The Spice Is Right: Song Lyric Sunday

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“Spice It Up”

This week at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Spice It Up” and our challenge is to write about a song that mentions a spice. This seems like a rather broad category and I can think of half a dozen songs right off the top of my head that are extremely popular and mention some type of spice in the lyrics. With that in mind, it became my goal to feature a song and an artist that isn’t the obvious choice.

Those of you who have been with me for a while know I’m a huge fan of parodies, especially those done by the incomparable Weird Al Yankovic. You may also recall that last year, I hosted a series called Weird Al Wednesday which was a big hit with my fellow Weirdos. I thought it would be fun to bring Al back again this week for our spice theme. Here’s a link in case you don’t know the difference between Al Yankovic, Al Gore, or Al Pacino. 😎

Ok, let’s get this show on the road!

The Weird Al song I have chosen this week is “Taco Grande”, a parody of the hit “Rico Suave” by Gerardo, an Ecuadorian-born American singer, rapper, actor, and music executive turned Christian pastor best known for his 1990 hit single which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. By blending rap and Latin pop, this Spanglish track became a cultural touchstone, making Gerardo a 90s sex symbol. The literal translation of “rico suave” is “rich smooth” and is a slang term used to describe a sharp dressed, cool, and confident Latin ladies’ man. As you might have guessed, the song is about a smooth-talking, arrogant Latin lover who juggles multiple women, often arrives late for dates, and acts incredibly self-assured.

As was my custom while presenting Weird Al Wednesday, I will first share the original song followed by Weird Al’s parody; Al’s cover, which is coming up after this, is the song I have chosen for Jim’s Spice It Up theme.

This is “Rico Suave” by Gerardo

LYRICS

¡Rico!
Suave
¡Rico!
Suave

Seguro que han o ído que yo soy educado
Soy un caballerito un chico bien portado
Un joven responsible why siempre bien vestido
Yo no se quien ha mentido

I don’t drink or smoke ain’t into dope
Won’t try no coke, ask me how I do it, I cope
My only addiction has to do with the female species
I eat ’em raw like sushi

No me gustan ternos, mi estilo es moderno
Si me enterno, you me enfermo
Mi apariencia es dura, vivo en la locura
No me vengan con ternuras

So please don’t judge a book by its cover
There’s more to being a latin lover
You got to know how to deal with a woman
That won’t let go
The price you pay for being a gigolo

¡Rico!
Suave
¡Rico!
Suave

There’s not a woman that can handle
A man like me
That’s why I juggle two or three

I ain’t one to commit, you can omit that bit
You pop the question that’s it
Haber uno, dos, tres, cuatro mujeres
why la situaci à all í no muere
No es un delito calmo mi apetito
Con un llanto o un grito

So again don’t let my lyrics mislead you
I don’t love you but I need you
Would you rather have me lie
Take a piece of your pie and say bye
Or be honest and rub your thighs

¡Rico!
Suave
¡Rico!
Suave

Well, it’s ten o’clock and I’m two hours late
I never said I was a prompt date
But you kept persisting that I meet your parents
Huh, they’re going to love my appearance

Ding dong el timbre suena
Tu madre abre, que vieja mas buena
Le digo ¡Hola! Pero no para bola
Que se ha creido vieja chola

Go and serve the food mom

If you don’t hurry, me va a dar un calambre
why usted se Ãor? Why’s your chin on the floor?
Sierra la boca por favor

What’s this amor, these little huevos?
Esto sí que yo no pruebo

I’m used to good ol’ fashioned
Homestyle Spanish cooking
If i try that I’ll be puking
Well it’s been a pleasure but we got to go
Regresaremos temprano
Cinco, seis, o siete de la maÃana
Su hija esta en buenas manos

¡Rico!
Suave…….

