It’s spring, and you know what that means — time for some spring lovin’. After a long Canadian winter, nothing gets the blood flowing more than some warm weather, and little more than a sunny day seems a perfectly acceptable reason to take your clothes off.
So here’s a list of sexy tunes guaranteed to help get you in the mood, or take you deeper down the garden path.
Happy spring, lovers. Or, as they used to say in those swinging '70s, let’s get it on!
1. Bonde do Rolê, "Kilo."
Let’s start in Brazil, definitely one of the sexiest places on Earth, and the band Bonde do Rolê. With an album produced by Diplo titled Tropical/Bacanal, you’d be correct to expect some pretty overt action. (Note: if you’re thinking longingly of one of your colleagues, you might be interested in one of their older songs, “Office Boy.”) Here's one of their latest numbers, a song called “Kilo.” Disclaimer: immodest behavior involving tropical fruit.
2. Tim Maia, “Que Belleza.”
Turning to a more traditional form of Brazilian hubba hubba, we move to Tim Maia, a legendary soul brother who knew a thing or two about loving; he was married five different times during his legendary life. We could easily start with his song “Venha Dormir em Casa” ("Come Sleep at My Place"), but let’s go with a real classic, “Que Belleza."
3. Julieta Venegas, "Eres Para Mí."
Mexican singer Julieta Venegas knows a thing or two about how to write a sexy love song. She sure spiced it up when she asked Spanish rapper Mala Rodriguez to add even more sass to the song “Eres Para Mí” ("You Are Meant for Me.") By the way, if you like Rodriguez and want to see more of her, she also gets quite cuddly with a monster in “Un Corazon.”
4. Fela Kuti, rare footage from 1971.
Afrobeat may have a political heart, but don’t let anyone ever tell you it’s not also about the sex. Afrobeat grooves go on for 15, 20 or even 30 minutes — with relentless rhythm and multiple, uh, climaxes. If you've ever been lucky enough to see Fela Kuti or even his son, Femi, perform, you'll know that while the musicians play for hours, the dancers move their bodies in ways previously thought impossible. The audio in this clip is not great, but the sensuality of Fela, his band and his dancers — many of whom were his wives — is intense.
5. Femi Kuti, "Beng Beng Beng."
Femi Kuti carries the political torch of his father, but he can also get rather overt in an apolitical direction in some of his lyrics. For instance, this subtly titled song, “Beng Beng Beng.”
6. Bob Marley, "Kinky Reggae."
It's probably safe to say that no one wants boring sex. And it's definitely safe to say that some prefer it not be "vanilla." Who better than Bob Marley to remind you kinky has its place? Famous as much for his music as for his loving, Marley sings here about "going downtown, seeing Miss Brown and she’s got brown sugar all over her booga wooga."
7. Natasha Atlas, "I Put a Spell on You."
From kinky to spooky, with a darkly sexy mix of the exotic and the possessive, Natasha Atlas puts her unforgettable stamp on the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic, “I Put a Spell on You.” She adds an Arabic beat, serious groove and even some passionate yodels.
8. Goran Bregović, "Sex."
Goran Bregović has a Croatian father and a Serbian mother, and he's an absolute legend in the Balkans. This song, "Sex," may actually be sung in Romani and I'll admit I'm not sure what the lyrics say. But the song's one-word chorus certainly seems to make it a fit in the Let's Get It On playlist. (Interestingly, a fan of Bregović created this video.)
9. Gogol Bordello, “Think Locally, F--k Globally.”
Sex, politics and the Balkans equals Gogol Bordello, who gets frenetically aggressive with this song. One for the punk rock lovers: “Think Locally, F--k Globally." (Disclaimer: consider the title before exposing your tender ears.)
10. Gotan Project, "Una Musica Brutal."
If you feel like you need a shower after watching Gogol Bordello's frontman, Eugene Hütz, sweat all over the stage, we've got something more along the sensual lines for you. Gotan Project, the kings of tango nuevo, had their song used in an Antonio Banderas film, Take the Lead. Despite that fact, it’s still pretty sexy.
11. Solange, "Losing You."
Admittedly, this hit single from Solange is a bit of a breakup tune, but hey, breakups can have their own weird moments of hotness. For those wanting some of the less salacious details about this video, note that it was filmed in South Africa and inspired by the fashions of Le Sape Society in the Republic of the Congo.
12. Nana Kinomi & Leo Beats, "Suki Sa Suki Sa Suki Sa."
And finally, we leave you with a song featuring that 1960s staple of the sexy song — the occasional sexy moan. Dig this Japanese take on 1960s pop and bossa nova.
While compiling this list of sexy world music songs for spring, I asked a few colleagues for some of their favs.
Rich Terfry, host of CBC Radio 2's Drive, recommended a song by Ghanaian rapper Zigi.
Mark Wigmore, the director of Drive, keeps it classy with a collaboration between Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra.
Jeanette Cabral, who manages the R&B/Soul page on CBC Music, chose Caetano Veloso's seductive cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."
Librarian Lorne Shapiro recommends some of the selections above, as well as Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow singing "Salome."
World and Jazz community page manager Li Robbins likes the double entendre of Lila Downs grinding the mole.
And Odario Williams fondly remembers growing up in the '80s and listening to his father drop the needle on Gregory Isaacs's "Night Nurse."
What are some of your favourite sexy songs for spring? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.
Follow CBC World Music on Twitter: @CBCWorldMusic
Related:
Autumn lovin', the seduction playlist