Carl Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 There have been some big hits in America by folks who never lived in an English-speaking country. Examples: 99 Red Balloons New Soul Rock You Like a Hurricane Apparently, English is a pretty flexible language - we have a lot of words, and if we need to make one up, we'll do it (like Looptid, Confarculated or Craptastic). What other popular songs are out there with English lyrics by people who learned it as a second (or third) language? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Venus - Shocking Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 isn't English ABBA's second language? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Here are some songs that are in the SongFacts database already: Europe (Sweden) "The Final Countdown" Golden Earring (Netherlands) "Radar Love" "Twilight Zone" Roxette (Sweden) "The Look" "Listen To Your Heart" Aqua (Denmark) "Barbie Girl" Abba (Sweden) "Dancing Queen" "Take A Chance On Me" Frida (Norway) [Member of Abba] "I Know There's Something Going On" Shakira (Columbia) "Hips Don't Lie" Los Del Rio (Spain) "Macarena" Enrique Iglesias (Spain) "Hero" Bjork (Iceland) "Human Behaviour" "Big Time Sensuality" t.A.T.u. (Russia) "All The Things She Said" Los Bravos (Spain) "Black Is Black" The following two artists were born in another country but moved to the U.S. to live while they were children and learned English as their second language. They started their music careers in the U.S. Gloria Estefan (Cuba) "Coming Out Of The Dark" Jon Secada (Cuba) "Just Another Day" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Here are some songs that are not in the SongFacts database yet. Xymox (Netherlands) "Obsession" (#16 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1989) "Phoenix Of My Heart" (#16 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1991) The Sugarcubes (Iceland) "Regina" (#2 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1989) "Hit" (#1 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1992) Julio Iglesias (Spain) "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" (Duet with Willie Nelson) (#1 on U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1984) Agnatha Faltskog (Sweden) [Member of Abba] "Can't Shake Loose" (#29 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1983) Rita Pavone (Italy) "Remember Me" (#26 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1964) The Panic Channel (Japan) "Why Cry" (#33 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted April 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 I guess Abba would count, but their English is friggin' perfect. I guess Roxette's is too - maybe it's a Sweden thing. Great list Brad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 isn't English ABBA's second language? They also sang their hits in Spanish kent did two albums in Swedish and English Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth-Angel Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Not every Swede speaks wonderful English - trust me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Don't forget The Cardigans and Steppenwolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth-Angel Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Röyksopp must have had a few hits, surely? And Air? Andreas Johnson had Glorious... right? Shakira, Enrique Iglesias "I grew up in Miami speaking Spanglish" and Nelly Furtado "Spanish is not Furtado's first language - she was brought up speaking English until the age of four, then introduced to her parents' native tongue, Portuguese. "? Do they count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Asobi Seksu should also count - she sings in both English and Japanese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted April 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Going the other direction, are there any Americans who had hits in another language? I'm wondering if David Hasselhoff sang in German. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 The Beatles sang two of their hits in German. Madonna sang a few of her lyrics in Spanish ("La Isla Bonita"), but most of the song is in English. Asobi Seksu are from New York, so it also works the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Here's a few more from Sweden to add to my list above: Ace Of Base (Sweden) "All That She Wants" (#2 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1993) "The Sign" (#1 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994) The Hives (Sweden) "Hate To Say I Told You So" (#6 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2002) Blindside (Sweden) "Pitiful" (#18 on U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 2002) Robyn (Sweden) "Be Mine" (#10 on UK Singles chart in 2008) "Dancing On My Own" (#8 on UK Singles chart in 2010) "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (# 7 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1997) (song not in SongFacts database) "Show Me Love" (#7 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1997) (song not in SongFacts database) Rednex (Sweden) "Cotton Eye Joe" (#25 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1995) *Note to Carl* The above song by Rednex is in the database as "Cotton Eyed Joe. It should be Cotton Eye Joe, without the letter "D". