Songs of the south

Maybe you've just arrived in Spain and would like to investigate the history of the Spanish music scene but don't know where to start? Well, you've come to the right place - here's a handy top 5 chart to set you on your merry way.

At number five it was a toss-up between Los Piratas with the song Los Años 80 and Vetusta Morla with Copenhague. In the end, I've plumped for the latter because of the beautifully soaring vocal of the improbably named lead singer Pucho. It's a great performance.

Next, it's Ojos de Gata by Los Secretos. The song's provenance is a little hazy, apparently involving the singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina (whose voice makes Tom Waits sound like Barbara Streisand) and some words scribbled on the back of a serviette in a late-night bar in Madrid. Anyway, it tells a story - as all great songs do - about, er, a late-night bar in Madrid.

At number three we must include Triana (named after the district of Seville from which they hailed) and their song Tu Frialdad. If you've never chomped on a campero in a dilapidated cafeteria in the back-of-beyond somewhere with this song playing in the background, I think it's fair to say you haven't really visited Spain yet. Such antics are not something you'd see advertised very often in a cruise ship brochure, let's put it that way.

In with a bullet at number two in this extremely unofficial Best of Spanish Music chart is Miguel Ríos with the song Santa Lucía, which was actually written by the Argentinian Roque Narvaja, but Ríos himself is from Granada, so it counts. It's just a fine song with a chorus you'll be humming all day if you catch it early in the morning. And for the next few days after that, more than likely. 'Por favor/Dame una cita/Vamos al parque..'. Doh! I'll be singing it all day myself now.

And so, to the number one. In a chart rundown of the best of Spanish music, there can never be any doubt about which finishes on top. Not only is it the most beautiful piece of Spanish music ever written, but one of the most moving ever written anywhere. The second movement of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is simply exquisite - a composition destined to stop you in your tracks whatever you might be doing at the time. The story behind it is too profound to be dealt with superficially here but the depth of emotion laid bare right from the first guitar chord strum is otherworldly. I recommend Paco de Lucía's performance of the piece, although there are many fine offerings available.

Well, I hope that helps as something of a guide if you're about to navigate the labyrinth which is Spanish musical culture.

Oh, one more thing - if anyone at any point mentions something called the Macarena, run fast and run far.