What is your favourite song in another language?
I've always been interested in learning other languages so it'd be cool to get some recommendations. So far, I've come to like Me!Me!Me! by Teddyloid, the instrumental for Headbanger by Baby Metal, J'en Ai Marre by Alizee, and Yuve Yuve Yu by The HU.
65 replies
Ça Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand
99 Luftballons by Nena
Both songs were massive hits in Australia when I was a kid and they both are still in high rotation on my playlist.
Interestingly, the English version of 99 Luftballons hardly charted here at all.
Plastic Bertrand's song was huge due to appearing on the soundtrack of the National Lampoon's European Vacation movie starring Chevy Chase and Beverley D'Angelo.
Covered by Sonic Youth.
Also the Presidents of the United States of America
The intro to Ghost in the Shell
Which version? There are quite a variety, and it seems like they all have stellar intro songs.
Presumably they mean the SAC intro song, "Inner Universe", which has lyrics in English, Russian, and Latin.
Probably the most standout in terms of linguistic complexity.
RIP Origa.
Yeah, that's the one that stands out the most to me. I had no idea Origa had died. :'(
Sorry to be the one that told you, but yeah, ... like a decade ago.
Can't pick a favorite, so here's Miki Matsubara's Stay With Me
Plastic love by Mariya Takeuchi, or covers of modern songs in dead languages like running up that hill in old english
https://youtu.be/JVMCqctBShw
Of course!
The funniest part is that the viral part of that song isn't in any language, it's just scatting.
Adriano Celentano
Prisencolinensinainciusol, alright!
Thoughts on 'Dopilsya' by Sektor Gaza?
italian: io vagabondo is very nice (link)
2 of my favourite songs in my native language are ba. - tai ne žmogus and Rokas Yan, Monika Liu, Vaidas Baumila - gegužis :3
Tout là-haut - ZAZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2uxifMlIcs Beautiful French song!
I have a couple Rammstein songs on my playlist, does that count? Namely Du Hast and Deutschland.
I speak Spanish and French. La Femme and Thievery Corporation both have a lot of easily accessible songs in various other languages.
For French music specifically, I love L'Impératrice and Vendredi Sur Mer. Always a fan of the classics like Edith Piaf or Marie LaForêt . A recent discovery was Camille Yembe who is my new obsession.
MI favorita canción enteramente en español es la versión de La Llorona por Natalia LaFourcade.
This fun song by The Limiñanas uses both
Years ago there was a song that always played for the ads on the Chinese phones. I tracked it down and the English translation of the title is "I caught a cold in that corner" by Fiona Fung. I don't really consider it foreign language since it sounds mostly non-lexical.
I also have to give Cruel Angel Thesis an honorable mention.
99 Luftballons
Came here to say this
Ca plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand.
And
Negro y Azul: The Ballad of Heisenberg, by Los Cuates de Sinaloa.
Mandinka (Guinea) - Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante, either the Afro Acid mix or the Hardfloor remix
French - Here I Am (Rutabaga mix) - Lexicon Avenue
Spanish - Llorando - Rebeka del Rio. Spanish language cover of Roy Orbison's 'Crying'. Video includes minor spoiler for Mulholland Drive.
Greek - Efige Efige - Stelios Kazantzidis
Malawi (sorry, I don't know exactly what language this is in - EDIT: possibly Chichewa) - A Bale Ndikuwuzeni - Gasper Nali
Songhai (Mali) - Soubour - Songhoy Blues
French (Burkina Faso) - Taximen - Amadou Balake
Did not expect to see 2 Belgian artists listed here, nice!
As for me: Khaled - Aisha
I really like Su!cide by Ren, as my non native language song /s
In all seriousness, "Zeinen ederra izango den" from ZETAK, a current Basque group. It was made during covid, to remember the activities we did before, and what pleasure will be to again go out and enjoy it together. I don't expect you to take upon yourself learning Basque, but I hope you can enjoy the song at least haha.
I love the French singer Francis Cabrel.
