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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Entertainment
August Brown

'Despacito,' the year's runaway hit sung in Spanish, could make Grammy history

If "Despacito" were to win the Grammy for song of the year, it would be in extremely rare company. And it could make history as the first Spanish-language song to do so.

The last time a non-English-language tune took home the award for that category? The very first Grammys in 1959, when Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci won for "Volare," sung in Italian by Modugno.

(OK, it's a stretch, but the Beatles' "Michelle" has a notable passage in French, and it won for song of the year in 1967.)

So a win for "Despacito," as performed by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, would send a powerful message that Spanish-language pop songs � not just Latin music in general _ are a force to be reckoned with. (It's also nominated for record of the year.)

Now there's even less of an excuse for Justin Bieber not to know the words.

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