american music in spain

In going out on the weekends here in Madrid I've found myself getting into a lot of conversations that often end up being about music. I think it's amazing the way that music can give rise to connections between people, even on an international level. These conversations always end up feeling genuine, despite the language barrier. This shows the true power of music. On my very first day here I found that the radio stations were dominated by new American pop hits. But the conversations i've had with people regarding music are often about more alternative (less popular music), as well as music from the 90s. It seems that this attraction to American music in Spain has been present for quite a while.
On Friday we went to a bar that had "Rock and Roll" in the name. The walls were covered with posters of bands ranging from AC/DC to Led Zeppelin. I made a request to the bartender for an American song upon his offering to let me do so. But he decided that "Tonight we play Spanish music". He was trying to expose me to something new- and it was eyeopening. There was heavy punk music playing, all in spanish, and it was reminiscent of the same music that I'd listened to in my youth. I found it wonderful to see the extreme similarities, speaking to the way that trends in music take over on a global scale. With his introduction of spanish punk music unto me, I decided to write him a list of American punk bands that he had never heard of. He loved it. It was great to see the way that music could act as a legitimate way of connecting to somebody despite only understanding 50% of what they are saying. I know that after leaving I had made a friend, and done him some good in terms of introducing new and interesting bands to him that I know he'll enjoy (it was in the same vain as what he was playing, and he clearly enjoyed American music). What I find a bit strange though is the fact that I wasn't interested in hearing the names of Spanish punk musicians he might recommend. As an American, I generally like to hear music that is in English, unless it presents an unfamiliar style such as latin guitar playing or something of that nature. I wonder why Spain is so interested in American music, yet Americans are generally less interested in Spanish music on such a large scale.
Anyway, these conversations about music have become a theme for me in my nighttime adventures in Spain and I'm sure they will continue. I am going to try to ask somebody what the big fascination with American music is- because while I enjoy it as an American, the bartender from Friday showed me that the similarities in Spanish music can be very strong- so why listen to music in English if you have similar alternatives in your own language? Hmmmmmm