Hey there, Hit Parade listeners, it's Chris Mulanfay. This week we're bringing you an episode

from another Slate show that I think you'll like, especially if you enjoyed our One Hit Wonders

episode of Hit Parade. Slate's history podcast One Year introduces you to the people and struggles

that changed America one year at a time. In each episode host Josh Levine explores a story you

may have forgotten, or one you've never heard before. What were the moments that transformed

politics, culture, science, religion, and how does the nation's past shape are present? The current

season of One Year covers 1995, a year when homegrown terrorists attacked Oklahoma City, America

went online, and DNA changed the way crimes were investigated. The episode I'm highlighting for

you today is about Makarena. Yes, that Makarena, the song and the dance that became the defining

left-field pop happening of the mid-90s. This bilingual song by a pair of Spaniards and a couple

of Miami DJs they'd never met before brought joy to millions, and it topped the charts for months

winding up Billboard's number one hit of 1996, oversmashes by Mariah Carey, Boys to Men,

and Celine Dion. And then, just as quickly, Makarena became a cultural pariah. While I did touch

on Los Del Rios' unlikely smash on Hit Parade, Josh and his team on One Year go much, much deeper

into just how improbable this song's very existence was. I myself learned a lot from this show,

and I strongly encourage you to give it a listen. And by all means, if you like this episode,

subscribe to One Year, wherever you get your podcasts. What's the story of where your name came from?

So, like my mom and her sisters, they're Mariah Careyza, Mariah Helica, Maria de la Luz.

So, my dad was like, we're not doing that. And apparently they knew somebody with this name,

and they were like, oh, she's like, independent and classy. And, you know, this is a good name for

our daughter. My name is Makarena. Makarena, Luz, Bianchi. It's a great name. Thank you.

Makarena was born in Chile, but her name comes from Spain. It's a district in the city of

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