^{Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Alberto Slezynger/Christian Warren/Gerardo E Mejia/Rosa H Soy
Rico Suave lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC}

Now it’s time to Spice It Up! Released on Al Yankovic’s album Off the Deep End, “Taco Grande” shifts the original song’s swaggering theme to an over-the-top obsession with Mexican food and visiting a Mexican restaurant. Al describes eating massive amounts of food …. including burritos, fajitas, and taquitos …. to the point where he can no longer fit into his clothes. The bridge of the song features a fast-paced, spoken-word Spanish rap cameo by comedian Cheech Marin of Cheech and Chong fame. While an official stand alone music video was never filmed, Al humorously dubbed the audio of “Taco Grande” over Gerardo’s original “Rico Suave” music video during an Al TV special. In an interview on MTV, Gerardo commented that Al’s cover of “Rico Suave” was “funny” and made him “very happy”; the two performers have maintained a friendly relationship decades after “Taco Grande” was released in 1992.

This is “Taco Grande” by Weird Al Yankovic (Same video, different lyrics)

LYRICS

Taco
Grande
Taco
Grande

Yo quiero chimichangas y chile colorado
Yo tengo el dinero para un steak picado
Las flautas y tamales, siempre muy bueno
Y el chile relleno

You see, I just gotta have a tostada, carne asada
That’s right, I want the whole enchilada
My only addiction has to do with a flour tortilla
I need a quesadilla

I love to stuff my face with tacos al carbón
With my friends, or when I’m all alone
Yo tengo mucho hambre y ahora lo quiero
Un burrito ranchero

So give me something spicy and hot, now
Break out the menu, what you got, now?
Oh, would you tell the waiter I’d like to have sour cream on the side
You better make sure the beans are refried

Taco
Grande
Taco
Grande

Well, there’s not a taco big enough for a man like me
That’s why I order two or three
Let me give you a tip, just try a nacho chip
It’s really good with bean dip

I eat uno, dos, tres, cuatro burritos
Pretty soon I can’t fit in my Speedos
Well, I hope they feed us lots of chicken fajitas
And a pitcher of margaritas

Well, the combination plates all come with beans and rice
The taquitos here are very nice
Now I’m down on my knees, we need some extra tomatoes and cheese
And could you make that separate checks, please?

Taco
Grande
Taco
Grande

“Buenos noches, señor. bienvenido a Enrico’s Casa de Salsa
[Good evening, sir. Welcome to Enrico’s Casa de Salsa]
Tenemos muchos platos muy sabrosos
[We have many very tasty dishes]
Si puedo recomendar el ardiente pollo al infierno muy delicioso
[If I may recommend the fiery ‘Chicken from Hell’ – it’s delicious]
Sus ojos se quemarán, su estomago estará en fuego
[Your eyes will burn, your stomach will be on fire]
Se quedarán en el baño por una semana
[You’ll be stuck in the bathroom for a week]
Entiendes lo que digo gringo estúpido tonto?”
[Do you understand what I’m saying, you stupid, foolish gringo?]

Well, the food is coming, I can hardly wait
Now watch your fingers, careful hot plate!
What you think you’re doing with my chile con queso?
Well, if you want some, just say so

Oh boy, pico de gallo!
They sure don’t make it like this in Ohio
No gracias, yo quiero jalapeños, nada más
You can toss away the hot sauce

¿Dónde están los nachos? Holy frijole!
You better get me a bowl of guacamole!
¿Y usted, Eugene? Why’s your face turning green?
Don’t you like pinto bean?

You want some more cinnamonn crispas?
If you don’t, hasta la vista
Just take the rest home in a doggie bag if you wanna
You can finish it mañana

Well, it’s been a pleasure, I can’t eat no more
Señor, la cuenta, por favor
If you ain’t tried real Mexican cooking, well, you oughta
Just don’t drink the water!

Taco
Grande……..

^{Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Christian Warren/Gerardo Mejia/Albert Yankovic/Rosa H Soy/Alberto Slezynger}

Spice It Up

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow his link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some fun music today. I hope you enjoyed the theme for this week as well as the information and music I featured.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2026

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}