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Going the other direction, are there any Americans who had hits in another language? *No links for the songs below because none of them are in the SongFacts database. The Sandpipers (from California) "Guantanamera" (#9 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966) "Louie, Louie" (#30 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966) Lou Monte (from New Jersey) "Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare)" (#12 on U.S. Billboard Top 100 in 1958) Rene & Rene (from Texas) "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)" (#14 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1969) N.O.R.E. (Noreaga) (from New York) "Oye Mi Canto" (#12 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 2004) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 De Dia y de Noche (All Day and All of the Night ) Rock en Español. is an album by Los Straightjackets presenting Spanish language covers of '50s & '60s English language Rock songs. Although, in a few cases, the lyrics are new and not a literal translation of the English original. El Microscopico Bikini (Dizzy Miss Lizzy ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 This maybe doesn't precisely fit the topic, but it's just too magnÃfico not to share. En El Barrio – El Vez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Going the other direction, are there any Americans who had hits in another language? Matt Monro ("The Music Played" "Can't take my eyes out of you", etc) sings often in spanish. Didn't Elvis sing in german? I hace to look for other examples as I can't recall right now but there are plenty, I'm sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumboXL Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Elvis did sing some German lines. Can't you seeI love youPlease don't break my heart in twoThat's not hard to do'cause I don't have a wooden heartAnd if you say goodbyeThen I know that I would cryMaybe I would die'cause I don't have a wooden heartThere's no strings upon this love of mineIt was always you from the startTreat me niceTreat me goodTreat me like you really should'cause I'm not made of woodAnd I don't have a wooden heart Muss I denn, muss I dennZum Staedt'le hinausStaedt'le hinausUnd du, mein Schatz, bleibst hier? There's no strings upon this love of mineIt was always you from the startSei mir gutSei mir gutSei mir wie du wirklich sollstWie du wirklich sollstCause I don't have a wooden heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 What other popular songs are out there with English lyrics by people who learned it as a second (or third) language? Enigma (Germany) "Return To Innocence" (#2 on U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994 and #4 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Going the other direction, are there any Americans who had hits in another language? Ritchie Valens (from California) "La Bamba" (#22 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1959) Pitbull (from Florida) "The Anthem" (#36 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 2008) Connie Francis (from New Jersey) "Jealous Of You (Tango Della Gelosia)" (#19 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1960) (song not in SongFacts database) Ray Barretto (from New York) "El Watusi" (#17 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1963) (song not in SongFacts database) Carole King (from New York) "Corazon" (#37 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1973) (song not in SongFacts database) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) so... if I understand this thread correctly you really want a list of famous English songs sung by non-native English speakers? That's going to be a *long* list - eg up until the mid to end 90s it wasn't considered 'cool' for a German band to sing in German (or anything else than English) if I think alone of the one-hit wonders from these times... Lemon Tree ~ Fool's Garden Narcotic ~ Liquido Rescue Me ~ Bell, Book and Candle Supergirl ~ Reamonn Alphaville (Big in Japan) Boney M (Rivers of Babylon) Rising High ~ H-Blockx Guano Apes ~ Open Your Eyes (not really a OHW) Modern Talking, Scooter... which brings us to all the House/Eurodance stuff Snap! (The Power, Rythm is a Dancer) Haddaway ~ What is Love Technotronic ~ Pump Up The Jam (from Belgium, I think) DJ Bobo, Dr. Alban, Culture Beat, E-Rotic, Mr.President, 2 Unlimited, Dune, Captain Hollywood... all not very good, but very popular* Pretty much all the winners from these crappy "American Idol"-like shows are singing in English as well, just like Lena, the winner from last year's Eurovision Song Contest back to better music: The Notwist Consequence, also Kraftwerk made pretty much all of their music at least bilingual in both German and English the whole Krautrock bands... Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust, etc Die Toten Hosen made some songs in English ("Pushed Again) even Tocotronic, who were among the first Indie bands to start singing in German in the early 90s, released an album with translated versions Let There Be Rock (English version)... they're better in German though, imo ...and that's just the stuff I recalled instantly it's really not unusual at all for non-English speaking people to make English music *which can be said for a majority of the examples I gave, really Edited April 23, 2011 by Guest one typo and the whole sentence didn't make any sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 ...it's really not unusual at all for non-English speaking people to make English music... Farin is right. Almost every English-speaking performer has sung in another language other than theirs... And almost every non-English-speaking performer has sung in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Almost every English-speaking performer has sung in another language other than theirs... And almost every non-English-speaking performer has sung in English. I wouldn't say "almost every" really - especially to the first sentence... but quite a few probably did, yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 I wouldn't say "almost every" really - especially to the first sentence... but quite a few probably did, yeah I say "almost every" because the record business needed hits in many countries so The Beatles, The Stones, Neil Diamond or Sinatra (to mention only four) sung sometimes in another language. As the for the non-English speaking performers, I still say "almost all of them"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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