If you thought “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee was just a fun-but-flimsy pop song, think again.

Over the past 12 months, the reggaeton track — which was nominated in three categories at the 2018 Grammys — slowly became a true phenomenon.

First, it conquered the Latin music world. But with the help of a Justin Bieber remix (essentially the same song, but with a Spanish vocal from the Canadian), it also went on to win the hearts of American pop fans, spending 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — equalling the previous record set by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” in 1995 and 1996.

“Fonsi is the biggest Boyz II Men fan,” says Andres Torres, who co-produced the song with long-term production partner Mauricio Rengifo. “He grew up listening to all of their songs, so for him, that’s a big compliment. I don’t think any of us dreamed of anything like this.”

But being on equal footing with Philly’s finest and Queen Mimi is just one layer of the “Despacito” effect. The song slays the dance floor every time, but it has also popped up at sports events, on TV shows and YouTube parodies, and has even had a role to play in politics. Here’s how “Despacito” changed the world.

It’s become political propaganda

Last summer, as Venezuela became plagued by violent anti-government protests, President Nicolás Maduro appeared on his weekly TV show to promote a highly controversial idea of rewriting the country’s constitution, which critics suggested was merely to extend his own power. Maduro’s Socialist Party even made its own unsanctioned remix of “Despacito” to underscore his message.

On the program, Maduro was seen gleefully clapping along to the remake, which featured such achingly hip new lyrics as, “it is the call to the Constituent that only wants to unite the country.” Fonsi was outraged and called Maduro’s regime a “dictatorial…joke” on social media, but it again underlined how “Despacito” had become more than just a song.

“It’s not cool that some politician tries to link themselves and their ideology to an artist who doesn’t even know them,” says Rengifo. “But when you have a song like ‘Despacito,’ you can’t control where it goes.”

Spanish class gets hip

When Justin Bieber recorded his vocal for the remix of “Despacito” (or “Slowly”), his commitment to getting it right meant working with a Spanish diction coach. But fear of mispronunciation didn’t stop fans from belting out their best “Ay, Bendito!” (“Oh my God!”).

“One time I was driving in Los Angeles, and everyone in the car next to me was singing along to the song,” Torres tells The Post. “They clearly didn’t speak Spanish, but were singing anyway. I didn’t want to say anything, but it made me proud that the song was making such an impact that people who didn’t understand the lyrics were singing along with all their hearts.”

Torres adds that since the song became successful, he’s even met people making a concerted effort to learn the language. “I met a guy who said he was inspired to learn from DuoLingo because of the song. It’s a cool thing to speak Spanish, now!”

Latin pop has gone mainstream

Any success as big as “Despacito” will inspire copycats, and the trend of American acts teaming up with Latin pop stars has continued. Beyoncé collaborated with J Balvin and Willy William on the excellent “Mi Gente,” while Fonsi is currently having another hit with “Échame La Culpa,” which features Demi Lovato.

“Despacito” also helped pave the way for the current success of Camila Cabello, whose salsa-influenced song “Havana” is currently riding high on the chart. “The cool thing about ‘Havana’ is that it’s not really like ‘Despacito’ — it approaches Latin music in a different way,” Rengifo tells The Post. “Latin culture is more of a reality in the US mainstream now.”

It’s been given the ‘Sesame Street’ treatment

You know you’ve made it when “Sesame Street” spoofs your song. “Fonsi said the other day that the people who make a true hit are kids,” says Rengifo. “So if a kid’s show does a version of the song, that’s a symptom of real success.”

For their take on “Despacito,” the show’s writers revisited the all-time classic “Rubber Duckie.” The ode to Ernie’s bath-time friend was turned into “El Patito” (the Spanish translation for “little duck”), and the result was just as charming.

Soccer fans love it

Catching the ear of a radio listener is one thing, but “Despacito” is now also an anthem for soccer fans around the world.

Fans of the Argentine club San Lorenzo (Pope Francis’ favorite team) adapted the song’s lyrics in 2017 — swapping out the lines about lusting over a girl with references to being endlessly devoted to the team — and began singing it at games.

Before long, the catchy hook was being belted out by fans of different teams across South America, and even as far afield as South Korea. “When you write a song, you imagine a whole stadium singing it, and that’s literally what happened,” says Torres.