So what does Daddy Yankee's reggaeton hit Gasolina really mean, and does John McCain approve? Who can blame withered geriatric John McCain for trying to broaden his appeal to Obama-aged voters and below by touting the endorsement of reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee? And at Phoenix's Central High no less.
Daddy Yankee (real name Ramon Ayala), known for his crossover hit song Gasolina, a single off his 2004 Barrio Fino album, told assembled Central High students that McCain's "been a fighter for the Hispanic community," and "a fighter for the immigration issue."
Asked by reporters about the meaning of his song Gasolina, Daddy Yankee quipped, "It’s about energy independence."
Of course, "gasolina" is Spanish for gasoline. And the single, which is entirely in Spanish, cleverly uses Puerto Rican slang, with a double meaning that has certain sexual overtones.
"Literally, the chorus translates into `She likes gasoline! Give me more gasoline!'" wrote the Austin American-Statesman's Pancho Gomez in a 2005 article. "But those dancing know that it really means, `She likes to go fast.' Or `She likes to party.'"
Hey, nothing wrong with partying, or cruising, or going fast in your car, right? Thing is, if you listen to hip-hop stations, DJ's will often joke about the other slang meaning of "gasolina." They say it refers to "skeet," in the parlance of hip-hop, or human sperm.
Just check the current online authority on slang, UrbanDictionary.com.The number one definition for gasolina, agreed on by 346 users and counting is, "New Spanish slang meaning Sperm (Skeet). Comes from the reagetton [sic] song `Gasolina' by Daddy Yankee. Te encanta la gasolina."
Given the extended metaphor, this tends to make sense: Girls are similar to cars that like to go fast, and they want the gas that makes them go fast. Um, how else could they rev those engines?
Not everyone agrees with this meaning, however. Daddy Yankee himself has denied that's what he meant by the song. Urban Dictionary's second most-popular definition (here readers define the slang by votes, you see) for gasolina has nothing to do with ejaculate:
"Other than meaning skeet...gasolina is also a term for `the street(s)' meaning that you like to go out...Defined by Daddy Yankee himself in an interview for Premio Lo Nuestro..."
So when the girls on Daddy Yankee's song scream that they like gasolina, they mean they like to go out, hit the streets, enjoy the nightlife. At least according to this definition. Numerous Web sites have debated the issue, and even Spanish speakers disagree on the term, with some arguing that the meaning is obvious and broad, while others say it's specific just to Puerto Rican slang.
All the same, folks like to snicker at the skeet definition, no matter how much truth there is to it. More than once, I've heard radio personalities make references to the nastiness of this supposed definition.
Seems unlikely the McCain camp knew about the song's possible raunchy interpretation. Or perhaps they did, and figured since it's all in Spanish, and -- as I've pointed out, debatable -- no one would care. Heck, McCain even mentioned the song's title by name yesterday, thrilling the teens in attendance.
Still, it does leave us with one nagging question: Does John McCain really like Daddy Yankee's Gasolina...? Certainly lends the news header, "Daddy Yankee gives McCain some gasolina," a whole new twist.