Two of my favorites
hors saison
L' encre de tes yeux
Mon Cheri by Sofi Tukker x Amadou & Marian
I like a lot of Brazilian music, so I'd pick something Portuguese. 'Tropicalia', by Caetano Veloso, 'Parabolicamara' by Gilberto Gil, or 'Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser', by Milton Nascimento are all fantastic.
A Terrorista Visszatér by HétköznaPICSAlódások
Song - Artist Kung i baren - Magnus Uggla Come give me love - Ted Gärdestad (yes, the song is Swedish but the title is English) Anything that angine de poitrine makes. But alien language might not be what you meant. Neuer wind - Van Canto
Cancion Bonita by El Micha
Hasta que salga el sol by Don Omar
Limbo by Daddy Yankee
Bota niña by Bad Gyal
Marieke by Jaques Brel. https://youtu.be/faMV_drSouA
Sólstafir - Fjara Reading the lyrics in my native tongue only makes this song even more beautiful.
nice indeed
Wodka by Pidzama Porno. It’s in polish, I love it!
Skandal im Sperrbezirk by The Spider Murphy Gang and Du Bist Gut Genug by Kitschkrieg, Blumengarten and Shirin David just to give everyone a horrible earworm.
Mundo paralelo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emkNtKEbcGY
Fow now.
1934 by Xera
They are from Asturias, and it is from this free CC album
Paktofonika - Mechaniczna pomarańcza
My favorite songs change every other week but right now it's probably Sanjam by Sixth June. The song is in Serbian.
Ana Maradun (warning: DARE propaganda) and Daani Shauqun by Mosa Alomairah (couldn't find English lyrics for the latter, which is a shame because they're really pretty). This guy in general is really talented, though as with all Arabic acapella the choice of songs can be pretty bad sometimes. This is also his post-reset persona; he also has some bangers from his radical Islamist phase.
Japanese: Olivia Lufkin - Stars Shining Out
Spanish: Bruthal 6 - Todo en mis Manos
It's not my favorite music, but a friend of mine recently passed away and I can't get this music out of my head because we played it at his goodbye party when he went to live in another city. It's in Portuguese and a music about goodbyes: Matanza - Tempo Ruim some rough translation below for those who don't speak Portuguese:
Manel — Teresa Rampell
Right now it's Sheena Ringo - Rush Job
Here are some Spanish ones I enjoy:
Gimme tha power is the first one that came to mind for me as well, classic
La Rage by Keny Arkana
Stan Getz & Joáo Gilberto - Aguas de Março
Cut Chemist - The Garden
Rachid Taha - Barra Barra
Khaled - Alech Taadi
Vangelis - Damask Rose
I love Cut Chemist so much!
By sure why, but I need to share this one here:
Habibi Funk - Ayonha
Gasper Nali - A Bale Ndikuwuzeni
Not just my favorite foreign language song, but also a top 10.
Not foreign language (per se for an English speaker), but somewhat also ironically on my top 10 list is Brushy One String - Chicken in the Corn.
La Gata Bajo la Lluvia by Rocio Dúrcal
There have been some pretty great songs in the now ending anime season. Cant wait to hear whats coming next week for the new season of shows.
Patio Song by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.
Absolute belter in Welsh (when it gets there).
Oh, here: Patio Song on Youtube
Benny Lava.
It has great energy, and a jetpack operation!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdyC1BrQd6g
The Book of Love sounds so beautiful in Italian. https://youtu.be/iWrIjN27w_M
I speak a little French, not fluent, but love Jacques Brel.
i like german anime intro songs. sailor moon opening comes to mind ("Sag das Zauberwort") here
Atari Teenage Riot - Hetzjagd auf Nazis!
This is pretty much the only song in my collection which has vocals and which's vocals don't happen to be in English (don't ask me why; my mother tongue is German), but anyways, it's this ballad in some slavic language: https://open.audio/library/tracks/102128/
I have no idea what the song is about, so if they sing of pee and poop, I do apologize.