Rata de dos patas: Mexico’s famous insult song

Summary

Witness History: "Rata de dos patas – Mexico’s Famous Insult Song"

Date: June 26, 2026
Host: Helen Ledwick (BBC World Service)
Guest: Manuel Eduardo Toscano (Composer)
Duration: ~9 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Witness History" spotlights the creation and cultural impact of "Rata de dos patas," a Mexican classic renowned for its biting insults and female empowerment themes. Through the recollections of composer Manuel Eduardo Toscano and archival moments, listeners are taken backstage to the song’s origins, its meteoric rise, and its hidden political subtext. Central to the story is the legendary singer Paquita La del Barrio, whose performance turned this audacious composition into an anthem.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: A Legendary Performance

• [00:04–01:40]
  • Helen Ledwick introduces the importance of witness accounts and sets the stage at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City in 2000.
  • The focus is on Paquita La del Barrio, described as "legendary," mesmerizing thousands with her presence.

2. The Composer’s Epiphany

• [01:40–02:52]
  • Manuel Eduardo Toscano recounts attending Paquita's concert and observing the audience's electrified reaction to her more biting, sarcastic songs (notably “Me saluda, Sala Tuya”).
  • The effect of these songs inspires the idea for a song composed entirely of insults.

“I heard her sing and I noticed that every time she sang a sweet song, people applauded. But… when she sang Me Saluda, Sala Tuya ... the people shouted and screamed…”
— Manuel Eduardo Toscano [01:57–02:34]

3. Birth of “Rata de dos patas”

• [02:52–03:48]
  • Toscano writes "Rata de dos patas," a song comprising relentless insults ("filthy rat, crawling animal, scum of life…").
  • Initially, even Paquita hesitates, calling the song “too strong.”

“Son, the song is nice, but I'm not gonna record it because it's too strong.”
— Paquita La del Barrio, as recalled by Toscano [03:34–03:48]

4. Putting It to the Test

• [03:48–04:34]
  • Paquita tries “Rata de dos patas” at her Mexico City restaurant to a live audience. The immense applause convinces her to record.
  • She asks Toscano not to share the song with anyone else.

“She said, son, it's so good to see you. Yes, I'm going to record the song about the little animals. She told me not to give it to anyone else.”
— Toscano [04:44–05:00]

5. Release and Meteoric Success

• [05:00–06:00]
  • The song debuts on radio in 2001 and “within days” becomes a sensation.
  • Toscano describes unexpectedly high royalties and the celebratory mood in his household.

“I expected, for example, I don't know, maybe $10,000. And they went over $100,000. So I said, wow, this really is a success.”
— Toscano [05:33–06:00]

6. A Female Empowerment Anthem

• [06:00–06:47]
  • The song’s ruthless lyrics resonate deeply with women, earning Paquita the title “defender of women.”
  • Unlike other songs, this one is “blow after blow,” with no conciliatory lines—pure venting.

"First I hit you, then I soot you. First I make the wound, then I apply the medicine. But here, no, here it was blow after blow after blow. And women loved that more than anything.”
— Toscano [06:18–06:47]

7. Global Reach and Lasting Legacy

• [06:47–08:32]
  • “Rata de dos patas” becomes a hit far beyond Mexico — popular in Latin America, Spain, and worldwide (noted: over 50 million Spotify streams by 2025).
  • In a 2014 interview, Paquita explains fans’ curiosity about her lyrics and the song’s magnetism.

8. The Secret Political Origin

• [07:29–07:58]
  • Toscano reveals the original inspiration: Mexico’s former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari, and the public’s perception of his presidency.

"That's where the song came from, the idea of the two legged rat... I have and still have a lot of respect for politics, but I said, well, I'm going to write a song."
— Toscano [07:29–07:58]

9. Toscano’s Personal Attachment

• [08:32–09:13]
  • Toscano describes performing the song himself, acting out each insult, and likens his songs (and “Rata de dos patas” especially) to his daughters.

