By Mike Sain't Louis ·
Malena: letting your hair down with the queen of the dance floor
Some people walk into a club and change the temperature of the place. Malena is about that: a woman who comes through the club door and, suddenly, the night is hers.
The song is an unashamed tribute to Malena Gracia. It mixes English and Spanish in almost every line, like those nights when the dance floor fills with people from everywhere and nobody needs a translation. She lights up the room, dances till dawn, reigns without asking permission, and whoever watches her gets hooked as if on a good wine.
The chorus is a declaration of total admiration: «Yo quiero ser, ser como Malena Gracia» ("I want to be, be like Malena Gracia"). It doesn't talk about having her or winning her. It talks about being like her. And that, for me, is the loveliest thing you can say to an icon.
Hair in the wind
Towards the end the song gets playful with a pun I love: today I let my hair down with Malena («me suelto la melena con Malena»). It's the perfect phrase to shout with your friends when it comes on at a party.
But what matters most to me is in the last verses. That's where the idea of never giving up appears, that it's fine to dance to something different. In the song, Malena becomes a synonym for that attitude: sticking to your style even if it's not what's in fashion. And I identify a lot with that stubbornness.
It's a dance-floor song, uncomplicated, made for raising your arms. Beneath the sparkle, though, there's a lesson in attitude: you can be different and keep dancing.
I'd dedicate it to anyone who has an icon to imitate in the mirror before going out. And, of course, to Malena herself, with all my affection.
Listen to it with the room dark and a coloured light on. You know what I mean.
The full lyrics are further down. Listen on Spotify
Lyrics · Malena
She steps in the club, it’s MalenaLighting up the room, no hay penaDancing through the night, ella reinaLooking in her eyes, sueño que envenena
And every move she makes on the floorLeaves you wanting just a little moreNo puedes escapar, es tu destinoFalling for her charm, como un vino fino
Malena Gracia, Malena GraciaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuego
Every beat’s alive when she’s near meHypnotized by lights, come and see meTurn the music up, es tan sexyCon cada paso que da, she sets me free
And in the flashing lights, she’s a starEvery heart she steals, beyond compareThis beat’s taking over, it’s our timeDance until the dawn, feel the rhyme
Malena Gracia, Malena GraciaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuego
Let’s lose control, baila conmigoUnder the stars, serás mi abrigoOne kiss from you, todo lo que pidoMalena, you’re my queen, my only credo
Malena Gracia, feel the passionLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, dance until mañana
She steps in the club, it’s MalenaLighting up the room, no hay penaDancing through the night, ella reinaLooking in her eyes, sueño que envenena
And every move she makes on the floorLeaves you wanting just a little moreNo puedes escapar, es tu destinoFalling for her charm, como un vino fino
Malena Gracia, Malena GraciaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuego
Every beat’s alive when she’s near meHypnotized by lights, come and see meTurn the music up, es tan sexyCon cada paso que da, she sets me free
And in the flashing lights, she’s a starEvery heart she steals, beyond compareThis beat’s taking over, it’s our timeDance until the dawn, feel the rhyme
Malena Gracia, Malena GraciaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuego
Let’s lose control, baila conmigoUnder the stars, serás mi abrigoOne kiss from you, todo lo que pidoMalena, you’re my queen, my only credo
Malena Gracia, feel the passionLoca, loca por un beso tuyoYo quiero ser, ser como Malena GraciaLoca, loca, dance until mañana
Malena , Malenahoy me Suelto la melena con MalenaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuegoMalena , Malenahoy me suelto la melena con MalenaY aunque para tiSolo soy un algoritmoYo soy como Malenay nunca me rindoNo pasa nada por bailar algo distinto ,Yo soy como Malena y nunca me rindo
Every beat’s alive when she’s near meHypnotized by lights, come and see meTurn the music up, es tan sexyCon cada paso que da, she sets me free
And in the flashing lights, she’s a starEvery heart she steals, beyond compareThis beat’s taking over, it’s our timeDance until the dawn, feel the rhyme
Malena , Malenahoy me Suelto la melena con MalenaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuegoMalena , Malenahoy me suelto la melena con MalenaY aunque para tiSolo soy un algoritmoYo soy como Malenay nunca me rindoNo pasa nada por bailar algo distinto ,Yo soy como Malena y nunca me rindo
Let’s lose control, baila conmigoUnder the stars, serás mi abrigoOne kiss from you, todo lo que pidoMalena, you’re my queen, my only credo
Malena , Malenahoy me Suelto la melena con MalenaLoca, loca por un beso tuyoLoca, loca, can’t escape your fuegoMalena , Malenahoy me suelto la melena con MalenaY aunque para tiSolo soy un algoritmoYo soy como Malenay nunca me rindoNo pasa nada por bailar algo distinto ,Yo soy como Malena y nunca me rindo
Lyrics as published with the official music video, on the MIKE SAIN'T LOUIS label.