Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in the official video for ‘Despacito’; Photo: Universal Music Latino/YouTube
It’s a good thing Justin Bieber doesn’t know the lyrics to “Despacito,” which was recorded by Luis Fonsi and features Bieber and Daddy Yankee, because, as it turns out the lyrics are super raunchy — so raunchy that Malaysia has banned the song, according to Reuters.
The country has banned the hit song from state radio and TV broadcasts because it’s too inappropriate. The best example of its NSFW lyrics are in the chorus:
SlowlyI wanna breathe your neck slowlyLet me whisper things into your earSo that you remember if you’re not with meSlowlyI wanna undress you with kisses slowlySign the walls of your laberinthAnd make your whole body a manuscriptTurn it up
After receiving complaints from the public, Salleh Said Keruak, the communications and multimedia minister for the government’s Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), announced the song is no longer allowed to be played.
“As such, RTM will not be airing the song on any of its television or radio stations with immediate effect,” the minister told Reuters. “This decision applies only to RTM. All other TV and radio stations are guided by their own evaluation processes against the Communications and Multimedia Content Code.”
This means Malaysians can still hear the song on private stations and online.
An influential voice complaining about the song was the women’s wing of a Malaysian Islamist party called Amanah. It asked for the ban because of the song’s “obscene lyrics.”
“I see this as a serious matter as the song is being sung by young people without knowing the real meaning of the words,” said Amanah official Atriza Umar.
“Despacito” has been a huge international hit, reaching the top of the charts in 35 countries. It’s the most successful Spanish-language pop song ever, getting 4.6 billion streams (as of this writing) on the top platforms.
The song has become so big, a woman has remixed it with her husband snoring.