I only remember the very beginning.

It started with Mexico, and listed them in some unknown-to-me order, adding and repeating new one each time, followed by a drum roll (the drum roll is more or less accurate in the following transposition). For example, what I remember goes like this:

Mexico D.F., Mexico...Mexico D.F., Mexico. (bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-CHING)

Mexico D.F., Mexico...Guatemala, Guatemala...Guatemala, Guatemala.
(bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-CHING)

Mexico D.F., Mexico...Guatemala, Guatemala...Tegucigalpa, Honduras...Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
(bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-CHING)

Mexico D.F., Mexico...Guatemala, Guatemala...Tegucigalpa, Honduras...Ciudad de Panama, Panama...Ciudad de Panama, Panama.
(bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-bada-CHING)

It is absolutely killing me that I can't remember the rest, nor figure out in what order these are being added to the first part. Please help!

posted by unknowncommand to education (8 comments total)

Oh, dear god, we totally had that thing, too. I can't remember much of the order, except that I'm pretty sure Lima was right after Bogota.
posted by equalpants at 9:53 AM on June 24

Also, this has been asked twice on Yahoo! Answers, but the one potential answer is incorrect.
posted by unknowncommand at 10:00 AM on June 24

The order given here seems kind of familiar, but it leaves out Mexico and El Salvador.
posted by equalpants at 10:01 AM on June 24

Ooh, equalpants, you are a better Googler than I. I wonder if that is part of it.
posted by unknowncommand at 10:04 AM on June 24

I remember something like this too, but it included all of Latin America, not just South America as given in equalpants' link. The order may have been roughly in order from north to south.

The most fun one was Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana because you had to say Republica Dominicana really fast to fit in with the beat of the song.
posted by wsquared at 10:14 AM on June 24

Wow, amazing how that song has stuck in my memory for the last 15 years; I can't watch a soccer game on Telemundo/Univision without having it run through my head.

Good to know I am not the only one!
posted by CurlyMan at 11:45 AM on June 24

It's a song by Pam Kaatz of Color Connection called "El 'Rock' de las Capitales." I also heard it in junior high in the Richardson area. I believe Pam Kaatz is Austin-based, so the majority of people who heard this song in Spanish class were likely from our same area.

The song can be purchased here.
posted by GooseOnTheLoose at 1:22 PM on June 24

Oh my god, that's it! GooseOnTheLoose, you just blew my mind, and I am eternally in your debt. I also wonder if we had the same Spanish teacher (Aguilera?).
posted by unknowncommand at 3:02 PM on June 24