Lyrics from 'Me Porto Bonito' by Bad Bunny will stay with you

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

A clever piece of writing can inspire people, maybe change a few minds. And when it's embedded in a global hit song, it can get the world talking. We've asked some of the folks at NPR Music, what was the one lyric you heard in 2022 that stood out more than any other?

ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: My name is Anamaria Sayre. I'm the co-host of Alt.Latino. And my song is "Me Porto Bonito" by Bad Bunny.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME PORTO BONITO")

BAD BUNNY: (Singing) Ella sabe que esta buenota y no la presumen.

SAYRE: I literally could not think of a lyric that has been in my head more this year than tu no ere' bebecita, tu ere' bebesota.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME PORTO BONITO")

BAD BUNNY: (Singing) Tu no ere' bebecita, tu ere' bebesota. Frikitona, ma', se te nota.

SAYRE: It swept through the culture. It took everyone by storm. It was just one of those lines that everyone kind of understood, I think, especially in Latin America, like, what he was getting at and loved what he was getting at. This lyric was all over TikTok.

(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Singing) Tu no ere' bebecita, tu ere' bebesota.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Tu no ere' bebecita, tu ere' bebesota.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Singing) ...Tu ere' bebesota.

SAYRE: It's hard to describe what it means exactly. It's, like, a hookup song. He's talking to a woman, and he's basically calling her a babe but in two different ways, right? Innocent version versus, like, a boss woman and kind of expressing, like, I want a woman who's strong, who's a boss, who's empowered. And so I think for someone as visible, as far-reaching as he is to be carrying very clearly a message like that, I mean, I think it's really indicative of an openness, a new openness that exists within Latin America and across the world about women being able to embody their own power, their own sexuality, honestly. And so I think that is something that I will take with me and that a lot of people will take with them into the new year - is this is where we're headed as Latinos, as a global community. And that's a beautiful thing to see.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME PORTO BONITO")

BAD BUNNY: (Singing) Pa' que to' el mundo vea lo rica que...

MARTÍNEZ: The song is "Me Porto Bonito" by Bad Bunny, featuring Chencho Corleone. Anamaria Sayre is the co-host of NPR's music Alt.Latino.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME PORTO BONITO")

BAD BUNNY: (Singing) ...Pero por ti mе quito. Si tu me lo pide', yo me porto bonito. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.