How Colombia’s December Hit “La Colegiala” Conquered Europe Charts

December music is a staple in Colombia during the holiday season. This genre, more accurately a musical category, serves as the soundtrack to the end of the year. It features hits from major Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, and Vallenato artists. Among these, no song captures the season’s spirit quite like Rodolfo Aicardi’s “La Colegiala.”

Some artists behind these hits are globally recognized, such as salsa legend Joe Arroyo and vallenato star Diomedes Díaz. However, cumbia singer Rodolfo Aicardi, while less known internationally, remains a defining figure of December music in Colombia.

How Colombia’s most iconic December song was composed

In 1975, Walter León Aguilar composed “La Colegiala,” a song about a young man falling in love with a schoolgirl. At the time, León Aguilar led a Peruvian band called Los Ilusionistas.

The song gained traction in the Andean region and reached Colombia in 1980, during a tropical music boom. By then, Rodolfo Aicardi was already a prominent figure in Colombian tropical music, with hits like “Cariñito,” “Adonay,” and “El Papelito Blanco.” Known more as an interpreter than a songwriter, Aicardi had a knack for finding songs he could turn into hits.

In an interview with the BBC, Juan Carlos Diez, a musician in Aicardi’s orchestra at the time, recounted the urgency behind recording “La Colegiala.” The studio insisted it had to hit the radio before the Peruvian version gained popularity. The recording was completed in a single afternoon, and the first copies were pressed and distributed the next day.

Aicardi’s version of “La Colegiala” incorporated Colombian elements, such as timbales and trumpets, which helped make it an instant hit. Despite being released in the mid-1980s, the song quickly became a December staple in Colombia, appearing in end-of-year music compilations. It holds a similar cultural significance to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in the United States.

La Colegiala took Aicardi and his orchestra across the Atlantic

Cumbia is a popular genre across South America, uniting the continent with its diverse national variations. It’s no surprise that Rodolfo Aicardi and his orchestra toured extensively in countries like Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

What stands out, however, is how “La Colegiala” took Aicardi beyond South America, earning him international recognition in Spain, Italy, and France. The song’s success in South America led to its inclusion in instant coffee commercials, some of which aired in France. By 1986, a French advertising agency played an extended five-minute version of the song in Paris movie theaters before films.

The exposure “La Colegiala” gained in Paris propelled Aicardi and his orchestra to perform at the Olympia Theatre, where they received a gold record. The overwhelming turnout led to three consecutive nights of performances, including a show with renowned French singer Charles Aznavour.

The song’s popularity also inspired Italian and Dutch versions, performed by Fausto Papetti and Sandra Reemer, respectively. Rodolfo Aicardi, who helped make “La Colegiala” a global hit and earned a gold record for his efforts, passed away in 2007 due to health complications. However, his orchestra, La Típica RA7, continues to preserve his legacy and keep “La Colegiala” alive.