“When I perform it at events, that's where I really act it out... I love this song like a daughter. That's what I call my songs. And this one has given me enormous satisfaction."
— Toscano [08:32–09:13]

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Memorable Quotes

• Crowd’s Reaction:
  “The people shouted and screamed ... it's more of a sarcastic goodbye. The crowd loves it.”
  — Helen Ledwick [02:34–02:52]

• Paquita’s Reluctance:
  “Son, the song is nice, but I'm not gonna record it because it's too strong.”
  — Toscano quoting Paquita [03:48]

• Political Inspiration:
  "...the man who was the president at that time was named Salinas de Gortari. People said he wasn't doing things well. That's where the song came from…”
  — Toscano [07:29]

• On Success:
  “So we celebrated. But we celebrated even more when the first royalties arrived… they went over $100,000. So I said, wow, this really is a success.”
  — Toscano [05:33–06:00]

• Personal Attachment:
  “I love this song like a daughter. That’s what I call my songs. And this one has given me enormous satisfaction.”
  — Toscano [08:32–09:13]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction to Witness History and episode theme
• [01:40] Toscano describes the 2000 Paquita concert
• [02:52] Toscano decides to write an insults-only song
• [03:48] Paquita's initial rejection and eventual adoption of the song
• [05:00] "Rata de dos patas" released, immediate radio success
• [06:18] Song’s special resonance with women and shift in Paquita’s image
• [07:29] True inspiration revealed—Mexico’s president Salinas de Gortari
• [08:32] Toscano describes performing the song and its meaning to him
• [09:13] Closing thoughts, legacy, and continued popularity

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, candid, and vivid in the retelling of events.
• The episode features both reflective nostalgia and humorous self-awareness, with a distinctly Mexican cultural lens on music, politics, and society.

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Conclusion

The episode illustrates how "Rata de dos patas" captured both outrage and empowerment, turning a scathing political metaphor into a cathartic cultural phenomenon. Through the voices of those who lived it, listeners gain rare insight into the song’s journey from backstage uncertainty to global karaoke staple. The legacy of both Paquita La del Barrio and composer Manuel Eduardo Toscano shines as a testament to the enduring power of art that dares to speak boldly.

Transcript

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

Foreign.

[Helen Ledwick]

Hello, this is Witness History from the BBC World Service. I'm Helen Ledwick and if this is already one of your favorite podcasts, then feel free to skip ahead a bit. But if you're listening for the very first time, then welcome. I want to tell you a bit more about us. We look at a moment in history told by the people who are actually there. Amazing stories mixed with incredible archive and just nine minutes long. So. So if that sounds like your kind of thing, hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts and turn on your push notifications so you never miss an episode. This is the story behind one of Mexico's most recognizable songs. A song that has echoed across stages, bars and living rooms for the past 25 years. A song that almost never was. Rata de dos Patas. We're going back to the year 2000 to the Auditorio Nacional, a huge concert venue in Mexico City. An audience of thousands sits mesmerized by the woman on stage. She's the famous Mexican singer Paquita La Dal Barrio. And when I say famous, I mean legendary. In her 50s, with cropped blonde hair and red lips, Paquita's wearing a black floor length gown covered in crystals, microphone in hand, dark eyebrows furrowed as she sings.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

The auditorium was absolutely packed. Paquita had this gift. Wherever she appeared, people came.

[Helen Ledwick]

Manuel Eduardo Toscano is sitting in the audience. He's a composer and he's already writing songs for Paquita. But tonight he spots something.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

La oigo canter. I heard her sing and I noticed that every time she sang a sweet song, people applauded. But.

[Helen Ledwick]

But Paquita is really famous for singing about heartbreak and betrayal. Bold, unapologetic songs that call out macho culture and unfaithful men. And when she sings those songs, the reaction is very different.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

When she sang Me Saluda, Sala Tuya,

[Helen Ledwick]

the people shouted and screamed, me saludas a la tuya. In English, say hi to yours for me. It sounds polite, but it isn't. Let's say it's more of a sarcastic goodbye. The crowd loves it. It's a light bulb moment for Manuel.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

People were shouting and I wonder what would happen if Paquita La del Barrio recorded Rata de dos patas for me.

[Helen Ledwick]

Rata de dos. Two legged rat. Manuel has written a song where the lyrics are made up entirely of insults.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

Filthy rat. Crawling animal. Scum of life. Badly made monstrosity.

[Helen Ledwick]

It's punch after punch without apology. Vermin, poisonous serpents. Waste of life. If the audience is screaming now what if Paquita recorded that? Manuel decides to offer her the song.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

But what do you think? The next time I saw her, she said, son, the song is nice, but I'm not gonna record it because it's too strong.

[Helen Ledwick]

Even for Paquit. Rata de dos Patas is too much. With its leeches, cockroaches, and hyena from hell, Manuel thinks it's destined to stay in a drawer forever. But Paquita owns a restaurant in Mexico City. It's where she tries out new material. And it turns out she hasn't quite given up on rata.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

One day, there was an event with a lot of people in her restaurant, and she sang it, and the applause was massive. Someone told her, paquita, you have to record this song. And that's when she decided she was going to do it. And whatever happens, the next time Manuel

[Helen Ledwick]

sees Paquita is at a Palenque, one of Mexico's big traditional concert venues. She walks straight over and delivers the news.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

She said, son, it's so good to see you. Yes, I'm going to record the song about the little animals. She told me not to give it to anyone else. She took it, kept it, recorded it.

[Helen Ledwick]

The song about the little animals, Rata de dos Patas, is released in 2001 and has its first play on radio.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

They told me your song started playing this morning, and before long, all the other radio stations were asking the record company for it. I don't think it even took four or five days. Maybe I'm exaggerating, say eight for the song to win over the public. It was already a hit.

[Helen Ledwick]

So what does Manuel do?

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

At home? We are very fond of celebrating. For the smallest reason, we're celebrating. So we celebrated. But we celebrated even more when the first royalties arrived. Because I expected, for example, I don't know, maybe $10,000. And they went over $100,000. So I said, wow, this really is a success.

[Helen Ledwick]

Rata de dos Patas, a relentless string of insults, becomes Paquita's signature tune and one of Manuel's biggest successes as a composer. It's the ultimate revenge song. And Manuel's instinct was right. It was exactly what audiences wanted.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

The other songs were sweet in parts. First I hit you, then I soot you. First I make the wound, then I apply the medicine. But here, no, here it was blow after blow after blow. And women loved that more than anything. With that song, women turned Paquita into something else. They called her the defender of women.

[Helen Ledwick]

And it doesn't stop at Mexico the song finds fans across Latin America and beyond. This is paquita speaking to TVR's TECA in2014. She's talking about her first visit to Spain. She says women in the audience would ask her where she gets her lyrics and she'd tell them from the composer. People were captivated. But there's something else, something Manuel didn't share publicly until years later. Despite becoming an anthem of female empowerment, the true inspiration for the song was not men exactly, but one man, a former president.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

In those years here in Mexico, we had a president of the Republic. The man who was the president at that time was named Salinas de Gortari. People said he wasn't doing things well. That's where the song came from, the idea of the two legged rat. I have and still have a lot of respect for politics, but I said, well, I'm going to write a song. And that's how it began.

[Helen Ledwick]

Former president Carlos Salinas de Gothari has always defended the record of his administration. Over the years, Manuel and Paquita end up recording more than 80 songs together, their creative partnership becoming a close friendship. Paquita La del Barrio died in 2025, but the song she made famous is still everywhere. A karaoke favorite and loved on social media, Rata de dos Patas has been streamed more than 50 million times on Spotify. And Manuel, he's still singing it too.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

Cuando yo la canto en algunevento. When I perform it at events, that's where I really act it out. When I get to the insults. Filthy rat, crawling animal, scum of life, badly made monstrosity. And when I say cockroach, I pretend to crush one under my foot. I love this song like a daughter. That's what I call my songs. And this one has given me enormous satisfaction.

[Helen Ledwick]

Manuel Eduardo Toscano lives in the town of Catimaco in the southern Mexican state of Veracruz, and he's still writing music. He was speaking to me, Helen Ledwick, for Witness History from the BBC World Service. And if you enjoyed that, we have lots more episodes about music like Clara Nunes, Queen of Samba, 50 years of ABBA, or even President Clinton Plays the Sax in Prague. Make sure you hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Thanks for listening.

[Narrator]

From the brilliant and bizarre, it was really surreal.

[Interviewee or Additional Commentator]

It was a surreal kind of atmosphere there.

[Manuel Eduardo Toscano]

You couldn't really see anybody.

[Narrator]

To the shocking and unexpected.

[Interviewee or Additional Commentator]

I'm just wondering, what are we going to do now? This was really my worst fear. He found 100 horsemen. That was labeled as beef.

[Narrator]

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[Helen Ledwick]

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[Narrator]

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