How 'Despacito' Became The Song Of The Summer

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The song "Despacito" is taking the summer by storm.

The hit, featuring Justin Bieber, has been on Billboard's Top 100 list for eight weeks straight.

"It's just so catchy and the Spanish part – I really like Spanish music," one woman said.

"It's something that you can dance to," a man added.

And sing along to, even if you can't understand the lyrics, since most of them are in Spanish.

Luis Fonsi wrote the hit song, which is one of the first-ever Spanish language songs to top the American summer charts. It's a song and a beat that just popped into his head.

"That morning, I woke up with 'Despacito, nah, nah, nah…' It was so clear," he said.

Then after the song was recorded, Bieber hears it in a club and reaches out to Fonsi. Within 24 hours, they recorded the remix.

So what does it take to create a smash hit?

CBS2's Marc Liverman spoke with music expert and agent Rick Eberle to find out. He said you definitely want an upbeat song that people can dance to, and it doesn't hurt to add a little Latin flavor.

"The Latin beat has really come back. You know the dah, dah, dah…" he said. "It just makes people start moving."

Eberle said creating the perfect summer hit all comes down to three things: the beat, the melody and some really catchy lyrics.

"If you have all three, then you have a triumphant – you have the three musketeers," he said. "They're all going together, they're all playing together in perfect harmony. So that's what makes a hit."

He said "Despacito" has all that.

But it's not everyone's first choice for the song of the summer.

"It was the Summer of '69," one man suggested instead.

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