Everyone has that one song that sends them sprinting to the dance floor. From birthday celebrations to club nights, certain songs are simply tempting. Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ and The Bee Gees’ ‘You Should Be Dancing’ are classic crowd-pleasers. But for us 90s youngsters, one hit that has lasted the test of time is Los Del Rio and Bayside Boys’ ‘Macarena.’ The 1993 hit’s infectious tune and generally recognized dance routine make it the ideal party song. It’s ageless and has served as the soundtrack to our lives, from school dances to bachelor parties and wedding celebrations. Before you get sentimental, have you considered the actual meaning of ‘Macarena’?

Curious music listeners have complained that discovering the truth has wrecked their childhoods. Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones of Los Del Rio only performed the original Macarena, which we all know and love. The remix is by Bayside Boys, and it features Colombian-American vocalist Carla Vanessa, who performs the lyrics mostly in English. But evidently, we haven’t paid enough attention to the lyrics. Turns out, ‘Macarena’ is somewhat raunchy; it’s about a young woman who has a threesome with her boyfriend’s two best buddies while he’s away. When I listen to the music again, everything makes sense. The stanza explains: “But don’t you worry about my lover? He’s a lad named Vitorino. I don’t want him. I couldn’t stand him. He was no good, so I (hahahaha). What was my intended course of action? He was out of town, and his two companions were just fine.”

But in Los Del Rio’s rendition, Vitorino’s situation is far worse. He is absent due to his enlistment in the army. “Macarena has a boyfriend named Vitorino by his last name,” the original Spanish lines read. When he left to sign up for the army, he saw her with two of his friends.” Even Vitorino’s two pals cannot satisfy Macarena, who still has wandering eyes. According to the song, Macarena fantasizes about shopping at El Corte Inglés and living in New York with a new beau.

Fans were stunned to learn the reality behind the not-so-family-friendly tune. One TikTok user wrote, “I’m shaking.” When I learned that the Macarena is about a woman who cheats on her lover with her two best friends, I was only a few years old. “My childhood was ruined.” A second laughed, “And we danced to this at school?!” A third person repeated, “I had no right dancing to this when I was little.” (sic).