Casi un Hechizo (1992) – Jerry Rivera

The baby of salsa is back! Jerry Rivera’s music almost single-handedly brought romantic salsa to a worldwide audience in the 1990s. Influenced by his musically gifted parents and mentored by icons like Frankie Ruiz, the Puerto Rican’s breakthrough came with the album Cuenta Conmigo (1992) – one of the best-selling salsa records in history, which also features today’s track. Unlike the hard-edged salsa dura of the previous generation, Rivera’s style softened the genre’s toughness with melody, tenderness, and sentiment – making him not only a hitmaker but a cultural bridge between salsa’s golden era and its romantic revival.

When I first came to Colombia back in 2009, Jerry Rivera was one of the first Latin artists whose music I instantly connected with. To this day, his songs are still a staple on Colombian airwaves. I feel a real nostalgia toward tracks like Casi un Hechizo – not just for their charm, but because they remind me of my early days immersing myself in Latin culture and its vibrant, animated life.

My project already features quite a few Jerry Rivera tracks – such is my fondness for his music. He’s often regarded as the prince of salsa romántica, or salsa rosa, a subgenre that emerged in the mid-1980s. The “rose” in salsa rosa is a fitting symbol – delicate, fragrant, and romantic. These songs lean toward themes of love, seduction, and emotional longing, painting softer portraits of masculinity compared to the fiery energy of salsa brava or salsa clásica. Critics sometimes dismiss this style of salsa as “watered down,” saying it’s made less for the dance floor than for a slow, lingering embrace. But hey, that doesn’t sound so bad to me.

Casi un Hechizo captures that magnetic pull between two lovers – one that borders on the supernatural, as though love itself has cast a spell. It tells of a man completely captivated by the magical presence of his partner. Every glance, every word she speaks, enchants him further. Her love holds such power that he can no longer tell whether he’s living in reality or within her spell. Casi un Hechizo becomes Rivera’s declaration of devotion and surrender – a celebration of how love can blur the line between the spiritual and the physical.

[Intro]
Mi amor, una vez más soñé contigo
Y a la verdad, necesito decirte

[Pre-Coro]
Mira mis manos, tiemblan así por ti
Sé que tiemblas por mí
Siento el encanto de una noche entre tus brazos
Ven y dame al fin de tu amor, de tu corazón
Que ya es hora de ser feliz
Mira mis ojos, brillan así por ti
Te deseo a morir
Mira la gente, mira la gran ciudad
Se detienen por ti y por mí si nos ven besar
Sonriendo dirán: “Qué par de locos”

[Coro]
Darme un beso así
Es ir al paraíso
Es casi un hechizo
Darme un beso así
Me llena de calma
Me llega hasta el alma

[Verso 1]
Mira mis labios, acércate un poco más, de manera casual
Muerde un suspiro, aprovecha mi descuido
Ven, bésame sin dudar
Sin hablar, dame más calor
Lléname de tu amor
Te necesito

[Coro]

[Refrán]
Dame un beso así
Que me llegue hasta el alma y me haga perder la calma
Dame un beso así
Que lo que esconden tus labios quiero descubrir
Dame un beso así
Llévame hasta el paraíso
Dame un beso así
Porque yo quiero ser parte de tu dulce hechizo
Dame un beso así
Oye, tu boca en mi boca quisiera tener
Dame un beso así
Mira que brillan mis ojos y te deseo, mujer

[Refrán]
Dame un beso así
Bésame ahora mismo aunque hable la gente
Dame un beso así
Si estamos locos de amor, que comenten
Dame un beso así
Necesito de tu amor, lléname de tu calor
Dame un beso así
Que no exista la duda de que este amor es una locura
Dame un beso así
Acércate niña linda que yo te quiero sentir
Dame un beso así
Y si notas que yo tiemblo, estoy temblando por ti
Dame un beso así
Dame agua de tu fuente, estoy sediento de ti
Dame un beso así
No me hagas desfallacer, dame un beso, please

References:
1. Jerry Rivera – Wikipedia

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand