Super Bowl 2020: Meaning Revealed Behind Shakira’s ‘Tongue Thing’

Shakira’s tongue-wagging during the Super Bowl 2020 halftime show may have inspired plenty of memes, but the moment that became all the craze on social media holds cultural significance. In between performances of her biggest hits and a bit of belly dancing, the Colombian songstress looked directly into the camera, wiggled her tongue, and made a high-pitched sound that drew comparisons to Spongebob’s victory screech or a turkey getting pardoned, among many others.

The movement and vocalization, however, was a tribute to her Lebanese heritage – her father is Lebanese – and is actually a traditional Arab vocal expression known as a “zaghrouta.” According to Arab America, a zaghrouta “is best described in English as ‘Ululation’” and “is a form of a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound representing trills of joy.” It is commonly performed in weddings, parties and celebrations.

As many viewers flocked to social media to comment on the moment, others were quick to defend it, pointing out its cultural significance and praising Shakira for performing a zaghrouta on national TV.

“Chiming in because I know everyone will be making jokes about this for days — this is a popular Arab tradition, called zaghrouta, used to express joy at celebrations,” explained one viewer. “In the melting pot that is Miami, you could not have picked a better Super Bowl act and this was a lovely touch.”

“shakira’s lebanese side snapped today,” added another.

“You really have to understand how huge Shakira’s performance was for the Middle Eastern community,” wrote one person. “She had belly dancing, a mijwiz and a derbeke, performed ‘Ojos Asi’ which was one of the few Shakira songs to have Arabic in it, did a Zaghrouta, all love on the biggest stage.”

“Shakira was all we had for the longest time,” that same user went on to write. “Every Middle Eastern American, especially Lebanese, pointed to Shakira as the one entertainer with massive global appeal and popularity. To have our culture and our rhythms represented up there, even in the smallest way, is massive.”

“Shakira representing all us Arabs at [Super Bowl LIV]!!” tweeted someone else. “Showcasing the traditional way for Arabs to express happiness or joy. This is called zaghrouta.”

The performance of a zaghrouta wasn’t the only moment of cultural importance throughout the performance. As Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter took the stage, she was caged, with several other cages on the field with children inside, a possible reference to the border crisis.